History
The cave was first explored in 1966 and In November of 1968 an archaeological report was performed under the direction of MR R. A. Kennedy, curator of the Pembroke county museum where bones and teeth were discovered which belonged to OX and wild boar, Small fragments of pottery dating to around 2000 BC were also discovered. Their conclusion was that during the Neolithic era both entrances would have likely been accessible from the plain below thousands of years ago when the sea was miles away from the cave mouth.
Explore
Located beneath the steep cliffs of saddle head on the Pembrokeshire coast of south wales lies Ogof Gofan sea cave. The cave is located in part of the Ministry of Defence Castlemartin Firing Range and lies part way down steep cliffs. A steep scramble down, followed by a short exposed abseil is required to reach the entrance of the cave. There are numerous deviations in place to avoid rope rub on the sharp limestone rock surface and the entrance sits around 15 metres above the sea but with the loud crashing of waves below it definitely feels closer.
Once near the bottom of the entrance a short scramble up slippery moss covered rock is required to reach the start of some tight passages where SRT kit can gladly be left. A fairly well decorated chamber full of stalagmites presents itself offering a glimpse of what's to come. After some confined crawling the sea can be heard again, this is due to ‘the window’ being near. This is another opening in the cliffs allowing for a short rest and stunning views of Hollow Caves Bay. There's no way of exiting the cave here hence its name.
More constricting passages eventually lead us into the ‘bone chamber’. The route on is a tight climb up the stal flow to squeeze through into the Fifth Chamber, the main chamber of the cave and one of the main reasons for our visit. This large chamber is covered with straw formations that fill the ceiling and Stalagmite columns that litter the floor. Of which 3 stand out for their formidable size with the tallest being over 16 ft in height.
In the center of the chamber there is a crystal pool that reflects an emerald green water. Although the system is currently only around 125m in length it holds arguably some of the best cave formations in the UK.
The cave was first explored in 1966 and In November of 1968 an archaeological report was performed under the direction of MR R. A. Kennedy, curator of the Pembroke county museum where bones and teeth were discovered which belonged to OX and wild boar, Small fragments of pottery dating to around 2000 BC were also discovered. Their conclusion was that during the Neolithic era both entrances would have likely been accessible from the plain below thousands of years ago when the sea was miles away from the cave mouth.
Explore
Located beneath the steep cliffs of saddle head on the Pembrokeshire coast of south wales lies Ogof Gofan sea cave. The cave is located in part of the Ministry of Defence Castlemartin Firing Range and lies part way down steep cliffs. A steep scramble down, followed by a short exposed abseil is required to reach the entrance of the cave. There are numerous deviations in place to avoid rope rub on the sharp limestone rock surface and the entrance sits around 15 metres above the sea but with the loud crashing of waves below it definitely feels closer.
Once near the bottom of the entrance a short scramble up slippery moss covered rock is required to reach the start of some tight passages where SRT kit can gladly be left. A fairly well decorated chamber full of stalagmites presents itself offering a glimpse of what's to come. After some confined crawling the sea can be heard again, this is due to ‘the window’ being near. This is another opening in the cliffs allowing for a short rest and stunning views of Hollow Caves Bay. There's no way of exiting the cave here hence its name.
More constricting passages eventually lead us into the ‘bone chamber’. The route on is a tight climb up the stal flow to squeeze through into the Fifth Chamber, the main chamber of the cave and one of the main reasons for our visit. This large chamber is covered with straw formations that fill the ceiling and Stalagmite columns that litter the floor. Of which 3 stand out for their formidable size with the tallest being over 16 ft in height.
In the center of the chamber there is a crystal pool that reflects an emerald green water. Although the system is currently only around 125m in length it holds arguably some of the best cave formations in the UK.
