Wales
Wales 17th to 19th October 2003
Report by Colm , photos by Lyndon, Darryl
Friday
The van was packed and we were ready to go before 7pm. What could possibly go wrong?
McGowan could not turn up, that's what.
Uneventful journey, arriving in Ystradfellte at about 11:30. Van was unpacked and it was decided to hit the pub for a few quiet ones before bed. Who do we find propping up the bar?
That's right, bloody McGowan!
Saturday
The traditional 'Freshers down OFD' trip took place. Both groups were quite keen, so visits to Trident, Judge, down to Maypole inlet and along the streamway to top waterfall all happened. One group found the elusive Edward's Shortcut (McGowan does have some uses after all), and exited via the minicolumns.
A great trip, enjoyed by all
Colm went for a spin on his bike over the hill. Managed to taco the front wheel within 5 mins of leaving the hut, but a bit of wanton violence sorted it out, and he managed to continue his cycle. Good fun by all accounts.
Usual pasta + Bolognaise for dinner, with Colm and Anna dispatched to buy some wine. Drove the 20 mins to Glyn Neath only to discover that neither had their wallets. They tried to swap the amp for a couple of choice bottles, but to no avail. Lags went to the pub to be hassled by the locals while the young 'uns played endless hands of AP.
Sunday
Not wanting to traipse all the way to Penwylt for another OFD trip, the two options were Little Neath, and Pant Mawr Pot. Little Neath being wet, and PMP being a 45 min walk away, it was a hard decision.
Little Neath River Cave: Bernard, Clewin Griffith, Darryl Anderson, Martin Kowalski, Martin McGowan
Martin M once again provided the entertainment by getting stuck in the 'dry entrance' for 45 mins, eventually freeing himself, we all entered the 'wet entrance'. The idea was to explore the cave, see the sights, and avoid the canal because the Freshers didn't have wetsuits. However, the new breed are made of sterner stuff, and insisted on a dunking!
Pant Mawr Pot: Jarvist Frost, Lyndon Leggate, Rik Venn, Stephanie Klecha
Pant Mawr is situated in the middle of a flat moor. There have been many tales of people getting lost, spending 2 hours looking for the entrance etc... Luckily, we had the genius that is Colm with us. He expertly guided us directly to the entrance, and even rigged the entrance series for us! What a martyr!
We zipped down the 15m entrance ladders and proceeded down the cave. We soon broke the club tradition of getting lost in the boulder choke by passing both the first and the second chokes with no problems. The traditionalists were satisfied, however, when we failed at the third.
Exited without problems and were met by Colm and Anna in the van, cutting the return walk to 30mins.
M4 traffic delayed the return journey, so we got to South Ken by 10:30. Great Weekend!