Extracted from the Godre Pentre Log Book

Ogof Carn-Y-Botel

Discovered on 26 February 1989 by Jon Young whilst out walking on Mynydd y Garn as a small hole opening into a rift which appeared to be about 10m deep. Opened up by 2 hours digging by Jon Young, Chris Fry and Tony Fifield on 27th February when it could be seen to be a man-size shaft obstructed by a large boulder. Chemical persuasion before June allowed Adrian Paniwnyk, Martyn Pickering and Chris Crowley to reach the bottom of the shaft on 4th June to reach a rift running in both directions at the bottom. The down dip passage ended in a steeply inclined rocky floored tube which did not look very hopeful. On the right hand side of this down dip passage a choked tube led off with a small gap at the bottom but could not be easily dug. From the up dip passage a small tube led off right into a bell shaped chamber decorated with stalactites and with a white and yellow calcite floor. Jon Young and Chris Fry dug again at the bottom on 12th August but without success. They then secured the entrance from suicidal sheep, farmers, etc.

Ogof Ogam Igam

Note: Ogof Ogam Igam and Ogof Gwib are alternative names used in the log book for the continuation in the eastern bank of the Little Neath River of Ogof Igam Ogam.

Push by Paul Stacey and Adrian Paniwnyk on 11 September 1989 passed two very tight drops and flake squeezes which had to be hammered. At an estimated 100 feet in a sump was met. Malcolm Stewart inspected this on 13th September and left some line for a future dive. The dive itself took place on 6th November supported by Adrian Paniwnyk and Steve Wray as underground sherpas. The sump proved to be 20 feet long to air; a further 20 feet of backward crawling ended in a dead end with water disappearing into a parallel rift via an impassable hole in the left hand wall. This exercise took about 3 hours!

Based on Malcolm Stewart's view that the passage which had been followed down to the sump was not the main route, further digging took place on 15th, 16th and 22nd April in the tubes leading off the furthest downstream Ogof Ogam Igam entrance. Some of these ponded up and others proved very tight but may still offer the best prospects on the east bank of the river.