Dan-yr-Ogof is an 11-mile long network of caves in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Claimed to be the largest network in the UK, and named in a 2005 poll as Britain’s greatest national wonder, it’s little wonder why it has recently been named the National Showcaves Centre for Wales. It was first explored in modern times by three brothers – Edwin, Tommy, and Jeff Morgan – whose farm sat on top of the entrance to one of the caves, beginning in 1912 with primitive caving equipment. However, there is evidence that the caves had been occupied long before the Morgan brothers, as evidence of early human settlement dating back thousands of years has been found in some of the caves. Though a large section of the main cave is open to the public, there is another beyond it that is classified as a nature reserve and is only open to experienced cave explorers. It is claimed that the network will one day be opened up to reach a total of 95 miles long, but I’m not sure if I’ll be around to see that. ^__^

Scenes like this reveal just how much water there is in the ground. For context, this picture was taken at the height of this past summer, just before droughts were being declared across much of England. The ambient temperature of the cave is about 10’C, and this pool is full of ground water, which reflects the detail of the cave wall above beautifully.

Hope you enjoy!