Llygad Llwchwr facts for kids

Llygad Llwchwr is a cool cave system found in Wales. It stretches for about 1.2 kilometers (that's almost a mile!). You can find this cave in the Black Mountain area. This mountain range is part of the amazing Brecon Beacons National Park. The name "Llygad Llwchwr" comes from the Welsh words for "Eye of the River Loughor."

Discovering Llygad Llwchwr

People first started exploring Llygad Llwchwr a long time ago. The first recorded trip into the cave was in 1841. A person named Thomas Jenkins was the one who explored it back then. Since then, many people have visited and learned more about this hidden world.

Where is the Cave Entrance?

Finding the cave entrance is quite easy. It's about 400 meters (or about a quarter of a mile) from the main road. You can follow a public footpath to get there. The entrance is just above and to the left of a spot where a river comes out of the ground. This is called a river resurgence.

Inside the Cave System

Llygad Llwchwr has two main parts. One part is a "dry high level series." This means it's higher up and doesn't have much water. The other part is an "active river level." This section has a river flowing through it.

Exploring the River Chambers

The river part of the cave has several "river chambers." These are like big rooms or open spaces. They are separated by areas called "sumps." A sump is a part of the cave that is completely filled with water. To get past a sump, you have to go underwater.

Beyond the fourth river chamber, exploring becomes more difficult. You can only go further by cave diving. This means using special equipment to swim underwater through the sumps. For most of the cave, you don't need to be an expert. It's a good place for people who are new to caving, often called "novice cavers."