Llanymynech Cave & Roman Mine

Location
SJ 265 223

Directions
The cave/mine is located in the centre of Llanymynech golf course. Park outside the front entrance gate and walk through the main gate sticking the to right hand fence line along a public footpath. After around 100 yards the footpath turns sharp left and crosses a fairway into some trees. The entrance is there.

Access
All ungated, no known permissions required

Suggested Equipment
None

Length
Around ¼ mile of twisting/crawling passages

Flood Risk
None Known

Mine Attributes
Lead & Copper

Description
This was originally a natural cave which has been mined by Romans for lead. There is also evidence of copper with a blue discolouration to some of the calcite decorations.

The entrance is reasonably large and roomy although very quickly multiple passages disappear in different directions often requiring a belly crawl to squeeze through.

There is a chamber towards the back of the cave/mine with two piles of ancient stacked deads; one pile being calcited together after 2000 years of dripping water petrification and the other being loose and dry. There is also a shaft to surface in this chamber as well as two more squeezey belly crawls; one of which leads to an interesting area of more squeezes and the other of which leads to a further maze of passages.

Knee pads are a really good idea and although there are plenty of passages to adventure around, you will be on your knees most of the time.

There is also a trial adit at Llanymynech nature reserve (west end of the golf course and below it) – this only goes 30 feet and is dead.

There is another trial adit in the quarry face of the main quarry (the climbing walls). This goes in around 50 feet then turns sharply right and goes a further 100 feet before termination.

Unexplored Passages
None known to be unexplored but there were multitudes

Digs
None Known

Links
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~lizcolin/llanymyn.htm

http://cucc.survex.com/archive/jnl/1980/salop.htm

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/7001

http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/mines/Llanymynech-ogof_1798/Llanymynech-ogof.asp

http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/307004/details/OGOF,+LLANYMYNECH+HILL,+ALLEGED+ROMAN+COPPER+MINE/

Petrified stacked deads





Loose deads

The shaft to surface