Coed Y Mwstwr Woods Cave, Ogof Coed-y-Mwstwr, King Arthur's Cave, Ogof Pant-y-Gog, Cuckoo's Hollow Cave, Pencoed Cave, Pencoed Woods Cave, Pebyll-y-Merched, Ogof-y-Pebyll, Ogof y Pebyll, Ogof y Pebyll Bone Cave, Cave of St Illtyd
NGR: SS 95088 80742 85 m.asl
Bridgend
, South East Wales
map using leaflet map:
Cave
Access
The cave is situated in Coed-y-Mwstwr woods, marked on OS maps which is near Pencoed. A path leads from the rugby field in Pencoed, under the motorway, to the woods.
The entrance is at the near end of a small cliff, about 20 metres to right of an old track leading up from east (but access to that from across the river and railway is effectively blocked). There are several other small entrances along the small cliff to the north.
The woods belong to Coed-y-Mwstwr Ganol Farm to the West of the cave; requests to visit have been refused following at least three serious accidents (one fatal) involving loose boulders.
Description
The main passage is 5 metres high and 60 metres long, beyond which dangerous loose boulders have limited thorough exploration of several sections of stable passage connected by unstable sections, crawls and rifts at various levels.
History
Archaeological dig by Storrie in 1884, encouraged by Pengelly; extended 1961,1967. Said to have been used by Owain Glyndwr as a hiding place and perhaps grave for both him and King Arthur...
Speleo Section ICI Fibres Club, Signpost Report 150, 15 June (1961), Davies,M., Account of the fatal caving accident at Pencoed, Glamorgan, on 11th June, 1961
SWCC Newsletter 37 (1961), Davies,M., Account of the fatal caving accident at Pencoed, Glamorgan, on 11th June, 1961
records