Swildon's Hole

Infobox Cave
name = Swildon's Hole
photo = Swildonsholeentrance2.jpg
caption = Entrance structure
location = Priddy
depth = 167 metres
length = 9144 metres
coordinates = gbmapping|ST540505
discovery = 1901
geology = Limestone
difficulty = Grade 4
access = Manor Farm

Swildon's Hole (gbmapping|ST540505) is an extensive cave in Priddy, Somerset. The first recorded exploration occurred in 1901, and new sections have frequently been discovered since then. The cave contains an active streamway, which has caused a highly varied cave system. Areas of the system range from low passages, through which cavers must crawl, to impressive chambers with sheer drops, and from dry fossil passages to thundering waterfalls and its infamous sumps. [cite book |last=Johnson |first=Peter |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=The History of Mendip Caving |year=1967 |publisher=David & Charles |location=Newton Abbot |isbn= ] Indeed, sump 1 was first bypassed in the 1930s, and only a handful of the 11 sumps thus far bypassed can be dived without dedicated equipment.

The entrance is just outside the village of Priddy, in a small tree filled hollow, via a small stone building and then through a triangular hole in the ground.

The upper series of the cave compresses many of these features into a relatively short space, making Swildon's a very popular trip for novice cavers. The cave goes far beyond this, however, and the lower reaches of the cave continue to provide challenges for even the most experienced of cave divers.

There is some evidence of copper mining at some point in the past. [cite book |last=Gough |first=J.W. |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=The mines of Mendip |year=1967 |publisher=David & Charles |location=Newton Abbot]

The water in the cave resurges in Wookey Hole Caves. This was first demonstrated (by pouring dye into the water) by Graham Balcombe and Jack Sheppard of the Cave Diving Group, pioneers of cave diving in the late 1930s.

It forms part of the Priddy Caves Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

References

Bibliography

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See also

* Caves of the Mendip Hills

External links

* Forty years in Swildon's Hole, a Laurie & Maurice film, Wessex Cave Club [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMOhTlnd3eg]