Pridhamsleigh Cavern

Location
Grid reference: SX748679

Altitude: 60m

http://www.multimap.com/s/QsghamYQ

The cave is approached through an orchard on the opposite side of the road to Pridhamsleigh Farm. The farmer charges a fee for crossing his land and a small box is provided for this by the gate. It is important to pay - access has been threatened when the farmer feels fees have not been appropriately paid. The cave itself is not locked.

Description
Length: 1200m

Vertical range: 53m

he cave is a complex multilevel maze. The entrance is large and there are series of passages on either side of the main route in - a low stoop. The cave is extremely muddy but caver erosion over the last half century has resulted in many low crawls becoming of walking size as well as a cave diving site, The Deep Well, now becoming choked with mud.

At the far end of the system is the Lake. Water levels here fluctuate considerably - more so since the construction of the A38 dual carriageway outside the cave. The Lake is over 30 metres deep and in the early 1970s divers from the Devon Spelaeological Society passed an underwater arch to enter the void of Pridhamsleigh Two. Pridhamsleigh Two is a partially water filled chamber approximately 40 metres long 20 metres wide with a total height of 45 metres. Above water there is a high level ledge and the chamber is well decorated with a wide range of speleothems. A stout series of shot lines enable dives to be made safely between Pridhamsleigh One and Two.

A full description and survey were published in Cave Science in the 1960s by the late John Hooper.