"Wookey Hole Caves Wookey Hole Caves () are a series of limestone caverns, a show cave and tourist attraction in the village of Wookey Hole on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills near Wells in Somerset, England. The River Axe flows through the cave. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for both biological and geological reasons. Wookey Hole cave is a ""solutional cave"", one that is formed by a process of weathering in which the natural acid in groundwater dissolves the rocks. Some water originates as rain that flows into streams on impervious rocks on the"
"St. Dunstan's Well Catchment St. Dunstan's Well Catchment () is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, covering near Stoke St Michael in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, England. The site was notified in 1967. It is of both geological and biological significance. Formerly known as Stoke St Michael Slocker, it contains nine SSSI units consisting of rock and calcareous grassland. St Dunstan's Well Catchment is an important and well-known cave system which includes a series of spectacularly-decorated caves which in total extend to about of mapped passage. The caves at Fairy Cave Quarry were formed mainly by the erosive action of"
"the caves, provide geologists with the means to obtain a better understanding of the geological evolution of southern Britain during the Ice Ages. Priddy Caves Priddy Caves () is an Area: 67.6 hectare (167.0 acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Priddy in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, notified in 1965. The entrance to St Cuthbert's Swallet is incorporated in the adjacent Priddy Pools SSSI. The Priddy Caves System contains about 16km of surveyed cave passages divided between a number of major and minor networks. All the caves are sink hole systems, fed by sink holes at the ground surface."
"St Cuthbert's Swallet St Cuthbert's Swallet is the second longest, and most complex, cave on the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. It forms a major part of the Priddy Caves system and water entering this swallet re-emerges at Wookey Hole. St Cuthbert's Swallet is part of, and lies underneath, the Priddy Pools Site of Special Scientific Interest. In the citation this is given as St Cuthbert's Cave, which should not be confused with St Cuthbert's Cave in Northumberland. It is named because of its location in the St Cuthbert Out parish of Wells, and was originally called St Cuthbert's Pot."
"Priddy Caves Priddy Caves () is an Area: 67.6 hectare (167.0 acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Priddy in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, notified in 1965. The entrance to St Cuthbert's Swallet is incorporated in the adjacent Priddy Pools SSSI. The Priddy Caves System contains about 16km of surveyed cave passages divided between a number of major and minor networks. All the caves are sink hole systems, fed by sink holes at the ground surface. In all the caves the detailed disposition and form of the passages can be seen clearly to have followed marked lines of natural"
"in the field to the east of Stoke Lane Quarry. Small numbers of greater horseshoe bat (""Rhinolophus ferrumequinum""), lesser horseshoe bat (""Rhinolophus hipposideros"") and Natterer's bat (""Myotis nattereri"") hibernate in the cave system. St. Dunstan's Well Catchment St. Dunstan's Well Catchment () is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, covering near Stoke St Michael in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, England. The site was notified in 1967. It is of both geological and biological significance. Formerly known as Stoke St Michael Slocker, it contains nine SSSI units consisting of rock and calcareous grassland. St Dunstan's Well Catchment is an important and"
"its sporty squeezes and narrow crawls. Despite its popularity, many calcite formations still remain intact in the farthest reaches of the cave. Sidcot Swallet Sidcot Swallet is a cave near Burrington Combe, in the Carboniferous Limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. It was named after the Sidcot School Speleological Society who explored it in 1925. A swallet, also known as a sinkhole, sink, shakehole, swallow hole or doline, is a natural depression or hole in the surface topography caused by the removal of soil or bedrock, often both, by water flowing beneath. After Goatchurch Cavern, Sidcot Swallet is"
"known cave on the Mendip Hills, Atlas Pot, which is deep. The stream that flows through the cave is one of those that feeds St Andrew's Wells in the grounds of the Bishop's Palace in Wells. Thrupe Lane Swallet was first entered in 1974 following digging by three caving groups. The entry shaft has been blasted open to ensure a stable entrance. Thrupe Lane Swallet Thrupe Lane Swallet () is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset, notified in 1992. It is also a Geological Conservation Review site. The name Thrupe Lane comes from the nearby hamlet of"
"Sidcot Swallet Sidcot Swallet is a cave near Burrington Combe, in the Carboniferous Limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. It was named after the Sidcot School Speleological Society who explored it in 1925. A swallet, also known as a sinkhole, sink, shakehole, swallow hole or doline, is a natural depression or hole in the surface topography caused by the removal of soil or bedrock, often both, by water flowing beneath. After Goatchurch Cavern, Sidcot Swallet is probably the most popular cave on Mendip for novice parties. What it lacks in length or depth is adequately compensated for by"
"of the school from 1926 to 1958. The Fairy Caves Management Committee administers the access to this cave on behalf of the quarry owners. Hillier's Cave Hillier's Cave () is a cave in Fairy Cave Quarry, near Stoke St Michael in the limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. It falls within the St. Dunstan's Well Catchment Site of Special Scientific Interest. The cave was discovered on 13 February 1954, when blasting at one of the working faces opened up a cave passage, and is now choked with sludge waste from the quarry. It was first explored by John"
"Cook's Wood Quarry Cook's Wood Quarry also known as Holcombe Quarry () is a 0.8 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Stoke St Michael on the Mendip Hills in Somerset, notified in 1988. This is a Geological Conservation Review Site. This site partially overlaps with St. Dunstan's Well Catchment SSSI. The main exposures are cut in very steeply-dipping Carboniferous Limestone. This was the original locality for the type section of the proposed ‘Cookswoodian Stage’. 9 species of Bat, Dormice and 4 species of Newts including the rare Great Crested Newt reside in Cooks Wood Quarry. Planning permission for"
"to practise single rope technique (SRT). It is part of the Priddy Caves Site of Special Scientific Interest and described as ""an excellent example of a shaft complex draining a closed depression. The roof of the main shaft shows a variety of features such as soil and boulder bridges and scalloped and speleothem lined rifts, all draining the surface depression. This cave differs from the others at Priddy in apparently not having formed as a stream swallet."" Hunter's Hole Hunter's Hole (or Hunters' Hole) is a cave in the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England. It is behind a pub, known"
"Swildon's Hole Swildon's Hole is an extensive cave in Priddy, Somerset. At in length, it is the longest cave on the Mendip Hills. It has been found to be connected to Priddy Green Sink and forms part of the Priddy Caves Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The upper series of the cave compresses many features into a relatively short space. 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. The name may be a corruption of Swithun, an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester,"
"Shatter Cave Shatter Cave is a cave in Fairy Cave Quarry, near Stoke St Michael in the limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. It falls within the St. Dunstan's Well Catchment Site of Special Scientific Interest. The name commemorates the damage, done by blasting in the quarry, to some of the decoration within the cave. Shatter Cave has been described as being one of the finest decorated caves in Britain in terms of their sheer abundance of pure white and translucent calcite deposits. The floor of Diesel Chamber includes some fine gours, Helicite Rift contains heligmites and a"
"Upper Flood Swallet Upper Flood Swallet () which was originally known as Blackmoor Flood Swallet, is a cave near Charterhouse, in the carboniferous limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. The cave is part of the Cheddar Complex SSSI. The entrance was revealed in the Great Flood of 1968, giving the cave its name. It was dug consistently since then with breakthroughs occurring in 1971, 1972, 1985 and 2006. As of September 2008 it is over 3.5 km in length and around 125 m deep. In September 2006 cavers squeezed through an excavated boulder choke into new passage. In"
"the disused quarry has been granted to turn it into a holiday retreat. Cook's Wood Quarry Cook's Wood Quarry also known as Holcombe Quarry () is a 0.8 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Stoke St Michael on the Mendip Hills in Somerset, notified in 1988. This is a Geological Conservation Review Site. This site partially overlaps with St. Dunstan's Well Catchment SSSI. The main exposures are cut in very steeply-dipping Carboniferous Limestone. This was the original locality for the type section of the proposed ‘Cookswoodian Stage’. 9 species of Bat, Dormice and 4 species of Newts including"
"(SSSI), and the St. Dunstan's Well Catchment which is an important cave system including a series of spectacularly-decorated caves which in total extend to about of mapped passage. The caves at Fairy Cave Quarry were formed mainly by the erosive action of water flowing beneath the water-table at considerable pressure (so called 'phreatic' development), but as the water table has fallen many of the caves now lie well above it and the system now contains a variety of cave formations (stalagmites, stalactites and calcite curtains) which in their extent and preservation are amongst the best in Britain. Shatter Cave and"
"Newton St Loe SSSI Newton St Loe SSSI () is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) close to the River Avon, near the village of Newton St Loe in Bath and North East Somerset. It was notified on September 1992. It is 2.26 hectares in size. The site was featured in the Geological Conservation Review. The site is designated as an SSSI because it represents the only remaining known exposure of fossiliferous Pleistocene gravels along the River Avon. In conjunction with other sites within the wider area, it has aided the development of a scientific understanding of the"
"Longwood Swallet The Longwood Swallet is a cave near Charterhouse, in the Carboniferous Limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. The cave is part of the Cheddar Complex SSSI and is connected to August Hole. It is 1.65 km in length and reaches a depth of 175m. The cave was discovered in September 1944 by boys from Sidcot School. The picture shown is not the Longwood Swallet, it is Longwood Valley Sink. Longwood Swallet's entrance is a lidded concrete block construction. A (non-free) picture of Longwood Swallet entrance is available here The cave is locked and access is controlled"
"cave insects. ""Oligaphorura"" (formerly ""Archaphorura"") ""schoetti"" (a type of springtail) is a troglophile, up to in length and common in many caves. Most specimens are female but a male specimen was collected from St. Cuthbert's Swallet in 1969. St Cuthbert's Swallet St Cuthbert's Swallet is the second longest, and most complex, cave on the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. It forms a major part of the Priddy Caves system and water entering this swallet re-emerges at Wookey Hole. St Cuthbert's Swallet is part of, and lies underneath, the Priddy Pools Site of Special Scientific Interest. In the citation this is"
"barrow or Tumulus can be found in the northern part of the Reserve. Priddy Mineries Priddy Mineries () is a nature reserve previously run by the Somerset Wildlife Trust. It is in the village of Priddy, on the Mendip Hills in Somerset. The reserve lies 3 miles north of Wells and 1.5 miles east of the village of Priddy. It is a site of 50 ha (123 acres) and is part of the Priddy Pools Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is mostly grassland / heather mosaic with an area of valley mire and some nutrient-poor pools. The site"
"a series of three digging trips they discovered 1.2 km of well decorated cave. Upper Flood Swallet Upper Flood Swallet () which was originally known as Blackmoor Flood Swallet, is a cave near Charterhouse, in the carboniferous limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. The cave is part of the Cheddar Complex SSSI. The entrance was revealed in the Great Flood of 1968, giving the cave its name. It was dug consistently since then with breakthroughs occurring in 1971, 1972, 1985 and 2006. As of September 2008 it is over 3.5 km in length and around 125 m deep."
"Hillier's Cave Hillier's Cave () is a cave in Fairy Cave Quarry, near Stoke St Michael in the limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. It falls within the St. Dunstan's Well Catchment Site of Special Scientific Interest. The cave was discovered on 13 February 1954, when blasting at one of the working faces opened up a cave passage, and is now choked with sludge waste from the quarry. It was first explored by John Anthony Quinn and boys from Midsomer Norton Grammar School (now Norton Hill School) who named it in honour of Gordon Hillier who was headmaster"
"area is included in the Cook's Fields Nature Reserve run by the Somerset Wildlife Trust. Brimble Pit and Cross Swallet Basins Brimble Pit and Cross Swallet Basins () is a 154.3 hectare (381.3 acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Wookey Hole and Priddy in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, notified in 1987. The site covers the two adjacent karstic basins draining into Brimble Pit and Cross Swallet. These are the two best defined of the belt of large shallow closed depressions which account for the total topography along the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. The Brimble Pit depression"
"and the bones of extinct pre-iceage animals such as mammoth and woolly rhino. In 1963 it was designated as an SSSI for the palaeontological interest described above and for its species interest as a winter roost of lesser horseshoe bat. Ffynnon Beuno and Cae Gwyn Caves Ffynnon Beuno and Cae Gwyn Caves are two Scheduled Ancient Monuments which are also designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Denbighshire, Wales. Two caves, with entrances close to each other high on a valley side above the Vale of Clwyd. They were first excavated in 1883-5. Human tools have been found"
"Wells, Somerset Wells () is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2011 census was only 10,536, and with a built-up area of just 3.245 square kilometres, Wells has had city status since medieval times, because of the presence of Wells Cathedral. Often described as England's smallest city, it is second only to the City of London in area and population, though not part of a larger urban agglomeration. Wells is named from three wells dedicated to Saint Andrew, one in"
"Hunter's Hole Hunter's Hole (or Hunters' Hole) is a cave in the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England. It is behind a pub, known as the Hunters Lodge Inn just outside Priddy where visitors can park. It is accessed via a permanent ladder, about 100m behind the pub in a small dip between some trees. The main cave was first entered after digging by Wessex and BEC cavers in 1954. The cave itself consists of a series of shafts down into the main chamber, named the ""railway tunnel"". Due to the cave mainly being the ascent and descent, it is used"
"Priddy Mineries Priddy Mineries () is a nature reserve previously run by the Somerset Wildlife Trust. It is in the village of Priddy, on the Mendip Hills in Somerset. The reserve lies 3 miles north of Wells and 1.5 miles east of the village of Priddy. It is a site of 50 ha (123 acres) and is part of the Priddy Pools Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is mostly grassland / heather mosaic with an area of valley mire and some nutrient-poor pools. The site is one of the beauty spots of Mendip partly due to these pools"
"Brimble Pit and Cross Swallet Basins Brimble Pit and Cross Swallet Basins () is a 154.3 hectare (381.3 acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Wookey Hole and Priddy in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, notified in 1987. The site covers the two adjacent karstic basins draining into Brimble Pit and Cross Swallet. These are the two best defined of the belt of large shallow closed depressions which account for the total topography along the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. The Brimble Pit depression has a large old lake sediment floor now pitted with sinkholes, while the Cross Swallet"
"Robeston Wathen Quarries Robeston Wathen Quarries is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (or ""SSSI"") in Pembrokeshire, South Wales, immediately to the north of the village of Robeston Wathen. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest since January 1967 in an attempt to protect its fragile geological elements. The site has an area of 1.64 hectares and is managed by Natural Resources Wales. This site is designated due to its geological quality: Robeston Wathen Quarries SSSI has one special feature: Caradoc - Ashgill (late Ordovician) sedimentary rocks in disused quarries and a stream bed. In Wales,"
"Thrupe Lane Swallet Thrupe Lane Swallet () is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset, notified in 1992. It is also a Geological Conservation Review site. The name Thrupe Lane comes from the nearby hamlet of Thrupe, which in Anglo-Saxon meant dairy farm. The swallet is a small, single pothole cave system that is dominated by a series of deep () and mainly vertical passages, which follow fault lines, natural joints in the rock and mineral veins. It shows a form of cave development not seen elsewhere in the Mendips and contains the tallest vertical shaft in any"
"bp, were recovered from the cave. Faunal deposits of spotted hyena, lion, Arctic fox, mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, horse, reindeer, suslik and northern vole (""Microtus oeconomus"") from approximately 35,000 BP have also been recovered. Picken's Hole Picken's Hole is a small cave on the southern side of Crook Peak in the Mendip Hills in the English county of Somerset. It has been designated as a scheduled monument. It has sometimes been confused with a nearby cave called Scragg's Hole, including by the Somerset Historic Environment Record. The cave is below the plateau and above the valley floor. It is named after"
"through route discovered on the Mendip Hills. Following a number of months of digging and blasting, the link was made in 1996 at the top of the Cowsh Avens Series, a climb above Sump 4. 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, who first passed Sumps 1 and 2 in the 1930s. Swildon's Hole Swildon's Hole is an extensive cave in Priddy, Somerset. At in length, it is the longest cave on the Mendip Hills. It"