Tresviso Caves Project

Tresviso Caves Project Gazetter
Area Map List Areas About

T44: Las Minas de Los Ingleses

(T301, Minas de Los Ingleses, Minas 2)
Area:Tresviso
East, North:365799, 4790965 (nearby)
Coordinate Quality:GPS
Long, Lat:-4.6534307821838, 43.259520670248 (map)
Elevation (m):783
Length (m):150
Depth (m):-175
System:
Active Lead:
Survey Available:

Approach
Follow the Urdon path out of Tresviso and go down the first zigzags. On reaching the water trough, continue on the path for approximately 260m, just beyond an obvious tunnel on the left of the path, as far as the second pylon and then bear up and left to obvious areas of exposed reddish gravel.

Entrance
A mined tunnel forks immediately inside the entrance, the right arm leading past some collapsed cheese racks to emerge through a small arch into daylight where a higher entrance intersects.

Description
A mined tunnel forks immediately inside the entrance, the right arm leading past some collapsed cheese racks to emerge through a small arch into daylight where a higher entrance intersects. A further undescended drop is to the left at this point. The left-hand side of the pillar ahead is easier than the green mossy climb alternative, both joining to emerge on the surface a short distance upslope and East of the mined tunnel. The left arm of the fork immediately drops into a metre-plus wide rifty pitch on the right-hand side, with a window into a potential parallel shaft a few metres down. Enjoy the through-bolts placed 09/09/2021 into rock pre-stressed by miners’ shot holes, several of which are evident at the pitch-head. The floor is almost entirely of loose rock with a mix of animal bones, sloping ahead and with an enlargement to the right. A short climb down into a rift can be protected by a handline over a mobile chockstone, the rift continuing and requiring further handline off a convenient stal. The rift passage enlarges and a short scrabble up and to the left emerges on a ledge overlooking the next pitch. At your left shoulder is the beautifully etched historic graffiti from 1882.

This next pitch is rigged by one natural round the large blue stal above and behind you and a second over a small, exposed rock bridge overhead. This area feels more mud than rock and is suitably chocolatey in appearance. A natural thread where the wall to the right (looking down the pitch) bulges out enables a deviation to reduce though not eliminate the rub point. This rope lands in a pleasant chamber with a nice water feature to your left but the way on is using the bolt in the wall ahead to protect your descent of the rottenstone type slope down to your right.

A bolt into calcite protects a suitably grabby slot before the rope descends to a wide Y-hang, dropping to a balcony ledge with a striking cluster of helictites on the right wall at hip height and with a further 10m drop to a ledge which overlooks a rift a few metres deep and with the wall opposite appearing climbable and to be traversed across to the right
A blind pot at the bottom leads to a short climb up into a side passage and sloping rift. This is traversed at roof level to a 12m pitch. A dig in the floor leads to a traverse over boulders and an eyehole into large void.
A free-hanging 34m abseil down leads to a boulder strewn floor in a large chamber 8m wide by 35m long and upwards of 80m high. It contains a large amount of debris from higher mine workings. The way on is blocked by the mine debris There are some superb blue stalagmites in the corner. Total depth of -175

Reference
L.U.S.S. (1974-1977)
Cantabria Subterranea 1997
RRCPC 1982
TCP (2021)

Images
No images available