Swildon's Hole

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Swildon's Hole
Entrance structure
Location	Priddy
Depth	167 metres
Length	9144 metres
Coordinates	grid reference ST540505
Discovery	1901
Geology	Limestone
Difficulty	Grade 4
Access	Manor Farm

Swildon's Hole (grid reference 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.^[1]

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.^[2]

The water in the cave resurges in Wookey Hole Caves.

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

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Caves of the Mendip Hills