Bakers Pit

Last updated

Bakers Pit
Baker's Pit Cave entrance in 1961.jpg
Baker's Pit Cave entrance in 1961
Location Buckfastleigh, Devon, England
Coordinates 50°29′4.61″N3°46′28.41″W / 50.4846139°N 3.7745583°W / 50.4846139; -3.7745583 Coordinates: 50°29′4.61″N3°46′28.41″W / 50.4846139°N 3.7745583°W / 50.4846139; -3.7745583
Length3,631 metres (11,913 ft)
Discovery1847
GeologyMiddle Devonian Limestone [1]
Entrances1
AccessDCUC (key required) [2]

Bakers Pit is a phreatic maze cave system near Buckfastleigh, Devon, England.

It was first opened in 1847 by quarrying activities. [3]

Bakers Pit is entered via a vertical descent of 16 metres. [3] It has 3.631 kilometres (2.256 mi) of passage contained within an area of 4 hectares (9.9 acres) and a small stream, flowing to the River Dart, that is still actively developing the cave. [1] [3] [4] It was once connected to Reeds cave, however, only "voice" connection is currently possible, and only in a few locations. [5] Connections between the two systems have been filled in with concrete to protect the beautiful formations in the Reeds cave. [6]

The cave was much frequented between the wars by local people during which time many of the calcite formations were destroyed, [3] although some formations have now naturally regenerated. [7] In the early 1960s an upper series was discovered significantly extending the known cave by as much as 50 per cent by climbing a vertical slot in the roof. This extension is better known as the Plymouth Extension and this area contains some of the best examples of formations due to its difficult access of squeezes and climbs. This upper series once went up to the surface but for conservation this has been sealed off with an emergency plan in place in case of rescue from this upper series.[ citation needed ].

Wildlife

Devon caves are good places to find humidity-loving collembola and Pseudosinella dobati (a blind white cave-adapted species), Symphyla isabellae, Tetracanthella britannica and Heteromurus nitidus have been recorded in Baker's Pit. Other invertebrates include the staphilinid beetle Quedius mesomelinus and the arachnid Lessertia denticalis. [8]

Related Research Articles

Grampians National Park Protected area in Victoria, Australia

The Grampians National Park commonly referred to as The Grampians, is a national park located in the Grampians region of Victoria, Australia. The Jardwadjali name for the mountain range itself is Gariwerd.

Cheddar Gorge Valley in Somerset, England

Cheddar Gorge is a limestone gorge in the Mendip Hills, near the village of Cheddar, Somerset, England. The gorge is the site of the Cheddar show caves, where Britain's oldest complete human skeleton, Cheddar Man, estimated to be 9,000 years old, was found in 1903. Older remains from the Upper Late Palaeolithic era have been found. The caves, produced by the activity of an underground river, contain stalactites and stalagmites. The gorge is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest called Cheddar Complex.

Kents Cavern Cave and archaeological site in the United Kingdom

Kents Cavern is a cave system in Torquay, Devon, England. It is notable for its archaeological and geological features. The cave system is open to the public and has been a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1952 and a Scheduled Ancient Monument since 1957.

In rock climbing and ice climbing, a pitch is a steep section of a route that requires a rope between two belays, as part of a climbing system. Standard climbing ropes are between 50 and 80 metres long, so a pitch is always shorter, between two convenient ledges if possible; longer routes are multi-pitch, requiring the re-use of the rope each time. In free climbing, pitch refers to classification by climbers of the difficulty of ascent on certain climbing routes.

Marble Arch Caves Limestone caves in Northern Ireland

The Marble Arch Caves are a series of natural limestone caves located near the village of Florencecourt in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The caves are named after the nearby Marble Arch, a natural limestone arch at the upstream end of Cladagh Glen under which the Cladagh River flows. The caves are formed from three rivers draining off the northern slopes of Cuilcagh mountain, which combine underground to form the Cladagh. On the surface, the river emerges from the largest karst resurgence in Ireland, and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. At 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi) the Marble Arch Caves form the longest known cave system in Northern Ireland, and the karst is considered to be among the finest in the British Isles.

Mine exploration is a hobby in which people visit abandoned mines, quarries, and sometimes operational mines. Enthusiasts usually engage in such activities for the purpose of exploration and documentation, sometimes through the use of surveying and photography. In this respect, mine exploration might be considered a type of amateur industrial archaeology. In many ways, however, it is closer to caving, with many participants actively interested in exploring both mines and caves. Mine exploration typically requires equipment such as helmets, head lamps, Wellington boots, and climbing gear.

Lamb Leer is a 14.59 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest between East Harptree and Priddy in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, notified in 1983. The cavern is a fragment of a very ancient major cave system which now contains one of the largest chambers in the Mendip Hills.

Pit cave Cave with significant vertical passages

A pit cave, shaft cave or vertical cave—or often simply called a pit or pot ; jama in South Slavic languages scientific and colloquial vocabulary —is a type of cave which contains one or more significant vertical shafts rather than being predominantly a conventional horizontal cave passage. Pit caves typically form in limestone as a result of long-term erosion by water. They can be open to the surface or found deep within horizontal caves. Among cavers, a pit is a vertical drop of any depth that cannot be negotiated safely without the use of ropes or ladders.

Eastwater Cavern Limestone cave in Somerset, England

Eastwater Cavern is a cave near Priddy in the limestone of the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, England. It is also known as Eastwater Swallet. It was first excavated in April 1902 by a team led by Herbert E. Balch composed of paid labourers and volunteers from the Wells Natural History Society. Progress was initially slow, but by February 1903 Balch and Willcox had discovered substantial passage, following the streamway down to the bottom of the cave. Dolphin Pot was dug in 1940 by the Wessex Cave Club, with Primrose Pot following in 1950. West End series was the most recent significant discovery, in 1983.

Cave of Swallows Open-air pit cave in Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

The Cave of Swallows, also called the Cave of the Swallows, is an open-air pit cave in the municipality of Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The elliptical mouth, on a slope of karst, is 49 by 62 m wide and is undercut around all of its perimeter, widening to a room approximately 303 by 135 meters wide. The floor of the cave is a 333-meter (1,092 ft) freefall drop from the lowest side of the opening, with a 370-meter (1,214 ft) drop from the highest side, making it the largest known cave shaft in the world, the second deepest pit in Mexico and perhaps the 11th deepest in the world.

Reeds Cave

Reed's cave is a cave in Higher Kiln Quarry near Buckfastleigh, Dartmoor, Devon. It has many formations including the unique Little Man formation, which is beyond Easter Chamber. Devon's only true troglobite collembolan Pseudosinella dobati is recorded from this cave.

Baggy Point Headland on the north coast of Devon, England

Baggy Point is a headland in north Devon, England. It separates Croyde Bay and Morte Bay which includes the beaches of Woolacombe and Putsborough.

Mount Hood climbing accidents

Mount Hood climbing accidents are mountain climbing- or hiking-related incidents on Oregon's Mount Hood. As of 2007, about 10,000 people attempt to climb Mount Hood each year. As of May 2002, more than 130 people have died climbing Mount Hood since records have been kept. One of the worst climbing accidents occurred in 1986, when seven teenagers and two school teachers froze to death while attempting to retreat from a storm.

Caving in the United Kingdom

Recreational caving in the United Kingdom dates back to the mid-19th century. The four major caving areas of the United Kingdom are North Yorkshire, South Wales, Derbyshire, and the Mendips. Minor areas include Devon, North Wales, and the Scottish Highlands.

Simpson Pot

Named after Eli Simpson, Simpson Pot is a limestone cave in West Kingsdale, North Yorkshire, England. It leads into Swinsto Cave and thence into Kingsdale Master Cave, and it is popular with cavers as it is possible to descend it by abseiling down the pitches, retrieving the rope each time, and exiting through Valley Entrance of Kingsdale Master Cave at the base of the hill. It is part of a 27-kilometre (17 mi) long cave system that drains both flanks of Kingsdale.

British Caving Association

The British Caving Association (BCA) is the sports governing body for caving in the United Kingdom. It is recognised by UK Sport, Sport England and SportScotland.

Devon contains some limestone areas mainly on the eastern side of Dartmoor. The River Dart has created several caves along its fringes. There are few caves with active streamways in Devon, excluding the Bakers Pit streamway. Devon also has its own species of cave shrimp.

Ellisons Cave Cave in Georgia (US)

Ellison's Cave is a pit cave located in Walker County, on Pigeon Mountain in the Appalachian Plateaus of Northwest Georgia. It is the 12th deepest cave in the United States and features the deepest, unobstructed pit in the continental US named Fantastic Pit. The cave is over 12 miles long and extends 1063 feet vertically.

Artur (Conrad) Kozłowski was a Polish cave diver who spent his last years in Ireland. Amongst other achievements in cave exploration, he set the record for the deepest cave dive in Great Britain and Ireland at a depth of 103 m (338 ft).

There are a number of terms that are used in connection with caves, caving and speleology. The following is an incomplete list.

References

  1. 1 2 Waltham, A.C.; Simms, M.J.; Farrant, A.R.; Goldie, H.S. (1997). Karst and Caves of Great Britain. London: Chapman and Hall. pp. 275–276. ISBN   0412788608.
  2. "Access to Devon Caves". Devon & Cornwall Underground Council. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "BAKERS PIT CAVE". WILLIAM PENGELLY CAVE STUDIES TRUST. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  4. "Longest caves". UK Caves database. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
  5. "Reed's Cave". WILLIAM PENGELLY CAVE STUDIES TRUST. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
  6. "Baker's Pit - Reeds". UK Caves database. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
  7. "Bakers Pit" (PDF). Stretcher - Newssheet of the DCRO. Devon Cave Rescue Organisation (1): 5. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2006. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  8. Transactions of the British Cave Research Association vol 5; no 3; pp 168 & 195