1452: Hole in the Road
La Secada 30T 451620 4797700 (Datum: ETRS89. Accuracy code: G) Altitude 228m
Length 1849m (including Cueva Bollón (site 0098)
May 2022 Depth 82m
Area position : Site entrance in context : Logbook search

Updated 14th May, 17th September 2000; 7th October 2001; 15th October 2003; 14th October, 26th November 2004; 1st February, 20th May, 15th June 2006; 3rd October 2008; 4th November 2009; 21st October 2010; 6th January 2011; 17th February 2011; 14th September 2013; 19th October 2016; 1st July 2018; 6th May 2022

A small hole exposed by road workers lies next to the concrete drainage channel by the road side. The site links with the 1999 extensions in Cueva del Bollón (site 98) (Volvo). The entrance was protected with a substantial gate but this had disappeared by early in 2011.

The excavated entrance is a descending tube which turns right to an draughting rift followed by a flat out section at the bottom of a 2m drop into a small chamber. Extensive excavations through most of this reached the head of a pitch during the Easter 2000 expedition.

The 43m pitch drops into a further 26m pitch to a muddy chamber, choked in all directions. Near the bottom of the first pitch, it is possible to swing across to a connection with Cueva de Bollón (98). The connection links with the slope up to the Boil in the Bag area, and was eventually surveyed through in 2006.

Subsequent extensions in Cueva del Bollón have been made through this entrance and not through the 3 sumps in Bollón.

Over Easter 2006 some digging and further pushing was carried out on the slope down to the western sump. It has been suggested that this is a standing sump which may allow a line to be laid in dry weather for a free dive when it's sumped. In the summer of 2008, the route was again sumped (in dry weather) preventing a trip which was supposed to "bolt into visible passage".

The cave was substantially extended and various loose ends tidied up over 5 trips in the summer of 2009. Due to a lengthy period of dry weather the wet route to the west was open. At the end, above the survey cairn, an aven was climbed for 28m over sandy rock and a useful band of hard, grey limestone. The top cannot be seem and may carry on for 10m. The next team in should take a belayer up to the large ledge and follow a line of stud anchors.
The terminal boulder choke was also opened up. At the far right of the choke, a squeeze between blocks with a boulder wedged in the top leads into a small chamber with a rock pile and a hole in the roof. This leads to a 45 degree slope up and an excavated squeeze through into a 2m high passage leading to a chamber with some pretty stal and a sandy floor. On the other side, a squeeze passes into a larger, 10x15m chamber (Vindication Chamber) with metre-high, pure white stal, straws, some obvious ways off - and a draught. (In places, small claw marks have scratched the muddy walls. These are likely to be caused by bats trying to find a roosting place.)
Routes exist down to the water level; one is at the far side of Vindication Chamber where a small passage with stal enter small chambers slowly descending into a final chamber with muddied gour pools. There is a good echo but no apparent route on.
A dig on the right before Vindication Chamber enters a small rift with flakey rock and mud.
The explorers conclude that "the large boulder choke of Vindication holds the continuation - there is still a draught and the lower parts of the boulders seem to get to flooding passage - may require digging."

A trip in the summer, 2010 came to the following conclusions. The rifts up at the end had "unconvincing draughts, if any" with no way on. A climb down through boulders under stal (station 17) reached a level where the stream obviously flows. This was followed downstream for about 15m to various climbs up and a small crawl at floor level. Nothing goes.
An attempt was made to go in the upstream direction: no way through the boulders was found but there was draught emerging at many places. This area is not really diggable as everything is made of boulders, including the roof and it is unclear what is solid. Unfortunately and disappointingly, the undoubted passage beyond will remain unexplored unless and upstream entrance is discovered, or someone wants to dig in the boulder choke.

Also in July, 2009, routes were finished off and surveyed up from the base of the 1452 entry point into Bollón; holes down on the right of the passage down to the water and another route down boulders into the Bollón streamway were also surveyed.

References: anon., 1999c (logbook); anon., 1999e (Autumn logbook); anon., 1999d (Christmas logbook); anon., 2000b (Easter logbook); Corrin Juan, 2001; anon., 2001c (Summer logbook); Corrin Juan, 2003a; anon., 2003c (summer logbook); Corrin Juan, 2005; anon., 2006b (Easter logbook); Corrin Juan, 2007; anon., 2008e (summer logbook); Corrin Juan, 2009; anon., 2010c (summer logbook); León García José, 2010 (Volume 1 and Volume 2) (survey and photo); anon., 2011a (January, February logbook); Corrin Juan, 2011 (photo)
Entrance picture: original excavations : various antics in the entrance; gate in 2004, 2009, 2011 : 2016
Underground picture(s): original explorations : photos from summer 2009
Detailed survey: 0098 with 1452 2009 draft with scan & line : after 2009 : after 2013
Line survey:
On area survey:
Survex file: with 0098(summer 2013) (Coordinates altered to fit ETRS89 datum, April 2014.)
Passage direction rose diagram: yes (with Bollón) 1/7/2018

X