Photos

La Cueva del Gato is the exit of one of the largest cave systems in Spain. The waters sink in another huge entrance (Boca de Hundidero) with the main passage connecting them around 4.5km long.

In the 1920s an attempt was made to dam the system by the Seville electric company. This proved futile as the rock is sufficiently porous that it could never be dammed. The legacy of this effort though is that throughout the entire length of the passage there are the remains of an aerial walkway previously installed (though no longer useable).

The traverse of the system involves abseiling several pitches and swimming through many cold lakes and took me around five and a half hours.

The cave entrance has a railway line running past it. This photo is taken from between the cave and the viaduct.