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Country: Britain Region: Buckfastleigh, South Devon OS/ GPS Reference: Depth: 14m Number of Pitches: 0 Length: Access: The Cave was locked in 1998 in order to preserve the formations found in the main chamber, there is no restriction on access to careful cavers and the key is presently held by Andy Pryke who can be contacted on 01752 205853 a small deposit is required to secure the key. The entrance to the cave lies on privately owned farm land, the farmer however is happy for cavers to cross his land after registering there presence on the black board provided at the main house entrance, there is also a small fee of £1 per person to be placed in the tin. Access to the cave involves passing through 2 gates and it is essential that these are closed behind you. Hazards: None Special Features: Good formations to the walls of the main chamber, bats can also be found in this chamber at times, thanks to the extensive work by local cavers shortly after the cave was locked the formation have cleaned themselves up making this one of the best caves for formations in Devon. As a result of the formations there are no carbide lamps allowed in this cave, only electric lamps should be used. Description: The cave is believed to have been found by a dog chasing a rabbit into the cave hence the name. The small entrance leads into a small chamber 2m x 2m with two passages available, the passage directly ahead does connect through to the main route but is too small for most persons. The passage to the right leads to a crawl of about 2m before the height of the passage increases and falls away, this is then followed up another slope into the 'Old Main Chamber'. The Old Main Chamber has a number of small passages leading of it in various directions with rumors of a connection with the adjacent cave Pridhamsleigh and occasionally bats can be found in this chamber. The way on is from the top of the initial slope when entering the Old Main Chamber, from the top there is a passage up to the right which doubles back on its self know as the Dog Leg, this is where you will find the gate restricting access. The Dog Leg is a 90 degree bend that used to be so tight that you had to crawl through with you back to the apex to allow your legs to pass through the bend, now a days it is wider although can still be tricky for tall persons. This leads into a small person sized chamber before continuing down an inclined tube, around a bend to the left into another chamber. To the rear of this chamber a low passage (normally through a puddle) leads up wards into a circular passage which is followed upwards, you should find here a few of the remaining bags left from the initial dig. From here on the New main chamber is easily found and there is also a good vantage spot high in the wall of the chamber (this is also a potential drop of 5-6m). It is essential that visitors respect the boundaries of the marked of areas in order to maintain the quality of the formations in this chamber. There are passages to the rear (up the slope) of the chamber that can be freely explored and lead to Christmas Chamber, and the ringing chimes, Crystal craw is hard to find and is a dead end closed with flow stone and best avoided to preserve the formations. The route out of the cave is the reverse of the way in, its only a short trip but worth the effort.
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