114 Cueva Llueva (Cueva del Coverón)
Llueva 30T 0454657 4798387 Altitude 128m Part of the Sistema de Cuatro Valles
Traverse length 54456m (after December 2012) Depth 43m to downstream sump; Height 69m in Life Universe and Everything

Updated 19th February , 18th April 1999, 12th December 1999; 16th September 2000; 26th October 2001; June 7th, October 25th 2002; 9th November 2003; 6th May, 28th September, 27th October, 17th November 2007; 5th February, 15th April, 2nd July, 17th December 2008; 4th May 2009; 16th January, 8th March, 24th June, 4th October 2010; 6th January, 18th February, 12th May, 11th October 2011; 13th January 2012

Incomplete description.

The grid reference above is not the "final" one.

Cueva Llueva (El Biggo) is the eastern entrance into the Four Valleys System (line survey). A route through exists into the Matienzo depression - via Cueva de Carcavuezo (081), and to the Riaño valley - via Cueva Hoyuca (107) or Cueva de Riaño (105), although no through-trip has been attempted.

The walk to the entrance is almost impenetrable jungle at times (1993, 1994) and a couple of attempts have had to be abandoned. At Whit 1995 the cave was entered after abseiling into the entrance depression from the meadow 30m above. In 1995, the entrance was re-located after a 3 hour jungle bash. In 1996, less time was needed. In 2000, the entrance was approached from the meadow around the back. In 2007-2008, the route off the road had been cleared and access was straightforward.

The entrance lies in an impressive depression, partly lined by overhanging limestone beds. In very wet weather a waterfall cascades down from above the entrance and sinks in the floor of the depression. An insignificant, walled hole, 3m up from the base gives access to 80m of small, phreatic rift passage. The final section is a flat out crawl into a small "chamber" containing the Blow Hole. A squeeze through this, a short crawl along enlarging passage, and the head of the pitch is reached. Three ladders are required although the vertical element of the drop is only 10m. In 2007 the pitch was rigged for SRT, requiring a 40m? rope.

The landing is on a sloping boulder pile. A climb upwards leads to an ascending and very greasy calcite ramp which closes down after 40m. This was surveyed at Easter 2007 and may be associated with holes in the wall to the south of the entrance. A hole opposite the entrance passage pitch has a short length of passage which needs pushing (see 2/8/82), although this couldn't be found in 2007.

(In 1995, an "obvious open passage" is mentioned "in the wall behind you as you go up the slope into the sloping mud / calcite chamber above the bottom of the ladder". It may need a 6m scale or bolt. The passage seems about 3 x 2m).

A steep climb down boulders leads to the river which is presumably the combined waters from Matienzo and Riaño. After sustained heavy rain, when the fields next to the river in Matienzo are about to flood, the river at the base of the pitch can be a torrent with the route up the boulder slope into the main tunnel cut off. With this in mind, and because of the very wet conditions during Easter 2008, a traverse line has been rigged at high level to allow access in and out in all weathers.

Downstream the water enters a high phreatic maze which requires swimming or a inner tube to pass. The length of this section is 100m and half way along it, on the left hand side, a similar phreatic passage leads back to the free flowing river just upstream of the boulder pile at the pitch. The downstream phreas stops at a boulder choke where a climb up to the right and through the boulders leads to a "pop out" in a large passage. The river is then rejoined by walking down a boulder slope.

After 200m of pleasant strolling in a 10m high passage a boulder pile is met, on the other side of which is the downstream sump. This has been dived to a depth of 22m, the way on still being open.? Another dive in 1995 also came to no definite conclusions, the visibility being only 0.5m. The water is next seen in Los Boyones (site 117). There may be a higher level route at the far side of the sump pool to investigate.

On the opposite wall to the "pop out" is a low dig which may yield? A short length of passage on the right before the sump intersects a choked, bouldery rift. Climbs into the roof before the sump have been investigated.

Following the water upstream from the base of the pitch leads to 100m of swimming which halts at a boulder where it is possible to clamber up to the high level passage. Entry to this is normally gained by ascending a rock pile to the left immediately after first meeting the water.

At the top of the slope a superb tunnel rises and falls over boulders for some 300m until the final descent into the lake. A swim across to the right of the lake leads to an ascending boulder pile (RH Fault Passage) beyond which is a sandy crawl which closes down after 60m. On the left of this crawl is a climb up between boulders for 35m where a solid roof is met and no further progress is possible. Fine 4m high columns can be found in this area. At Easter 2009, a 50m climb was possibly made in this area although no survey was carried out.

On the north side of the ascending boulder slope in the RH Fault Passage is an aven which was the starting point for the 2007 extensions, called Life, The Universe and Everything. The 3.8km of passages ended underneath the boulders and it is likely that the latter route will be the preferred way in the future. The following paragraphs form a temporary description.
The aven was originally scaled and spent carbide found at the top of the climb. A card index / log book search found that the aven had been free-climbed in 1979 to a boulder choke. In 2007, boulders were removed from the choke allowing entry, some 80m above the original climb, to a large sloping chamber  (Big Red Knob Chamber)with plan dimensions of 20 x 30m and two passages leading off. Subsequent explorations dropped back down to river level finding an extensive set of tunnels including a parallel, wet weather overflow passage with a sump. High level passages entered are at the same level as the Trident Series in Cueva Hoyuca and the 50m wide passage at the bottom of Torca de Cillarón. In a middle level, a large, flat-roofed passage (up to 40m wide) heads east-west at an altitude 40m below the lowest point in Cillarón.
On a pushing trip in the lower level passages, near the end of a traverse, a flash bulb was found just opposite where a small passage entered. This point was subsequently found by burrowing down through boulders near the columns in the Right Hand Fault Passage about 25m away from where the pole had been used two weeks before! (A grey scale survey of the old cave and new extensions can be found here and a draft colour version here).
At Easter 2008, the western side of the high level passage over the Big Red Knob Room was one focus. The end was pushed beyond the stal grille in a similar style with a trench in the floor until it divided. The 9m climb was also pushed down a 7m pitch into a new chamber series that is to be described. Another focus was looking at the boulder chokes: the northern choke has a definite draught.
In very wet weather, the climbs up through the boulders to enter the extensions may be impossible because of water cascading down. This appears to be a local feature which responds quickly to rainfall, unlike the main river which takes much longer to respond.

Eighty metres back from the lake, a hole 5m up on the right hand wall can be reached by lassoeing a boulder. A smallish, sandy passage branches after 80m, the right hand branch leading to a 5m pitch onto the boulders in the RH Fault Passage, the left hand branch leading to a 30m (undescended) pitch into a large, fault chamber. (In 1995, a dig has the sound of a stream through a narrow crack and there is another draughting dig which needs some work).

The easiest way to reach this chamber is to follow the Left Hand Bypass. This starts as a slot down by the wall of the main passage, opposite the right hand wall hole. A mixed 200m of stooping, walking and climbing leads to a couple of inlets which cross the passage. By keeping to the left hand side and crawling under the wall a high, boulder-filled section on the fault can be entered. By missing the crawl a narrow veranda is reached with a view out into the main fault chamber. The left hand wall at this point has been climbed for about 50m but no obvious way on at the top exists.

Other extensions in and around the LH Bypass? Some during 1995? At Easter 2007, an inlet (on the left after some 70m) was surveyed 92m to a sump.

The main fault chamber is reached by climbing down over boulders to the right of the veranda. A large phreatic tube to the right of the chamber pops out 10m above the lake. The way to the river is down between the boulders in the chamber. The 200m of upstream passage is swimming in a large phreatic tube apart from 30m in the middle where water rushes over a resistant band of rock and walking is necessary. A final swim reaches a roomy sump which can be free dived following a fixed line. In dry weather the sump is a shallow 7m dive.

Beyond........... No description exists of the passages beyond the sump. Carcavueso (081) is described up to the connection only.

At Christmas 1996, passage to the west off Strangle Wanking Passage was surveyed.
During Easter 1999, a climb up near the junction of Straw Passage entered the Timeless Series. This consists of sand-floored rifts and connects to unsurveyed passage just east of Pudding Passage. Further descriptions can be found in the Carcavueso (site 81) text.
At Easter 2001, some small passages were surveyed below Rhinocerus Passage near Andy Quin's Foot.

References: anon., 1976 (logbook); Cope J et al, 1976 (survey and photo); Manchester University Speleological Society, 1982 (survey and photo); anon., 1977b (logbook); anon., 1978 (logbook); Corrin J et al, 1978; anon., 1979 (logbook); Addis F et al, 1979 (survey); anon., 1980a (logbook); Corrin J et al, 1981b (survey); Corrin J, 1980; Mills L D J, 1981 (photo); Mills L D J and Waltham A C, 1981 (survey); Corrin J S and Smith P, 1981; anon., 1981 (logbook); Corrin J et al, 1981a; Corrin J, 1981; anon., 1982 (logbook); Corrin J, 1983c; anon., 1984 (logbook); Cawthorne Bob, 1985b; Cawthorne B, 1985a; anon., 1985b (logbook); Corrin J, 1986 (survey and photo); anon., 1986 (logbook); Corrin J, 1987 (survey and photo); material in file; anon., 1987 (logbook); Fernández V, ?; Corrin J, 1992b (survey); anon., 1995b (Whit logbook); Corrin Juan, 1995a; Corrin Juan, 1996; anon., 1996c (Christmas logbook); Fernández Ortega F, Valls Uriol and Maria del Carmen, 1998; García José León, 1997 (survey); Corrin Juan, 1997c; anon., 1999a (Easter logbook); anon., 1999c (logbook); anon., 2000c (Summer logbook); anon., 2001a (Easter logbook); Corrin Juan, 2001a; Corrin Juan, 2003c; anon., 2007b (Easter logbook); anon., 2007d (summer logbook); Corrin Juan and Smith Peter, 2007; Corrin Juan, 2007a (survey & photos); anon., 2008c (Easter logbook); anon., 2009a (Easter logbook); León García José, 2010 (survey and photos)
Entrance pictures :
Pictures from the summer, 2007
Looking towards the entrance from the northern ledges (Paul "Footleg" Fretwell) 1  2
Scanned slides by Frank Addis (1,2 from 1979, 1980) and Juan Corrin (3).

Underground picture(s):
Pictures from Easter 2009
Pictures by Paul Fretwell on Flickr.
Pictures from photo trips into the Life Universe and Everything, Easter 2008
pictures from summer 2007, including Life, The Universe and Everything
pictures from Easter 2007
main passage

Scanned slides by Frank Addis taken in 1977. Click to enlarge. A1, A2: First pitch. A3, B1: Main passage. B2: Downstream passage. B3, C1: Downstream canal. C2, C3: diving downstream.
	1	2	3
A
B
C
Scanned slides by Frank Addis (D1-E1) taken in 1977 and Juan Corrin (E2-G2). Click to enlarge. D1: Pitch. D2: Main passage looking down to stream. D3: Leading to upstream dive site. E2: Pitch top. E3, F3, G1: Climbing the rift at the end of the Left Hand Bypass. F1: The Left Hand Bypass. F2: Penny Corrin in the excavated squeeze in the entrance passage. G2: Di, Pete Smith and Phil Berry in the downstream canal.
D
E
F
G

Detailed Survey : from 1976: low res  high res  
from rescue site - redrawn from 1976  low res  high res
Redrawn + extra survey 2007: png file
Redrawn + Life, The Universe & Everything 2007: png file greyscale 1.3Mb (appears in Speleology) and
a draft colour version
After Easter 2008: png file  pdf file
February 2011: vector pdf file
On Paul Fretwell's latest version of the Fours Valleys survey
Line Survey : on 4 Valleys line survey
On area survey :
Survex file : download 4 Valleys System (10/10/2011)
Llueva 3d file after Easter 2008
Passage direction rose diagram (Patrick Warren): Four Valleys System