423 Cueva de Barandas
North Vega VN50109600 Alt. 208m Length 180m

Updated October, 11th November 2001; 12th November 2002; 7th November 2006; 9th November, 21st December 2008; 8th November 2010; 18th February 2011

The entrance must be reached by a small, exposed chimney down after a steep grassy slope. Two ladders from a covenient bush just below the path makes access safer. A short stoop then enters the main passage which is about 100m long with a smaller, short side passage and chamber to the left.

The cave is an archaeological site having revealed iron age pottery (fragments of 4 urns and a smaller pot), human bones (possibly a young male, although Ruiz Cobo Jesús et al, 2008, p214 states that the bones are from one adult with a sacrum from a young woman) and metal objects, including two copper strips with zig-zag decorations.

Morlote Jose M et al, 1995 describe Barandas as one of the Iron Age sepulchral caves in the area. Ruiz Cobo Jesús and Smith Peter et al, 2001 discusses the finds and includes drawings of copper strips and pottery.

The cave line was re-surveyed in 1995; the survey is this line with detail from the published survey in Smith P, 1985. The cave was resurveyed in October / November 2010 as part of an archaeology project. Pottery was subsequently carbon dated to the 7th century BC - early Iron Age. More details of the archaeology study will appear in due course.

Near the start of the path up, site 2576 is on the right at the base of the cliff below Barandas.

References: Corrin J, 1983c; Smith P and Munoz E, 1985; Smith P, 1983; Smith P, 1985 (survey); Munoz E, ?; Muñoz E and Bermejo A, 1987; anon., 1994b (logbook); anon., 1995b (Whit logbook); Morlote Jose M et al, 1995; material in file; Ruiz Cobo Jesús and Smith Peter et al, 2001 (includes line drawings); Ruiz Cobo Jesús and Smith Peter, 2003 (line drawing); anon., 2008f (autumn logbook); Ruiz Cobo Jesús et al, 2008 (survey, drawings); anon., 2010d (autumn logbook)
Entrance picture : yes
Underground picture(s): yes
Video : 14Mb wmv file (Archaeology and formations 2010)
Detailed Survey : 1:1000 : from the 2010 archaeology project - 1:500 : 1:100
Line Survey :
On area survey :
Survex file : yes : for the archaeology project