3234 Llanío, Cueva-Cubío del (Cold Store Cave)
Riaño 30T 451621 4800988 Altitude 163m Length 3440m Vertical range = 77m (from 3234_llanio.3234-09-091.24a at 195.40m to 3234_llanio.3234_17oct.3234_17oct20117.10a at 118.50m)
Updated 8th September, 7-11th November 2009; 26th June, 17th July, 31st October 2010; 6th January, 18th May, 16th, 30th October, 5th November, 4th December 2011
Entrance and the eastern passages
batch 09-01 The normally draughting entrance is a short crawl off the side at the back of a dressed-stone-walled sheep enclosure. This leads to a tight bend to the right and enlarging passage to a small traverse. A 3.5m climb down at the end leads to a squeeze, crawl then stoop to a wide passage beyond. A seasonal stream enters from a walking-size inlet on the right and ends at a 1.5m high column on small gours in High Hopes. A passage passes over the top. The southern side has been scaled into a short passage, No High Hopes, to a choked chamber (batch 09-02) and the northern side is blind.
On the northeast side of High Hopes, a low stoop and crawl through a loose hole enters walking-size phreatic tube to an excavated U-tube with a longer uphill crawl on the other side (batch 09-03) that breaks out into the Left Ladders Series (batches 09-05 and 09-06). Walking-size phreatic passage heads south to a junction. To the south, large passage with some nice formations and pits eventually finishes in tall phreatic domes. (More description needed). To the east, mixed going leads to a traverse over an 11m pitch and further stoops and crawls to a small chamber where, to the right a pitch is reached and straight on, a sandy dig (Blood, Sweat & Tears) has been pushed to a stooping passage and a rift, initially blocked with stal but pushed through at Easter 2010 for 20m or so to a squeeze and a dig. (batch 10-04)
The 11m, Blood, Sweat & Tears pitch at the end of a small passage, was descended over the Matienzo November fiesta weekend and a major segment of passage explored. Batch 09-09-14 has a length of 237m. The current ends include avens and a low duck at the north west, upstream end. The weather was extremely wet during the first exploration, so neither upstream or downstream ends could be followed. The downstream end is close to the upstream as the passage turns back on itself. Downstream was inspected during a dry spell in the summer 2010. A 20cm diameter hole has a solid rock floor. Stones dropped into water beyond but it was impossible to see if the passage is large or small and whether it is worthwhile trying to enlarge the route.
Batch 09-09-14
was extended to the south (summer 2010) in a set of passages and loops, surveyed as batch 10-07. It is very difficult to see where the passage is going in this area: it seems to be an old, re-excavated passage so, where you move out of the area of water ingress, it's choked up. However, there is one open lead left.
The upstream end was pushed to more than 750m of passages (not all directly linked to the Blood, Sweat and Tears area) over the Easter 2010 period. Batch 10-05 is a consolidation of batches 10-01, 10-02 and 10-3. The inlet was pushed in dry conditions over gour pools and after two days connected to the Pulse Racer. Here, a big side passage at the eastern end was entered up a 2m climb. The passage loops back to the Pulse Racer but also closes in as it almost reaches the surface.
At the western end of the Pulse Racer, a traverse across the p4 (3 bolts) enters a passage that lowers to a flatout crawl and squeeze into a 7x7m chamber. This contains a boulder choke at the northern side that could dig. At the southeastern side of the chamber, High Pulse Passage leads to a sand choke where the air feels fresh. Six metres into High Pulse there is a good draught from a rock and sand dig to the south.
Just before the Horny Dog series is entered, there is a good sandy dig on the east. This was excavated (summer 2010) for about 5m but a team of 3 and and a drag tray are required for further progress. Horny Dog ends in a chamber
with two ways out - a rift in the floor and a p10. The p10 leads into a big chamber that runs below the eastern end of Horny Dog and below the rift in the floor. The p10 requires 2 + 1 bolts. The edge is bad quality mud and rock that makes the edge quite unstable. The rebelay to the south keeps the explorer out from the unstable wall. The main passage continues about 80m to the west, in places almost filled to the roof with very nice mud layers.
Following the water back down from High Hopes (batch 09-01) leads past a cracked mud floor to the left and a hands-and-knees crawl over mud with the water disappearing to the right. Straight ahead enters a chamber, Whoopee Hall, with a walking route straight on. This lowers after 15m to a decorated crawl which splits. Left and right routes choke very near the surface.
Passages north of Whoopee Hall
Back in Whoopee Hall, a walk along the wall and then up calcite to the north meets a very short crawl at roof level. To the right is The Hub, and on the left is the small entry to the Pulse Racer series (batch 09-07). A p4 leads to two alternative routes on: either a tight excavated hole, or a climb out and another p4. Both unite at a low section through to open passage that ends at an open 15m drop past massive stal and calcite. This pitch lands in the Pulse Racer - large passage heading ENE that meets a 3m climb up and 4m pitch before closing down at a tight, mud choke, Terminal Decline. (batch 09-08). Extensions were made in this area at Easter 2010. (See batch 10-05 description above.)
(Batch 09-091) The Hub is a chamber with a calcite floor over collapse that slopes up from approximately south to north. The calcite is covered with a thin, 2mm layer of slippery mud which peels off in strips. The calcite underneath has a rough surface and pristine cream colour. The route through this unusual feature is obvious and should be kept to. (One theory for its formation is a gentle "rain" of cow manure from the field above filtering through 6m (at the least) of limestone over the hundreds of years livestock have been roaming the pasture. The thin, even deposit is seen in other places in the cave, coating calcite surfaces.)
Straight ahead, at the base of the slope, the route enters a small streamway with the exit too tight and the inlet soon becoming too small. (The water here cannot be that seen in the muddy crawl to Whoopee Hall as the altitudes are wrong.) At the top of The Hub slope, the walking-size passage sets off to the right over small collapse, with massive limestone forming the lower parts of the walls and more lumpy rock the upper walls and roof. On the right, small routes lead back at high level to the northeast wall of The Hub. The route continues down to the left past cave pearls on the floor and then left again to head west. The passage swings back on itself and walking / stooping over collapse through Wide Open passes the northern limit of Easter 2009 exploration and, after another 25m, breaks out into a nice phreatic passage. The passage slopes down past a groups of stal, passes a mud floor and enlarges at an aven.
(batch 10-06)
To the east of the aven a rift drops to a dig with a larger section beyond. This was pushed through a sand choke in the summer 2010 to a low crawl for 25m, winding left and right. This breaks out into a large chamber then over a rock step dropping into another chamber and ending in an 8.6m shaft which chokes with a trickle soaking away.
The aven has been Disto'd to give a height of 32m. This was partially bolted (about 14m up) in the summer, 2010 and completed in the autumn, 2011. (There is one rebelay, 3m below the top of the climb, with a rubpoint, currently protected by tacklebag. The next team can finish the 8mm hole about 0.5m left of the rebelay to get a rebelay without the rubpoint.) Near the top, a traverse of about 7 bolts is over loose material. Everything moved on the traverse will go down the shaft, which makes it a bit dangerous. The aven climb and the new Aven Series was pushed fror 424m over 4 days.
After the traverse, a climb up through the slot and follow Highway with broken down rock on the floor. The draught blows towards you on a hot day. This leads to The Cross Roads Shaft. The rock of the walls is very bad for bolts, but the roof corners are good. Four bolts are put in row over about 6 meters in the NE side of the wall, with the last bolt just behind blocks as the slope starts. One more bolt just over the edge provides a 20m free hang.
There are more ways on from "Cross roads shaft" :
Starting about 4m off the floor on the pitch, the Eastern Wing is reached by the "Line of Fire" (6 bolts) and a 3m climb (1 bolt) to an anchor in the passage (2 bolts). A good draught towards you. A boulder choke at the end is very solid at the top and seems close to site 3454, Cueva-Cubio del Llanío 2. It seems possible to climb down into the choke, but it seems not really safe. There are undescended pitches of 14m and 15m close to the choke.
North of the Cross Roads Shaft, a 3m climb down (rope recommended) and and a p6 leads to a 6m diameter chamber with several ways on, sometimes a bit muddy. There are a lot of unpushed passages.
Northwest of the Cross Roads Shaft, climbs may lead into tubes and horizontal passage.
Back at the base of the aven, the passage slopes down over mud to a pit in the floor and a level area just before station 16 on a large rock. This is another hub and routes and passages are more numerous from here on.
(Batches 09-1311 & 09-131) The pit is a 3m ladder climb through a mud-lined slot to the head of an 15m free-hanging drop in a large rift. This is probably best dropped using SRT as there is a possible passage to swing or traverse into 5 or 6 metres up from the bottom. The drop ends on a ledge with a climb over a lip to a drop of at least 15m which is undescended. (The probable base of this would be at the same altitude as Terminal Decline.) A short climb down from the ledge ends below a possible climb up into the visible passage to the west.
During summer 2010, this was re-explored and extended and described as follows:
"Muddy, awkward top opens out with an easy descent to a bridge between drops. A short climb down then up enters a short section of passage which chokes." (Included in batch 10-09). "From the top of the bridge, pitch descends to an awkward mud hole (easy dig) to a further drop and a short horizontal section to a further drop of c5m. Needs bolts before and after mud hole." A section sketch of the pitches (from the 2010 summer logbook) can be seen here.
(Batch 09-091) The large passage to the north of the pit contains 3 rifts which can be skirted around or climbed into. At the base of the middle one, a dig to the east has gone 20+m to another dig and a passage that becomes too small, while the further rift links to known passage to the west. Beyond the rifts, the passage swings to the left (with a possible climb up on the left wall) and rises on sand to an apparent dead end. However, a narrow climb up on the left and squeeze through closes the Jovens' Loop - larger people enter the rest of the loop at station 16.
Where the passage swings to the left, a climb up in a boulder-floored rift enters the Lazo de Ancianos, surveyed as batch 2889_11_01. A small passage passes through a couple of squeezes and a short crawl in a tube before reaching a small T-junction. To the right (northwest) the passage closes down. To the left, a 5m flat out crawl has been dug and pushed by one person to a short section of (unsurveyed) walking passage that closes down at a small hole as it apparently approaches the Joven's Loop.
The sandy dig at the "apparent dead end" was excavated at Easter 2011 and immediately connected with station 0 (1/8/09) in Joven's Loop.
(Batch 09-092, batch 09-093) Turning west at station 16 leads to smaller passage. The Jovens Loop route turns right at a cracked arch feature and carries on with a climb along the right wall of a rift. Straight ahead the passage becomes too low on rubble but, to the right, a low crawl on rubble under a loose roof eventually emerges in a sandy passage which meets a cross rift with solution pockets and an immediate slope up and tight squeeze through to complete the round trip.
Stepping over and around the rift after the cracked arch leads to a smaller route to Snap, Crackle and Pop (Batch 09-094), an excavated section where it is now possible to slide up the side of a large boulder into low passage, Playing Card House Pushover. The next 65m (batches 09-108 & 09-107) is stooping or hands-and-knees crawling over roof collapse, passing a hole - the entry to Yorkshire Passage - down to the left. The route enlarges at a sloping pitch head with a fine view across to the continuation of the passage swinging to the right. The 9m pitch slopes down over loose rubble with a 4.5m vertical drop to finish. (Batches 09-1110 & 09-119) The base chokes in both directions.
In the summer 2010, the 6m climb at the western end
was tackled but the passage at the top is now entered by a roped traverse along the southern wall requiring a harness and cowstails. A walking passage at the top leads past formations to a 15m high aven with a fine white calcite wall with a possible passage at the top. There may be possible holes down to the right. The Playing Card House Pushover Extensions continue through walking passage to a crawl and further walking passage to a lined traverse over deep drops into a more complex area. The various leads were tackled in this northwestern end over one trip in the summer 2011, including a bolt traverse to a possible "black hole". The survey has the results of these climbs and pitch explorations.
The sinuous route through Yorkshire Passage (batch 09-106) soon ends at a small chamber that slopes down over loose rubble to a 3m vertical drop, passing precariously close to a metre-high stalagmite. To the west, (batch 09-101) walking passage closes up after 20m at an arch filled with rubble that may be a digging prospect. To the east, through a 1m diameter hole with formations on the left, an 8m pitch down the wall of a rift lands on deep sand that slopes steeply down to the other side of the rift with no way on. (Batch 09-121)
Being close to Cueva de Riaño, Cueva de Entrambasaguas and Cueva Torno, this is a cave with excellent potential in most directions!
Survey batches 2009 - 2011
Abbreviations:
JCa: James Carlisle JCl: John Clarke HL: Harry Long JC: Juan Corrin AN: Alasdair Neill PG: Paul Gelling PP: Phil Papard
SG: Simon Gelling PPa: Phil Parker TR: Torben Redder PFN: Peter Fast Nielson TW: Terry Whitaker LK: Louise Korsgaard TCl: Tom Clayton PE: Peter Eagan JO: Jude Onions SR: Sue Ryall DM: Dave Milner
C&C: Compass & clino DX : DistoX
| Batch | name | date |
surveyors | method |
| 09-01 | entrance passages | 16/04/2009 |
JC, HL | C&C |
| 09-02 | No High Hopes | 01/08/2009 |
JCl, JC, HL | C&C |
| 09-03 | east to dig | 01/08/2009 |
JCl, JC, HL | C&C |
| 09-05 | east beyond dig | 02/08/2009 |
AN, PP | C&C |
| 09-06 | east beyond dig | 02/08/2009 |
AN, PP | DX |
| 09-07 | W from stn 6 | 02/08/2009 |
JCl, HL | C&C |
| 09-08 | Pulse Racer | 3-4/8/2009 |
JCl, PPa | C&C |
| 09-09 | N beyond The Hub | 07/08/2009 |
JCl, JC | DX |
| 09-10 | Beyond Snap, C&P | 11/08/2009 |
JCl, JC | DX |
| 09-11 | Beyond Snap, C&P W p | 13/08/2009 |
JCl, JC | DX |
| 09-12 | Beyond Snap, C&P S p | 13/08/2009 |
JCl, JC | DX |
13/08/2009 |
||||
| 09-14 | down p11 in LL Series | 09/11/2009 | PP | DX |
| 10-05 | consolidated batches | 29/3-1/4/2010 | TR, PFN, TW, JCa, LK | DX |
| 10-04 | extension to E to dig | 02/04/2010 | JCa, TCl | C&C |
| 10-06 | sand choke below 32m aven | 03/08/2010 | JCl, PPa | C&C |
| 10-07 | below B,S&T pitch | 09/08/2010 | PP, TR | DX |
| 10-08 | PCHP extensions | 11/08/2010 | JCl, JC | C&C |
| 10-09 | p15 beyond 32m aven | 11/08/2010 | PE, AN, TR | DX |
| 10-10 | PCHP extensions | 13/08/2010 | JO, SR | C&C |
| 10-11 | PCHP extensions | 13/08/2010 | JO, SR | C&C |
| 10-12 | PCHP extensions | 16/08/2010 | AN, PE | C&C |
| 11-01 | Lazo de Ancianos | 26/04/2011 | DM, PPa | C&C |
| (11-02) | incorporated in 11-04 |
|||
| (11-03) | incorporated in 11-04 | |||
| 11-04 | Aven Extensions | 14-17/10/2011 | TR, PFN | DX |
Reference: anon., 2009a (Easter logbook); anon., 2009c (summer logbook); anon., 2009d (autumn logbook); Corrin Juan, 2010 (photos); anon., 2010b (Easter logbook); anon., 2010c (summer logbook); León García José, 2010 (survey and photos); Corrin Juan, 2011; anon., 2011b (Easter logbook); anon., 2011d (summer logbook); anon., 2011e (autumn logbook)
Entrance pictures: yes
Underground pictures : Easter 2009 : summer 2009 : autumn 2009 : Easter 2010 : summer 2010 : Easter 2011 : summer 2011 : autumn 2011 (mainly Aven Extensions)
Video : summer 2009 (15Mb wmv file) : summer 2010 PCHP Extensions - 241Mb; 5 min. mpg or 5Mb wmv file :
Easter 2011 - entrance passages to sandy dig : Lazo de Ancianos extension
summer 2011- northwest corner leads : Autumn 2011 extensions
Detailed Survey : hand-drawn (Easter 2009) : version 1 after summer 2009 : version 1 with contours and road : draft version 2 with November '09 extensions
2010 Easter draft version (loop closure ignored on this version)
: Easter 2010 extensions (dxf > pdf) : after Easter 2010 : after summer 2010 :
after Easter 2011 : after summer 2011 : after autumn 2011 (provisional - with Torben's DistoX file) : after autumn 2011
Line Survey :
On area survey : 4 Valleys System area (November 2011)
Survex file : yes (autmn 2011 - includes autumn extensions)
Passage direction rose diagram (Patrick Warren): yes (before Easter 2011 extensions)
