Balma de la Vila Vella

A shady, enclosed rock shelter in Vidrà (Osona), used as a dwelling, with an “L”-shaped plan.

Vidrà • Osona 11m

EspeleoWorld

A shady, enclosed rock shelter in Vidrà (Osona), used as a dwelling, with an “L”-shaped plan.

Vidrà · Osona

Length: 11 m

Updated record

https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/balma-de-la-vila-vella

Information can change. Always verify coordinates, access, weather, and cave conditions before setting out.

Topographic map of the main entrance — Main entrance · ICGC topographic map

A shady, enclosed rock shelter in Vidrà (Osona), used as a dwelling, with an “L”-shaped plan.

Characteristics

Type: Cave
Municipality: Vidrà
Region: Osona
Unit: Serra de Milany - Vidranès
Length: 11 meters
Depth: 0 meters
Major Unit: Prepirineu
Lithology: Sandstone
Updated on EspeleoÍndex: April 15, 2019

Location

About 2.5 km east of Vidrà. From the Creu de l'Arç de Vidrà neighbourhood, a descending path sets off, which is the start of the classic route to Puigsacalm. The path goes down to the Ges river, which it crosses, and continues along a path that levels out for a while until we have to start climbing steeply up to the serra de la Vila.

Thus, we will reach the collet de la Fenaiola, where we will leave the classic Puigsacalm route to take a wide ascending path that branches off to the left and leads to the Hort de Getsemaní.

When we have been on it for about 10 minutes, we will see a signposted junction on the left that shortly brings us to the rock shelter. From Vidrà to the rock shelter, one hour's walk.

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

Balma de la Vila Vella
Elevation: 1050 m
42.124609, 2.340520
UTM 31T (ETRS89) 445490 4663822
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Topographic

Balma de la Vila Vella - Topography, Vidrà, Osona

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Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

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Photos

Balma de la Vila Vella - Photo, Vidrà, Osona

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Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

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Description

Morphology

It is 35 metres wide by a maximum depth of 11 metres, its plan having an “L” shape.

The ceiling is horizontal, flat and very regular, as is much of the floor. This means that the height remains almost constant throughout the interior of the rock shelter, being just over 2 metres.

The buildings constructed inside it are half ruined, but what appears to have been the main chamber is still relatively well preserved, with interior dimensions of 4×3 metres. Of the rest, only stretches of wall remain, which in places can reach up to the ceiling.

Hydrology

In times of rain, a waterfall coming from a secondary torrent falls through the angle of the “L” and the water flows just in front of the rock shelter.

History

It seems that the name of the rock shelter derives from the Vila Vella, which is the name of the farmhouse located nearest. This place name of the rock shelter appears on the ICGC map of the Generalitat.

According to what is documented, until the year 1880 there were still tenants recorded as residing in the rock shelter, dependent on the owner of the Cavaller de Vidrà, an age-old farming family that owned a good part of the mills, farmsteads and built rock shelters of the municipality of Vidrà.

On 26-1-2019 it was visited by members of the EC Barcelonès and GE Badalona, who carried out the relevant cataloguing work.

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Bibliography

Totes les dades, topografia i fotografies han estat extretes del web: geb.cat (del Grup d'Espeleologia de Badalona). Dades: F. Cardona (EC Barcelonès), J. Cuenca i X. Samarra (GE Badalona.