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Balma del Grau

Balma del Grau

A 5-metre-deep rockshelter in Capolat, divided into two parts, with walls, galleries and an oven; below the rockshelter there is a small cave 3 and a half metres long.

Capolat • Berguedà 5m

A 5-metre-deep rockshelter in Capolat, divided into two parts, with walls, galleries and an oven; below the rockshelter there is a small cave 3 and a half metres long.

Characteristics

Location

From Berga, taking the C-453 road towards Sant Llorenç de Morunys, after passing kilometre 5 we must turn left towards Rossinyol i Coforb, continuing to the casa del Grau, where we will find a fence. We will continue on foot along a path that descends through some meadows parallel to the torrent until reaching some small waterfalls coming from the rasa del Grau; at this spot some pools form that would have supplied water to the inhabitants of the rockshelter located just opposite.

Another access can be made from the village of Avià. Leaving the village along the C-26 road towards l'Espunyola, immediately after passing kilometre 142 we will find on the right the track that passes through els Arbres Blancs; a hundred metres further on we will find an area to park in a place where there is a cyclocross circuit, and from there a path takes us in two kilometres to the Balma del Grau, passing first by the Saltant del Grau.

Map

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. Balma del Grau

    Elevation: 911 m

    42.088260, 1.799013
    UTM 31T (ETRS89) 400673 4660273
Download all entrances as GPX

Photos

Balma del Grau - Photo, Capolat, BerguedàView image
Click to enlarge

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

Image 1 of 8

Description

Morphology

Worked rockshelter 28 metres wide by 5 metres deep and 5 metres high; in reality it is divided into two parts of 11 metres each, and between the two there is a stretch of 6 metres of travertine. The two rockshelters close at the front with walls with door and window openings that have disappeared. Through the interior of the rock, galleries were excavated to connect the various chambers. The chamber located furthest N was divided into two floors: the upper one remains collapsed, and the lower one was distributed into various and different compartments separated by stone walls.

Below the rockshelter and beside a small waterfall of the Riera de Bellús, we find a tiny cave 3 and a half metres long, opened in conglomerates.

Speleothems

The oven is still preserved in good condition; part of a roof remains inside the rockshelter, which prevented the drips produced by the filtration of the travertines.

Hydrology

The small waterfalls come from the rasa del Grau; at this spot some pools form that would have supplied water to the inhabitants of the rockshelter located just opposite. Below the rockshelter there is a small waterfall of the Riera de Bellús.

Progression

From Berga, along the C-453 road towards Sant Llorenç de Morunys, after kilometre 5, turn left towards Rossinyol i Coforb to the casa del Grau; continue on foot along a path that descends through some meadows parallel to the torrent to the small waterfalls. Another access from Avià: along the C-26 road towards l'Espunyola, after kilometre 142, on the right the track that passes through els Arbres Blancs; a hundred metres further on, an area to park where there is a cyclocross circuit, and a path that in two kilometres leads to the Balma del Grau, passing first by the Saltant del Grau.

Other details

Rockshelter 5 metres deep in Capolat.

History

Known since time immemorial. They were inhabited until the end of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century.

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Bibliography

  1. Cortés Elia, Maria del Agua (2002).-”Memòria tècnica” Inventari Patrimoni Cultural d'Avià. Ajuntament d'Avià.
  • Dades extretes del blog de la Silvia i en Marc (www.engarrista.com) post del dia 18-10-2014.
  • Dades extretes del web del Grup Espeleològic Badalona (www.geb.cat) anotació del 19-7-2016. Text de Josep Cuenca i fotografies de Francesc X. Samarra

Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/