Còva de Betlan

Small artificial cavity with a 22 m route in the Vall d'Aran, a single gallery excavated in slate with a flooded final section.

Vielha e Mijaran • Val d'Aran 22m 3m

EspeleoWorld

Còva de Betlan

Small artificial cavity with a 22 m route in the Vall d'Aran, a single gallery excavated in slate with a flooded final section.

Vielha e Mijaran · Val d'Aran

Length: 22 m · Depth: 3 m

Updated record

https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/cova-de-betlan

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

Small artificial cavity with a 22 m route in the Vall d'Aran, a single gallery excavated in slate with a flooded final section.

Characteristics

Type: Cave
Municipality: Vielha e Mijaran
Region: Val d'Aran
Unit: Val d'Aran
Length: 22 meters
Depth: 3 meters
Major Unit: Pirineu Axial
Lithology: Slate
Updated on EspeleoÍndex: November 17, 2012

Location

Going along the main road from Vielha to Bossòst (N-230), after kilometre 166 the turn-off to the small village of Betlan appears on the right. After the first bend the barranc de Ròques Neres is crossed, where this artificial cave is found. Approximate coordinates.

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

Betlan, Còva de
Elevation: 965 m
42.726257, 0.786904
UTM 31T (ED 50) 318905 4732995
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Topographic

Còva de Betlan - Topography, Vielha e Mijaran, Val d'Aran

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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

A single gallery 22 metres long. The tunnel section is fairly constant at around 1.50 by 0.90 metres.

Speleothems

The final section is adorned with wall coatings.

Hydrology

A single gallery 22 metres long leads us to the flooded area of this “water mine”.

Other details

Artificially excavated in slate. Toponymy: We keep the toponym còva (with accent) as it appears on the ICC maps, although it would be more correct to use the Aranese word cauva.

History

Known for a very long time by the people of the area. Popular legend makes it the dwelling of a singular character, the giant Mandrònius, hero of the valley for his struggle against the Romans (1st century BC).

There are references to visits by speleologists (GE Lleida, 1970; ERE-CEC, 1975), but there is no specific documentation until the visit by members of the GE de Badalona in December 1993.