Cova de Ventatjol

A cave with 28 m of passage in the Pla de l'Estany, near the Santuari de Santa Maria del Collell, in the serra de Ventatjol.

Sant Miquel de Campmajor • Pla de l'Estany 28m 7m

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Cova de Ventatjol

A cave with 28 m of passage in the Pla de l'Estany, near the Santuari de Santa Maria del Collell, in the serra de Ventatjol.

Sant Miquel de Campmajor · Pla de l'Estany

Length: 28 m · Depth: 7 m

Updated record

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

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 cave with 28 m of passage in the Pla de l'Estany, near the Santuari de Santa Maria del Collell, in the serra de Ventatjol.

Characteristics

Type: Cave
Municipality: Sant Miquel de Campmajor
Region: Pla de l'Estany
Unit: Travertins de Banyoles
Length: 28 meters
Depth: 7 meters
Major Unit: Serralada Transversal
Lithology: Sandstone
Updated on EspeleoÍndex: May 16, 2025

Location

About one kilometre to the NE of the Santuari de Santa Maria del Collell, in the upper part of the serra de Ventatjol, almost on the ridge, above the church of Sant Feliu de Ventatjol.

To get there, if we set out from Sant Miquel de Campmajor we will take the road towards Santa Maria del Collell, which lies about 4 km away. About 200 m before arriving, and right at the col, a tarmac track branches off and soon leaves us at an area with sports pitches. The track continues now unpaved; we will follow it for about 250 m before leaving it by taking a path that branches off to the left, uphill. After a couple of long hairpin bends we reach the ridge of the serra de Ventatjol, along which a ridge path runs. We will follow it to the right for about 400 m until we reach the place where the cave is located, situated to the right of the path and a few metres below it. A short and easy scramble brings us to the entrance.

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

Ventatjol, Cova de
Elevation: 465 m
42.157838, 2.666044
UTM 31T (ETRS89) 472411 4667355
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Topographic

Cova de Ventatjol - Topography, Sant Miquel de Campmajor, Pla de l'Estany

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Description

Morphology

The entrance is almost 5 m wide by a height of the order of 1.80 m. Shortly after entering there is a block in the form of a large slab detached from the ceiling. A descending gallery continues, with widths close to 4 m and with quite a few blocks. At 20 m of passage the gallery loses width but, above all, becomes low in ceiling and forces us to crawl along a floor of stones and blocks. We will get past some narrowness before reaching the end, where there is a fissure that becomes impracticable.

History

The cave has a long history linked to eremitism. The proximity to the important Santuari de Santa Maria del Collell made it easy for some hermits to find in this cave a suitable space for their stays of penance and prayer.

For this reason, the cavity is also known as Cova del Frare, Cova de l'Ermità and Cova del Collell. Curiously, on the map of Editorial Alpina it appears as Cova de la Pollera, because at one time the cave served as a shelter for livestock and everyone who went there came out covered in lice.

Visited by members of the GES - CMB in July 1979, making a fairly accurate description that appears for the first time in the CEDC - 6 (1982)

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Bibliography

Totes les dades, topografia i fotografies han estat extretes del web: geb.cat (del Grup d'Espeleologia de Badalona). Apunt del 29-7-2024. Dades: Ferran Cardona (ECM Barcelonès), Josep Cuenca, Xavier Samarra i Emilia Doña (GE Badalona)

Borràs, J;Miñarro, JM; Talavera, F. (1982).-'el Baix Empordà, el Gironès, la Selva, l'Osona, el Vallès Oriental i el Maresme' Catàleg Espeleològic de Catalunya (vol.6):84-85. Ed Políglota. Barcelona.

Valles, Jordi de (2010).-'Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà, Gironès, Osona, Pla de l'Estany, Selva'. Catàleg Espeleològic de Catalunya (vol.4):1-397. ECG/FCE.