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Cova del Bandoler

Cova del Bandoler

A 58-metre-long cave in Foradada (la Noguera), known since ancient times and explored in September 1902 by Josep Maluquer.

Foradada • Noguera 58m 13m

A 58-metre-long cave in Foradada (la Noguera), known since ancient times and explored in September 1902 by Josep Maluquer.

Characteristics

Location

At kilometre 45.5 of the C-26 road between Artesa de Segre and Balaguer, we will turn off onto the LV-9137 road towards Foradada; once past the village we will continue towards Rubió de Dalt, 400 metres further on and just opposite a left-hand turn-off that returns to the village, we find a track on the right, uphill, which we will follow until we reach two cylindrical water tanks; from here the track descends, keeping to the right some farmland in the form of stepped terraces, we will continue until we find the vehicle entrance to these fields. On the other side of the fields we find a power line with wooden poles; we will go as far as the pole on our left and climb up the slope; we will soon find cairns and the path that in about 200 metres will lead us to the cave.

Map

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. Cova del Bandoler

    Elevation: 525 m

    41.891327, 1.011470
    UTM 31T (ED 50) 335125 4639826
Download all entrances as GPX

Photos

Cova del Bandoler - Photo, Foradada, NogueraView image
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Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

Image 1 of 8

Description

Morphology

The entrance gives access to a 3.5-metre drop that is overcome without difficulty, placing us in a wide chamber where on the left we find a narrow passage 12 metres long that exits to the outside at the level of the cliff; halfway along this passage we find a constriction that blocks our way, preventing us from reaching the entrance. Back in the chamber, we find on the right a passage 4 metres long, at the end of which one can climb into a small passage situated at a higher level. Back in the chamber we follow the main gallery and reach a new chamber; on the right we find a short passage that ends in less than 3 metres, while on the left we find an ascending gallery 0.75 metres in diameter. Following the main gallery again, it becomes narrower but the height reaches 6.35 metres; past this point we reach a kind of chamber divided by a large block, where we find an ascending shaft of +4.82 metres, which places us in a short upper gallery with no continuation. Given the quantity of roots and soil it must be very close to the surface. Back in the last chamber, on the E side, we find a narrow passage of 0.7x0.29 metres that places us in a passage of 0.66x0.79 metres; towards the S it ends at 1.58 metres, while towards the N it connects with the ascending gallery 0.75 metres in diameter, which emerged on the left in the second chamber. The cavity has a total length of 58.42 metres and a vertical extent of 13.33 metres (-7.58/+5.75).

History

Known since ancient times; according to legend it seems to have served as a hiding place for wrongdoers. It was explored in September 1902 by Josep Maluquer (Centre Exc. Catalunya), accompanied by the guide Mariano Trepat, known as “lo podador”. In Maluquer's account of the exploration it is said that there is a vertical shaft that exits to the outside; at present there is no other exit to the outside than those described in the description of the cavity, which does not mean that at one time this access existed and for some unknown reason it has been blocked.

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Bibliography

  1. Maluquer i Nicolau, Josep.(1902).- “Les coves de Salgà, Ribera de Segre”. Butlletí del Centre Excursionista de Catalunya (95):314-323. Barcelona.

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