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Coves de la Vall

Coves de la Vall

A group of shelters and small hollows along the cingle de la Vall de la Seguera (Olèrdola), with balmes of archaeological and troglodytic interest.

Olèrdola • Alt Penedès 12m

A group of shelters and small hollows along the cingle de la Vall de la Seguera (Olèrdola), with balmes of archaeological and troglodytic interest.

Characteristics

Location

The group is found along the cingle de la Vall de la Seguera, in Olèrdola. From Olèrdola, take the camí del fondo de la Seguera or de la Vall until you find a turnoff to the right that climbs to the house of can Ximet; a little before reaching it, leave the car in a small widening of the track, where a path begins that climbs to the foot of the cinglera and soon leads to the large balma, clearly visible from afar. Further west, following the foot of the cingle, is the sector called Balmes de Can Castellví. It can also be reached from the village of Moja, from which a road leads to Can Castellví.

Map

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. Cal Ximet, Balmes de

    Elevation: 280 m

    41.305035, 1.701429
    UTM 31T (ETRS89) 391292 4573433
  2. Can Castellví, Balmes de

    Elevation: 280 m

    41.305741, 1.699913
    UTM 31T (ETRS89) 391166 4573513
Download all entrances as GPX

Photos

Coves de la Vall - Photo, Olèrdola, Alt PenedèsView image
Click to enlarge

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

Image 1 of 7

Description

Morphology

A group of balmes and small hollows of little speleological interest but important from the archaeological point of view. The Balmes de Cal Ximet have maximum dimensions of 50 metres in length by 9 in height and about 12 metres in depth. The Balmes de Can Castellví have characteristics identical to its neighbour of Cal Ximet.

Other details

The balma de Cal Ximet is occupied by storage silos and the remains of walls of masonry and dry stone. Inside, a series of structures excavated in the rock can be seen: stairs, holes for beams and two groups of silos considered to be of medieval times. In the Balmes de Can Castellví there is a mill wheel. In 1970, some rock paintings of a schematic abstract type were discovered, representing a small carnivore, two indeterminate animals and various colour patches. Archaeological finds corresponding to the Bronze Age, Iberian and early medieval periods have been made at the group. These cavities form one of the most remarkable troglodytic groups of the Penedès.

History

Known since time immemorial. The first data on their historical interest are due to visits by scholars from Vilanova i la Geltrú, during the 1960s. The first paintings were discovered in 1970 in the sector of Can Castellví. The medieval structures and rock paintings are protected as a World Heritage Site within the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula.

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Bibliography

  1. Aymamí, G. (1993).- “Contribució al coneixement espeleològic de l'Alt Penedès (15ena nota)”. Excursionisme (213): 188-192. Unió Excursionista de Catalunya. Barcelona.
  1. Ferrer, A. (1968).- “Les cavitats de Sant Miquel d'Olèrdola – Alt Penedès i Garraf”. Espeleòleg (7): 275-278. ERE – Centre Excursionista de Catalunya. Barcelona.
  1. Virella, J. (1980).- “Habitacles troglodítics”. Miscel·lània Penedesenca (3): 259-279. Institut d'Estudis Penedesencs.
  • Altres dades, topografia i fotografies extretes del web: geb.cat (del Grup d'Espeleologia de Badalona). Apunt del 19-8-2018. Dades: J. Cuenca i X. Samarra (GEB)

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