Forat dels Lladres

Espectacular cova residual per damunt del poble d'Abella de la Conca

Abella de la Conca • Pallars Jussà111m83m

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Forat dels Lladres

Espectacular cova residual per damunt del poble d'Abella de la Conca

Abella de la Conca · Pallars Jussà

Length: 111 m · Depth: 83 m

Updated record

https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/forat-dels-lladres

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

Spectacular residual cave above Abella de la Conca, with a 31 m rock bridge and the forat dels Lladres; access via the iron steps route.

Characteristics

Type: Cave
Municipality: Abella de la Conca
Region: Pallars Jussà
Unit: Boumort, el
Length: 111 meters
Depth: 83 meters
Major Unit: Prepirineu
Lithology: Limestone
Last review: 2017-03-27

Location

Shortly before entering Abella de la Conca we must leave the car on a verge of the road (inside the village vehicle traffic is only authorised for residents). The access road becomes carrer del Mig. If we know where to look, from the entrance of the village one of the rock bridges can already be glimpsed, high up on the crag that rises above Abella.

We follow the path that passes beside the three apses of the church and the north wall and, above the cemetery, a small path leads to the water tank. We must follow the path to the left. After 3 or 4 minutes from the tank, we leave the path we were following and head to the right. Soon we will see cairns. We are in an area of easy climbing routes. We do not leave the right-hand direction and climb up a very steep buttress. Above us we see the agulla de torre Xica and further to the left a large square block of stone (the Dau). There is no need to reach it, we will deviate to the left, towards a large smooth reddish wall, the roca dels Arços. We skirt the wall passing by three iron staples that allow us to traverse to the left to a ledge. Here the climb begins and also the via dels graons de ferro. It is better to place slings on the steps, because they do not form a straight path, but a diagonal one, and the first must pass the rope to secure the following ones. It is not advisable to ascend without any protection, it is not a via ferrata. It is a sufficiently vertical section of 45 metres, after which we will link up with the camí dels ponts.

We continue along a ledge to the right, where there is an installation with rings, which will serve us to set up a rappel on the return.

The vertical path continues to the right, along a steep stretch full of vegetation with many branches that help us to get up and that leads us to the entrance of the first bridge or lower cave.

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

Forat dels Lladres
Elevation: 1100 m
42.162896, 1.089583
UTM 31T (ETRS89) 342185 4669629
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Topographic

Forat dels Lladres - Topography, Abella de la Conca, Pallars Jussà

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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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Photos

Forat dels Lladres - Photo, Abella de la Conca, Pallars Jussà

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Description

Morphology

Once the whole access itinerary has been overcome, one reaches a first rock bridge that, being quite wide in length (31 m), has more the characteristics of a small cave than of an arch. Once this passage is overcome, we arrive at a lookout where the view enjoys an admirable natural chain: a true rock arch in balance, magnificent and splendid, stylised, a perfect ovoid shape. Behind it, following its inclined projection, as if it were a great eroded and perforated tunnel, the enormous forat dels Lladres is admirably revealed, a cave with a mouth of great proportions, which seems to fit perfectly with the arch in front of it. (ETRS89; X: 342114; Y: 4669680; Z. 1154 m.)

The cave presents a slanted and ovoid mouth, which follows the same inclination as the preceding arches and bridges. What we see today is a fragment of a gallery of a cave that has an ENE-ESE direction, subparallel to the direction of the layers, which dip about 60º towards the SW.

Hydrology

The cavity drained water in an easterly direction. When the base level dropped, it became dry and the erosion of the exterior rocks began. This erosion has caused fragments of the gallery to be pierced and has left some spectacular arcades.

Progression

Once at the mouth, the progression inside follows the ascending tone until the cavity is closed at a wall face. It is not necessary to carry a lamp, because daylight allows vision to the bottom of the cave.

History

We know of no reference, either ancient or modern, to this cavity and those of us who have frequented the area for years had never had it mentioned to us by the inhabitants of the village. In fact, it is not until a few months ago (December 2016) that some citations begin to appear on the internet (blogs and websites). In one of them, our friend Antoni Satorra (GE Lleidatà) already inserts a track to access the cavity.

At the end of December 2016, Jordi Mengual (CEC), with the information provided by the climber Joaquín Olmo, accompanies Ferran Alexandri (ERE-CEC) to the spot. On 16 February 2017, Ferran Alexandri, Toni Inglés (ERE-CEC) and David Mengual (CEC) return to the cavity in order to complete the survey and cataloguing work.

For some time now, in Abella de la Conca there has been an eco-refuge (Abellaclimb), frequented mainly by foreign climbers, who are the ones who have opened a multitude of climbing routes and have made known all this area, almost unknown until now.