Pozo o pozu del Llastral

Description of the Entrance Series

From the entrance chamber, the cave descends through an 80 m snow ramp, combining abseiling and glissading, and requiring re-rigging each summer.

A short section in the roof of a narrow rift (with more than its fair share of over suits to answer for), is followed by a pitch-ramp series.
This beginns with a 7 m pitch, followed by some narrow passages leading into the rather exposed area of El Panico.
A 5 m pitch is followed by a 31 m pitch (Pozo del Panico) with a deviation and rebelay in a narrow section 7 m from the bottom gains the base of the rift.
A ramp leads to a 7 m pitch and ascent the final ramp allows you to drop down through it to land on a large block wedged across the top of a 22 m pitch.
A trickle of water enters here down an aven.

A short section at the base of a rift and a 14 m pitch is followed by another ramp and a pendulum (the far side requires a climb to enable rigging) into the narrow rift Meander of the Elephants.
The rift is passable by a 30 m descending body-sized tube in the top of the rift, made awkward by a constricted Z-bend - easily passed by raising your legs high up in the rift behind you, finally emerging over a 20 m pitch.
This tube can be gained by traversing high up the preceding ramp, descending and re-ascending - or alternatively, if you happen not to see the obvious rope, you can just wonder along the bottom of the ramp and climb up at the end.
Meander of the Elephants, or more simply "The Squeeze" represents the only major obstacle in the cave and would pose a serious problem if ever an injured person needed to be evacuated from beyond it.

Following the squeeze, a series of straight forward pitches (and trickle of water) through the Meandro del Polesu - Aquarius ends in a 10 m pitch (Escanciador Pitch).
This requires a pendulum to avoid the water.

At this point the water parts company and the character of the cave changes dramatically.
El Sekajo is a relatively spacious descending rift and is free from pitch-ramps.
The area contains formations, clay-like sediments and rock that in places has been remarkably altered.

A 9 m pitch is soon followed by a 21 m free hanging pitch.
At this point the draught is very noticeable - and very cold. The sizable, and rather chaotic rift beyond leads to the head of a superb 52 m free hang in a 10 m diameter circular shaft (Alicia). (This has developed following the descent of a fault angled at 70° in a series of vertical drops.)
The resulting massive open rift (50-60 m high, 10-15 m wide) continues to a 10 m pitch leading to the rather terrifying and chaotic head of the 69 m pitch, Pozo Negro, Cabron, Juega Limpio.
An acrobatic rig, descended initially against a sloping wall (to avoid the falling rocks), requires three rebelays. Its final part is very impressive and well washed.

Gareth's Old Bedroom, 16m pitch is followed by a 55 m pitch Null and Void and the South Transept, a 25 m pitch.
A 7 m pitch leads to the edge of a 'rather deep pool', beyond which, all that can be seen is a large flake and 'caverns measureless to man'.
Approaching the edge of the flake reveals a friendly but black hole - Thunderdome.
The rift can be clearly seen soaring into the roof.
A traverse leads to a 70 m hang broken only by one re-belay and a sporting deviation to land in a small pool.

From here, Climbing up boulders leads to a high aven, 15 m diameter wide, with rubble floor 20 m above the stream way split by a large rock in the centre ('The Rock of Gibraltar') - site of the 1989 camp.
Descending from the base of Thunderdome, a narrow meandering rift is entered (reminiscent of Crab Walk in Giants Hole), with a small stream.
This continues for 80 m to a small pitch and small chamber, then a further 120 m to a respectable 64 m pitch - Soldier of Fortune.
This is followed by Gardener;s Question Time, a 50 m pitch with a lot of loose choss at the top.

Then next comes a rift, Death Row, with a traverse some where on loose blocks with equally loose blocks above, requires care.
At the end of this, a short pitch Tendencias Suicidea lands in a small chamber with a pool, opening out into a large rift.
The rift quickly closes down and after scrambling over flakes, descend through a small draughting hole to land 3 m further down on a large block wedged in a rift.
This very draughty rift (Wind Tunnel Traverse) can be followed along a ledge in the roof, climbing down easily to regain the stream and the head of a 32 m pitch - The Interloper.

This is followed by el Otro Pozo del Comepiedras and then a series of pitches to a rather green sump at -944 m.
Traversing across the final 12 m pitch gains inlet passage with two free climbable pitches.

Source :
* York University Cave and Pothole Club > Explorations in the Picos de Europa > Pozo del Llastral (β3): https://picos.yucpc.org.uk/B3.htm