MATIENZO AUTUMN 2024
Having been in Matienzo in summer with the main DCC crew, I was keen for more. So, when the offer to go out again for 2 weeks in autumn with old friends Simon Cornhill and Diane Arthurs came, I couldn't resist. Being in a small group of only three was a very different experience from the busy summer expeditions, and also slightly more committing in terms of back up and rescue.
The main agenda for myself was to check up on progress at the club dig site 2101, and to look for new leads for the 2025 trip.
Caves visited;

Site 4732 Torca la Decepcion see you tube video; Juan Corrin, Torca La Decepcion, investigating a couple of leads,
1st visit; On the 1st trip we carried large bags of climbing gear up to the entrance ready for the next day's trip, and also looked at various side passages before the 1st pitch. We then carried on up the hillside around the entrance looking at various other known sites and looking for new sites. On the walk up the shallow valley to Torca La Deception we kept getting the smell of something very dead, on walk above the entrance in the woods we finally came across the rotting remains of a large dead cow with one side of its stomach collapsed, the inside cavity containing a wriggling mass of thousands of maggots. The resulting stinking run off, was most probably entering the cave we would be in tomorrow.

2nd visit; The strongly drafting entrance to this cave leads to a short section of stooping and crawling and the 1st pitch (small slam), this is approximately 34mtrs with re-belays. A short rift is followed by the super duck, a constricted crawl in water which is no longer a duck as it has been drained, beyond which is a prolonged flat out thrutch called stepping stone passage. Eventually a 2mtr climb down is reached into a well decorated chamber and the head of the beautiful 35mtr Grand slam pitch, about 5mtrs off the floor of Grand Slam pitch we all swung off onto a ledge to pursue a bolt climb into a visible passage approximately 7mts above our heads. Whilst Simon bolted the climb, Di and I belayed, made a video and generally froze. Unfortunately, the climb led to pitch back down into known passage below. Whilst Simon derigged the climb me and Di abandoned him and went in search of new cave to explore. Bat inlet had two unpushed leads which we pushed and surveyed 43mtrs in total, both leads were relatively small but still new passage is new passage. Meeting back up with Simon at the base of Grand Slam, he and Di climbed a small aven whilst I went for a quick run down the main drag (having not been in the cave before it was all new to me). Meeting back up with Si and Di I decided to head out solo, as the pitches would be quicker if we didn't have to wait for each person, Si and Di then surveyed the downsteam passage loop above the steamway which id just been along (this loop had previously been explored by not surveyed). I managed to lose a brand new elbow pad on the 34mtr small slam pitch and despite going part way back down couldn't find it. Eventually I surfaced at 6.30, just still in daylight and wondered off down the hill accompanied by the strong smell of dead cow.
In total we surveyed a total of 102mts of new passage on this trip and several days later Simon found my new elbow pad. Simon and Diane continued pushing and surveying up shrimpbone inlet quite a remote spot. My attention turned to elsewhere.

Cueva Valline site 0733 This extensive cave is out of the matienzo permit area near the small town of Arredondo. Another old friend Rupert Skorupka who based himself in the Ason gorge, has for many years been diving the main downstream sump in Valline, this is a committing project which requires a lot of setting up, the downstream sump is several kilometres into the cave. Having left dry suits and rebreathers etc at the sump in summer ready for a push in Autumn, Rupert arrived to find all his gear had all been washed downstream in the late summer floods which affected the area. Rupert spent the next week diving downstream to recover all his expensive kit. We joined him on a trip to help remove the remaining gear from the cave, Valline is a stunning cave and provided a fun diversion from the Matienzo area. We followed this trip up with a late afternoon lunch at the restaurate Coventosa in the Ason gorge. A great day out.

Site 0593 for 3 short videos see club What's App/ general chat/ 28th October 2024. Several days before the visit to this cave id been along the Bos Martin track in a 4WD with friends who live in the area looking at places to park, and also getting a good idea of the topography. Whilst perusing the Matienzo Caves data base I'd also noticed that this very short cave was above and over the known end of a rather long cave "Regaton" hence quite an interesting position, also the site had not been visited for over twenty years. This was to be a solo trip, and parking at the very high point of the Bos Martin track I used a Tablet with Orux maps loaded to locate the entrance. It's about a half hour walk once you know where the entrance is. The 3mtr entrance pitch can be free climbed down to a bridge of jammed boulders with two pitches descending further, the pitches are probably both the same pitch being blocked by the bridge of boulders. The 1st approximately 5mtrs deep the other approximately 10mtrs deep. Hauling the boulders to the surface or capping onto the 10mtr drop are the 2 options, there also appears to be a draught as vegetation was blowing in the entrance. This will make a good club dig for our next visit.

Sites 1018, 1017 and 2101 Another solo day out, after sending Billy and Pete pictures of the entrance to the club dig 2101 on whatsapp, they asked me to check it out. In summer id left earlier than the main DCC crew, and diligent work by Billy, Pete and Nigel with back up from Liz, had seen a short breakthrough down a laddered pitch at the end of their trip. I was keen to see the new bit, so armed with some rope and an Srt kit I dropped the pitch and had a look round the rift at the bottom. The end which draughts, looks small but would be accessible with a small amount of digging however uphill at the bottom and climbing over a large flake the way into the continuation looks quite good, maybe ½hr of digging would see you into new passage. This cave is above a known system Cueva de Bollon site 0098, and if it goes it might connect. Site 1018 which id dug many years ago is literally 8mtrs above 1017 (which id been to in the summer) but it still took me ages to find, hacking around in the brambles with a pair of secateurs a eventually found the dig which may repay some more digging as it does draught well, as does site 1017, and is in a really good area of the hillside.

Site 5052 see you tube video; Juan Corrin, site 5052-starting to open up. Pete smith who is an English caver who has lived in Matienzo for many years, invited Si, Di, and me to accompany him to this dig, to try and widen the restricted entrance to this draughting spot which he'd found previously, up near the tv mast track on the south Vega hill side. The mention of a draught was certainly enough to get me hooked.
1st visit; Si, Di, Pete O and Pete Smith. We soon widened the entrance and dispatched part of a large boulder in the floor, which allowed access to a small constricted draughting rift. The constricted rift was widened by smashing off protruding rock shelves. After taking turns at widening the on going passage Simon eventually reached the head of a pitch which we distoed at 11mtrs deep, however the pitch head was pretty constricted and would need a large rock arch/boulder removing to gain access. We'd made approximately 15mtrs of progress to the 11mtr pitch. Another great day out exploring.
2nd visit; Pete O and Pete Smith. My self and Pete Smith returned with gear to widened the entrance passage all the way to the pitch, to make it easier to actually work the pitch head. Taking it in turns over several hours we eventually removed enough of the dry sandy rock shelves and walls (all dispatched down the deepening rift below) to make easy access to the pitch head, albeit still flat-out crawling. I attacked the rock over the pitch head whilst laid flat out on it, as it started to eventually break up and wobble the possibility of the falling down the pitch with the boulder was not lost on me, however spurred on by the excitement of exploration fever I worked until completely knackered. We left the dig with the rock now fractured with visible cracks, on the next visit it should be dispatched down the pitch, roll on 2025. The bits of rock that I knocked down the pitch may well indicate that the disto 11mtrs may have been hitting a ledge, the actual drop may turn out to be deeper. After wrapping all the gear up we then wondered over to site 5053 which also draughts.

Conclusion; Several of the sites visited hold plenty of promise and are well worth revisiting at Easter or Summer. A big thanks must go to Pete Smith for inviting us up to his dig, and Andy and Julie quinn for their help and hospitality, and also Juan and penny Corrin for their help. During the autumn period we had mixed weather from loverly sunny days to torrential rain, one day of caving was cancelled due to flooding of the valley floor near the mushroom field. Visits were made to the beach at Noja such a contrast to the summer months of tourisim, the annual goat festival at Arredondo was an interesting event and well worth visiting, a very pleasant afternoon visit to Bar Tomas at Ogarrio for a full 3 course meal was exceptionally nice.
For any body in the club who fancies dipping their toes in expedition waters, I have a full list of the kit I took out, also ferry prices. Fly drive is a very easy way to travel there, apart from the early start from Manchester airport. Matienzo is an ideal place to go on a first caving Expedition as its very easy to limit the type of caving you end up committing yourself to, there is something for every ability. Several people from the club are old hands at caving in this destination, Billy, Peter clewes, Nigel and liz, Anton, Tom Howard and many of the Wessex members are all good sources of info and advice, just ask.

Pete O'Neill

Type of entry: Caving

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