<< Our Photo Pages >> Cat Hole Cave - Cave or Rock Shelter in Wales in West Glamorgan

Submitted by vicky on Sunday, 29 August 2004  Page Views: 21160

Natural PlacesSite Name: Cat Hole Cave Alternative Name: Cathole Cave, Reindeer Cave
Country: Wales County: West Glamorgan Type: Cave or Rock Shelter
Nearest Town: Swansea  Nearest Village: Parkmill
Map Ref: SS53779002  Landranger Map Number: 159
Latitude: 51.590001N  Longitude: 4.112276W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 3 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 3 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 3

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I have visited· I would like to visit

bishop_pam visited on 25th Jun 2021 - their rating: Access: 4 Steel barrier prevented entry

mrdre visited on 15th May 2021 - their rating: Amb: 3 Access: 4

coldrum visited - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 3

SandyG PAB have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Ambience: 4 Access: 3.67

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by Robc : OS159 - SS53779003 The cave runs about 18m into the hillside. This picture looking out shows the double entrance chambers. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Cave or Rock Shelter in West Glamorgan

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Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by Bladup : The entrance to Cat Hole Cave. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by pab : Cat Hole Cave interior. As access seems no longer possible, I thought people might like to see some photos from inside the cave. This shows one of the recesses at the back of the cave - there were many niches like this, most being very narrow. We didn't have particularly good lighting, so couldn't investigate properly. Seeing the cave definitely helped me understand the description of ... (Vote or comment on this photo)

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by Robc : SS53779003 This cave was first occupied in the upper palaeolithic period probably used as a transit camp when following the animals in the Ice Age. (Its position is on the southern limits of the ice cap during the that period). The cave was used as a burial cave during the Bronze Age. The excavation of 1958 found scattered human remains and sherds of burial urns. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by Horatio : Cathole cave was first excavated in 1864 but unbelievably Wood (lead archeologist) did not publish his work, the only publication being a short note about discoveries at the tomb at Parc le Breos Cwm 1887. Discoveries included an abundance of Pleistocene mammal assemblage. This included, lion, cat, bear, cave hyena, red fox, Mammoth, woolly Rhinoceros, horse, Reindeer, giant deer, red deer and v... (Vote or comment on this photo)

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : Inside Badger cave. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by SandyG : Cave interior in 1979.

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : Badger cave.

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : Ferns growing near the entrance.

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : Cave entrance

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : Looking out from cave entrance.

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by pab : Another resident of Cat Hole Cave - no doubt it's ancestors shared the same cave with ours when they were busy sketching the life around them. 28 Sept 2011

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : Rock shelter site in Gower. Not far from a Neolithic burial chambered tomb.

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by Horatio : Right next to Cat Hole cave is this 'Badger Cave'. I shone a torch into it and it goes quite deep but how far is hard to tell, also I couldn't find any information about this re any archeological discoveries, if any?

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by Horatio : Cathole cave

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by SandyG : Cave entrance in 1979.

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : Graffiti

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : Cave entrance

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : View of cave entrance.

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : Smaller cave entrance.

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : Back of cave.

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : Inside cave.

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : Entrance with gate.

Cat Hole Cave
Cat Hole Cave submitted by coldrum : View of cave from path.

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 184m S 191° Parc le Breos* Chambered Tomb (SS53738984)
 212m SW 223° Church Hill Earthwork* Misc. Earthwork (SS53628987)
 975m SE 146° Gower Heritage centre* Museum (SS543892)
 1.1km NW 321° Tooth Cave* Cave or Rock Shelter (SS531909)
 1.5km SSW 199° North Hills Lane Barrow Cemetary Barrow Cemetery (SS53248863)
 1.5km S 176° Pennard Pill Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle (SS53828851)
 1.6km ESE 108° Trinity Well, Ilston* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SS55308946)
 1.9km SW 231° Cefn Bryn Beacon 2 Cairn (SS52238886)
 2.0km SW 232° Cefn Bryn Beacon 1 Cairn (SS52198886)
 2.0km SSW 196° Penmaen Burrows* Chambered Tomb (SS53168812)
 2.0km WSW 245° Cefn Bryn Ring Cairn Ring Cairn (SS51918922)
 2.0km WSW 245° Cefn Bryn Burnt Mound Misc. Earthwork (SS51898922)
 2.0km SW 235° Cefn Bryn Cairn 1* Cairn (SS52068889)
 2.0km WSW 245° Cefn Bryn Burnt Mound 2 Misc. Earthwork (SS51888922)
 2.4km SSW 197° Leather's Hole Cave or Rock Shelter (SS530877)
 2.8km SW 221° Crawley Rocks Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle (SS51878796)
 2.9km SSE 160° Ravencliffe Cave* Cave or Rock Shelter (SS547873)
 3.0km WNW 295° Pen-y-Crug Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SS51099137)
 3.0km WSW 247° Nicholaston Hall Cairn Cairn (SS50948894)
 3.1km WSW 253° Talbot Road Cairn 2 Ring Cairn (SS50758921)
 3.1km WSW 253° Talbot Road Cairn 1* Ring Cairn (SS50758920)
 3.2km WSW 246° Nicholaston Long Cairn* Chambered Tomb (SS50768879)
 3.4km ENE 74° Bishopston Burch Cairn (SS571909)
 3.7km SSE 150° Minchin Hole Cave or Rock Shelter (SS555868)
 3.7km SE 145° Crow Hole Cave or Rock Shelter (SS558869)
View more nearby sites and additional images

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"Cat Hole Cave" | Login/Create an Account | 11 News and Comments
  
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Re: Cat Hole Cave by Andy B on Friday, 20 April 2018
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Discovered by archaeologist Dr. George Nash, a wall carving on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales may prove to be one of Britain's oldest examples of rock art. The carving of a speared reindeer is believed to have been created by a hunter-gatherer in the Ice Age more than 14,000 years ago.

In a recent Press Release 'Minimum U-Series date makes Welsh discovery the oldest rock art in the British Isles (and North-western Europe)', the new minimum date of 14,505 + 560 years BP may confirm this.

More
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/british_isles_prehistory_archive/gower_peninsula_south_wales/index.php
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Re: Cat Hole Cave by sem on Tuesday, 30 May 2017
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OS grid ref SS 5377 9002 [updated, thank you]
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Cat Hole Cave rock art by Andy B on Saturday, 26 January 2013
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Past Horizons have pictures and tracings of the Cat Hole Cave rockart:

http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/08/2011/discovery-is-hailed-as-the-first-clear-evidence-of-pleistocene-rock-art-in-wales

with thanks to H Fenton for the link
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    Re: Cat Hole Cave rock art by gaianlife on Monday, 28 January 2013
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    A proposal has been submitted to the authorities for re examination of this cave (not by me, by a local archeologist). Will keep you updated :)
    [ Reply to This ]
      Re: Cat Hole Cave rock art by gaianlife on Monday, 28 January 2013
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      oh, its the same guy who did the research on that cave before btw, Nash. :)
      [ Reply to This ]

Cat Hole Cave Aerial by gaianlife on Tuesday, 22 January 2013
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Taken while practising with my camera drone




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Cat Hole cave confirmed as the site of the important rock art discovery - and gated by Andy B on Thursday, 13 September 2012
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Cat Hole cave has been confirmed as the site of the important rock art discovery, which we reported on this page
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=17195

See above for photos.
Does anyone know who you should approach to get permission to enter Cat Hole cave?

[ Reply to This ]

Re: Cat Hole Cave by Gedv1 on Tuesday, 14 August 2012
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I sadly report that the entrance to the cave has now be fenced and gated. Entrance is only possible for the first 5m or so, then, just as the roof lowers to the rear section, one is confronted by a vast, ugly, welded steel fence with a padlocked central gate.

After 30 years of entering this cave at my will, entrance is now denied to but a 'special' few, whoever they may be. It is of course to protect the newly found rock art, Britain's oldest, but this is so much further back in the cave, where a smaller fencing would have afforded the same protection. This is a very big sledge hammer on a very small nut! This fencing off is of the same type at the entrance of Badger Cave next door and Tooth Hole Cave further up the cwm.
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Cat Hole Cave by PAB on Tuesday, 29 January 2013
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    As access is no longer possible, I have just posted some photos from a visit Sem and I managed to make in September 2011 - I showed these at the Portal event in Derbyshire last year, and meant to post them then. Recent posts have reminded me - shame we didn't have decent lighting with us at the time...too late now I guess
    [ Reply to This ]

Re: Cat Hole Cave by coldrum on Wednesday, 06 January 2010
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Coflein site entry.

http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/305612/details/CAT+HOLE+CAVE%2C+PARKMILL/
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Cat Hole Cave by chris_elf2000 on Tuesday, 06 May 2003
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http://www.swansea-gower.co.uk/historicsites/caves/catholecave.htm
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