Bakers Pit facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bakers Pit |
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Baker's Pit Cave entrance in 1961
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| Location | Buckfastleigh, Devon, England |
| Length | 3,631 metres (11,913 ft) |
| Discovery | 1847 |
| Geology | Middle Devonian Limestone |
| Entrances | 1 |
| Access | DCUC (key required) |
Bakers Pit is an amazing cave system located near Buckfastleigh, Devon, England. It's known for its many twisting passages, like a giant underground maze! This cave was first discovered in 1847 when people were quarrying, which means digging up rocks from the ground.
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Exploring Bakers Pit
Bakers Pit is entered through a vertical drop that is about 16 metres deep. That's like going down a five-story building! Once inside, you can explore about 3.6 kilometres of passages. Imagine walking through tunnels for that long!
This cave covers an area of about 4 hectares. A small stream flows through the cave, heading towards the River Dart. This stream is still actively shaping the cave, slowly carving out new paths over time.
Connecting Caves
Bakers Pit was once connected to another nearby cave called Reed's Cave. However, these connections were filled with concrete. This was done to protect the beautiful rock formations in Reed's Cave from being damaged. Now, you can only "talk" between the two caves in a few spots, but you can't walk from one to the other.
A Look Back in Time
Between the 1920s and 1940s, many local people visited Bakers Pit. Sadly, during this time, many of the cave's delicate rock formations, called calcite formations, were broken or destroyed. Luckily, some of these formations have started to grow back naturally over the years.
The Plymouth Extension
In the early 1960s, cavers made an exciting discovery! They found an upper section of the cave by climbing up a narrow opening in the roof. This new area, known as the Plymouth Extension, made the known cave system about 50 percent larger.
The Plymouth Extension has some of the best examples of cave formations. This is because it's quite hard to get to, with tight squeezes and climbs. This difficult access has helped keep these formations safe. This upper part of the cave used to reach the surface, but it has been sealed off to protect it. There's a special plan in place in case of an emergency rescue from this area.
Amazing Cave Creatures
Caves in Devon, like Bakers Pit, are great places to find tiny creatures that love damp, humid environments. You might find different types of springtails here. These are tiny, blind, white insects that have adapted to living in dark caves.
Other small creatures found in Bakers Pit include certain types of beetles and spiders. These animals are an important part of the cave's unique ecosystem.
