Slaughter Stream Cave facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Slaughter Stream Cave / Wet Sink |
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Skeleton in dog Graveyard Passage
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| Location | Berry Hill, Forest of Dean, United Kingdom |
| Depth | 100 m (330 ft) |
| Length | 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) |
| Geology | Limestone |
| Entrances | 1 |
| Difficulty | Grade 3. Mainly walking passage, some crawling/stooping. Some easy single rope technique (SRT). |
| Hazards | Sewage discharge into streamway |
| Access | Gated. Key and permit required. Contact RFDCC. |
Slaughter Stream Cave, also known as Wet Sink, is a cool cave system found in the Wye Valley within the Forest of Dean. It's one of the longest caves in the area!
This cave offers an exciting adventure with fixed ladders and two rope drops, called pitches. Inside, you'll find streamways, sandy tunnels where you might need to crawl, and older passages that used to carry water. The cave is also special because of some interesting old discoveries. Many historic bones have been found here. The most famous find is 'Norman', a dog whose skeleton and paw prints can still be seen in a part of the cave called Dog's Graveyard passage. Norman got trapped in the cave many years ago.
An episode of the TV show Extreme Archaeology was even filmed inside this cave!
Slaughter Stream Cave is the longest cave system in the Forest of Dean. Another well-known cave nearby is Miss Grace's Lane.
Exploring Slaughter Stream Cave
Getting Inside the Cave
To explore Slaughter Stream Cave, you'll need special caving gear. This includes ladders and ropes, or equipment for a technique called single rope technique (SRT). For SRT, a single 50 metres (160 ft) rope and six connectors (like maillons or krabs) are usually recommended.
Many different trips are possible inside the cave, depending on how adventurous you feel! This cave is a great choice if another nearby cave, Otter Hole, is closed because its entrance is flooded.
The entrance to Slaughter Stream Cave goes straight down. But don't worry, there are fixed ladders to help you get down safely. After the ladders, you'll go through a short, tight crawl. Be careful around the rocks here! Next, there's a climb down with a concrete floor and a metal bar. At the bottom of this climb, you'll find a special hanger for a safety line. This line helps you cross to the next climb.
This next climb is about 4 metres (13 ft) high. It's important to use a rope here, even though it's not very long. Some accidents have happened at this spot, so it's best to be extra careful. This climb leads you down to a large flat area, then to a 10 metres (33 ft) drop, which is another pitch. You can leave your SRT gear at the bottom of this pitch.
After another 4 metres (13 ft) climb down, the passage gets smaller and you'll need to crawl. As you crawl, you'll start to hear the sound of the stream. Once you reach the water, follow the stream to enter the main part of the cave. It's very important not to drink the water in the stream, as it's not clean.
