Modric Cave
This was an interesting explore and another first for me. Obviously it’s not urban exploring but I probably shouldn’t have really been there (without a guide) and as it was raining I couldn’t go climbing so thought I’d go and see what I could find.
Finding it involved a bit of googling but someone had kindly put a photo of their group next to the entrance which had a few distinctive features of the coastline in the background. That photo, cross referenced against streetview, helped me locate it and google maps location of it proved to be about ¼ mile out.
It’s not a tourist cave this but groups get taken down there by guides and it’s on trip advisor so presumably gets its fair share of (paying) visitors. There’s even a sign for it, albeit in the village by the main road.
The first chamber has a reasonably big opening with steps going down to it and what looked like a kicked in iron gate at its entrance. This’ll be a doddle I thought, well not quite. This was the part that had probably been lived in for centuries by modern man. At the end of it was a small hole with an iron gate covering it, padlocked! It wouldn’t budge but was still accessible – if yer slim!
A photo as seemingly vague as this is all yer need for hours of fun
Main entrance
Rule no.1 - leave no trace. That translates to - put stones back under gate when finished so others stand a chance of visiting guideless!
Now I’ve been in plenty of tourist caves in The Peak and in Cheddar Gorge and they’re great for pretty features and they’re dark and peaceful and all that but I’d never done one (that’s any good) on my own before. We’d been climbing in Paklenica Gorge for a week or so and I’d heard about the tourist cave there, went for a look (in the pouring rain!) and as usual it was pretty and full of features but I couldn’t help thinking I was just another sheep (tourist whatever) being shown around and I thought this is no good. Not for me anyway. I’ve got a taste for trying to photograph dark places, like sewers, tunnels, etc now…. and I shall not be rushed along by someone asking me if I can see a bloody witch, jellyfish or organ in the rock features any more! I can see me getting into caving when I’m back home – fuck, too many hobbies now!
After the main entrance part of the cave there’s a fair bit of squeezing to do. It opens up, then squeezes back down and between stalagtites/ stalagmites several times along its length. This is the part that was first explored in 1985. From what I explored, which I think was all of it, there’s one main fork (left is as long as right) and there’s hardly any change in elevation so I didn’t feel like I’d get lost or injured – it didn’t stop me worrying though. It was also reasonably dry throughout its length even after several hours of rain! Muddy though! You could spend ages photographing this place, there’s plenty to see. Here’s what I saw - in no particular order
I feel I should add a line or two about the ethics of this - even though its abroad and yer not exactly gonna be heading there in yer hundreds. This is natural after all and irreplaceable (and you can be guided!)
Don't touch stuff that might break, squeeze carefully, don't wave torches about or be in there longer than necessary, leave apparatus alone, be quiet, leave no trace!
There my conscience is clear......check it out if yer in the area!
This was an interesting explore and another first for me. Obviously it’s not urban exploring but I probably shouldn’t have really been there (without a guide) and as it was raining I couldn’t go climbing so thought I’d go and see what I could find.
Finding it involved a bit of googling but someone had kindly put a photo of their group next to the entrance which had a few distinctive features of the coastline in the background. That photo, cross referenced against streetview, helped me locate it and google maps location of it proved to be about ¼ mile out.
It’s not a tourist cave this but groups get taken down there by guides and it’s on trip advisor so presumably gets its fair share of (paying) visitors. There’s even a sign for it, albeit in the village by the main road.
The first chamber has a reasonably big opening with steps going down to it and what looked like a kicked in iron gate at its entrance. This’ll be a doddle I thought, well not quite. This was the part that had probably been lived in for centuries by modern man. At the end of it was a small hole with an iron gate covering it, padlocked! It wouldn’t budge but was still accessible – if yer slim!
A photo as seemingly vague as this is all yer need for hours of fun
Main entrance
Rule no.1 - leave no trace. That translates to - put stones back under gate when finished so others stand a chance of visiting guideless!
Now I’ve been in plenty of tourist caves in The Peak and in Cheddar Gorge and they’re great for pretty features and they’re dark and peaceful and all that but I’d never done one (that’s any good) on my own before. We’d been climbing in Paklenica Gorge for a week or so and I’d heard about the tourist cave there, went for a look (in the pouring rain!) and as usual it was pretty and full of features but I couldn’t help thinking I was just another sheep (tourist whatever) being shown around and I thought this is no good. Not for me anyway. I’ve got a taste for trying to photograph dark places, like sewers, tunnels, etc now…. and I shall not be rushed along by someone asking me if I can see a bloody witch, jellyfish or organ in the rock features any more! I can see me getting into caving when I’m back home – fuck, too many hobbies now!
After the main entrance part of the cave there’s a fair bit of squeezing to do. It opens up, then squeezes back down and between stalagtites/ stalagmites several times along its length. This is the part that was first explored in 1985. From what I explored, which I think was all of it, there’s one main fork (left is as long as right) and there’s hardly any change in elevation so I didn’t feel like I’d get lost or injured – it didn’t stop me worrying though. It was also reasonably dry throughout its length even after several hours of rain! Muddy though! You could spend ages photographing this place, there’s plenty to see. Here’s what I saw - in no particular order
I feel I should add a line or two about the ethics of this - even though its abroad and yer not exactly gonna be heading there in yer hundreds. This is natural after all and irreplaceable (and you can be guided!)
Don't touch stuff that might break, squeeze carefully, don't wave torches about or be in there longer than necessary, leave apparatus alone, be quiet, leave no trace!
There my conscience is clear......check it out if yer in the area!
