Coaley Rift

[PeteHall]

I was up at Coaley Rift on the edge of the Cotswolds the other day and found that the gate (which has been off for several years) has been repaired and locked. The welds had not yet rusted, so I assume this is a very recent repair.

A quick search of the net gives no clue as to who controls (or at least tries to control) access to this cave. Does anybody know?

I know the cave is a popular site with bats, so the gate may have nothing to do with any caving group, but locking site that is well known locally, with no information on why it is locked or how to gain access seems like an invitation for vandalism.

If the gate is to protect bats, a little sign explaining this with some contact info would seem like a sensible idea. As it is, it's just a challenge for the local kids to smash it off to get in again, but perhaps if they knew why it was closed, they might at least think twice; afterall, the cave is several miles from the nearest town, so any kids up there are clearly interested in the outdoors and likely to have more respect for nature than bored kids in the city. Just a thought...

 

[PeteHall]

By way of update, the site is owned by The Woodland Trust and has been gated/ locked to protect horseshoe bats that use the site.

Due to the importance of the site in relation to horseshoe bats, access is to be restricted during mating and hibernation seasons, leaving a short window for cavers to visit from 1st June to 10th August annually.

I would advise sending any access enquiries via the Gloucester Speleological Society, to keep communication with the landowner via a single and known channel.

Many thanks to Ian Crossland (GSS) who has managed to track down the relevant parties and provide the above info.