Caves Near Torbryan

[The Old Ruminator]

Doggedly explored by Mr O. Doc , two Jack Russells and myself. Some of the caves are roomy and have archeological interest and all are on private property. For the caves near Torbryan call at " Tornewton "Farm and ask Mr Stark. You have to cross his field to get there. You then park by an old rusty gate by the entrance drive to The Old Rectory. The map should explain all of that.



First though we visited Denbury sink which is in the far end of an old orchard ( position given on Geograph )  We asked at the house next door and they said that the farmer was unlikely to mind. The sink was dug many years ago and led to 100ft or so of passage. The little doline is now full of brambles and nettles and the old dig winch gear rusting away.

[The Old Ruminator]

Three Holes Cave.

This has an impressive entrance but is quite short. There are holes up to the surface above the end chamber.

[The Old Ruminator]

Broken Cave.

Basically a rock shelter and tiny section of cave.



This I take to be The Old Grotto but I may be wrong. Its a through trip.

[The Old Ruminator]

Well the Jack Russells were barking incessantly echoed by a huge St Bernard ( and others ) over at The Old Rectory . I had a stinking cold and headache so some of my captions may be adrift. The caves by The Old Rectory are very close together with multiple entrances.

Tornewton Cave.

Several entrances one leads to an exposed drop into a deep excavated rift. The white line in the images are excavation levels in paint. A considerable amount of material has been excavated here.







Its a charming part of Devon with an interesting block of limestone. The Old Church House Inn in Torbryan is wonderful with flagstone floors and open fires. The villagers here knew very little about the caves. Great for a walk and you dont need full caving kit to explore the caves. Please be mindful of access though.

[The Old Ruminator]

Oh and Mr O. Doc lost a flashgun in the wood should anyone find it.

[mrodoc]

The caves are important archaeological sites. I last visited when they were conducting another excavation. You can see the level markings  in Tornewton Cave. The sink is very interesting. It was dug only a few times. They got into 35 m of twisting stream way but gave up through lack of support. The resurgence is just under a mile away. There seems to be a large dry valley leading to the sink and it was taking water yesterday.