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Montage (Silly Section)
Cova de sa Campana |
Head for Sa Calobra. About half way between the 9-10Km road posts, just before Sa Calobra, is a small pull-in on the right. Park here and head up the hill to the right of the road. Climb in a straight line, heading for a Col.
Once in the col, walk along a path to the right and "good luck"! The entrance is marked by a red patch of paint, but you can't see it until you're on top of it.
This cave is basically one gigantic steeply-sloping chamber, broken by narrow bits! Most of the pitches are really steep slopes and, until you reach about the 3rd or 4th pitch, they can be done on handlines only - with a jammer as a safety aid for the return.
Inside the entrance is a slope to the left (20m handline required) into the first chamber, through which is the second chamber (surprise, surprise!) - SALA DES GEGANTS.
Gegants is HUGE. It is by far larger than any other chamber I have ever been in. As you enter the chamber, take note of your entry point - it isn't so easy to spot on the return. Also note the enormous stalagmite on the left - the one that appears to be the cave wall!
At the far side of the chamber (follow the left hand wall) a steep slope leads into the rest of the cave. A bolt and stal belay gives a good take-off. At the bottom of the slope, rebelay to a stal grill to reach the second ledge, followed by a long calcite slope. A 60m rope will reach the base of the pitch.
Across this chamber is a small grotto. The exit is a steep muddy crawl - awkward to see on the return journey - to the head of the third pitch. There are two bolts set into a slab at the pitch head. The cave changes character completely at this point.
At the base of the pitch, the chamber floor consists of very glutinous mud. This was the final resting place of two of our team! The others went only a little further. The mud continues, but there are some really fantastic formations in this area. Pure white helictites are set off well against the rich brown background of the mud. At the bottom of this chamber are some quite amazing mud formations, including pigs, cows, and even naked men & women! Someone has had a field day down here!
This is as far as we went, due to the amount of tackle required. The total depth of Campana is about 327m. The final sump is only about 3m above sea level.