Not strictly a club caving trip, but a holiday with my girlfriend (also a
caver). However as with most cavers if we have any oppotunity to get away
from that terrible blazing hot winter sun, into some dank dark hole, we will
take it. Hence armed in t-shirt and shorts and nothing but a camera flash,
or lighter in some cases we decended the choice dark holes of this fair isle.:
Gar Dalam:
This is primarily a show cave famous for the density of bones found during archaeological excavations. It mainly consists of a 300m long railway tunnel sized abandoned phreatic tube. The show cave stops where the tunnel roof drops but the cave continues for another couple of 100m as an uninspiring crawling sized passage.
Gar Aphrodite:
Actually located on the north coast of Gozo, and one of the many cave sites in the mediteranean claiming to be the place where aphrodite was born, and where odyseuss was kept captive during his epic voyage. Steps lead down to the entrance which has a sea view. An entrance chamber leads through to a second chamber and the passage turns left. What lies beyond the boulder in the centre of the passage, which is kneeling size is unknown as it was explored with a lighter and a camera flash. Probably not much.
Gar Hassan:
Another site of fable, where Prince Hassan is ment to have hidden from his enemys. Located in a spectacular spot in the side Malta's southern seacliffs. Access is now via staircase built over the cliff edge. Testiment to higher sea levels, but also a karstic cave there are a number of passageways to explore some of which keep intersecting the clifface creating windows to look out over the empty sea to the south of Malta. Unfortunately the main passage has a fence across it stopping access to what ever lies beyond, and there's no gate.
Underground Chapels:
An unusual way of caving, these can be found throughout Malta, most often located below shrines and chapels. Accessable from outside the chapels and simply dug out of the solid rock, some can be quite extensive.
Sea Caves and the Blue Grotto:
Sea caves are located all along the coast in Malta. A boat trip can be taken to see the waterfilled variety around the blue grotto. This consists of a large waterfilled chamber only accessable via boat or diving. To see the true blue colour of the water it has to be visited at the correct time of day, and the sea is often too rough.
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