Wookey Hole Caves

Wookey Hole Caves

Wookey Hole Caves are a series of limestone caverns, a show cave and tourist attraction in the village of Wookey Hole on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills near Wells in Somerset, England. The River Axe flows through the cave. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for both biological and geological reasons. Wookey Hole cave is a "solutional cave", one that is formed by a process of weathering in which the natural acid in groundwater dissolves the rocks. Some water originates as rain that flows into streams on impervious rocks on the plateau before sinking at the limestone boundary into cave systems such as Swildon's Hole, Eastwater Cavern and St Cuthbert's Swallet; the rest is rain that percolates directly through the limestone. The temperature in the caves is a constant .

Details

Depth
90 m
Access
Restricted
Length
4380 m
Geology
Dolomitic conglomerate and limestone
Language
English
Lighting
Electric
Location
Wookey Hole, Somerset, UK
Register
MCRA
Elevation
64 m
Photo Alt
A cliff with a cave at the base from which flows the River Axe
Show Cave
1927
Grid Ref Uk
ST 5319 4802
Photo Caption
The River Axe emerging from Wookey Hole Caves (February 2005)
Entrance Count
6 (incl. 1 artificial, 1 blocked)
Height Variation
150 m