103 Cueva de la Espada or Cueva de Ruchana (Cueva de
Entrambasaguas)
Riaño VP512009 Alt. 120m Length 600m
A stream passage through trip. Twin top entrances unite in a streamway. The passage chokes 90m upstream while downstream the water occasionally disappears under the right hand wall until about 180m from the entrance, the streams route chokes. The way on is a climb 4m up a cross joint and then a 4m climb down into deep water. This can be left immediately to join walking- sized, dry passage. Two sandy inlets on the right choke and the main passage continues increasing in size until a climb over boulders and a sandy ramp is reached. This sandy passage on the right ends at an upwards boulder choke. The streamway now becomes more aqueous, passing two short inlets on the left and then encountering a large boulder choke. A couple of squeezes and then a canal is reached which joins a higher, sandy level after 20m. The left way soon chokes but the right hand route reaches daylight after 50m.
The dry entrance contains important palaeolithic remains, probably Magdalenian.
About 50m inside the cave, in the water, D. Linton found a Bronze Age sword
in 1975. This has been dated in the Argaric period. The publication
Almagro-Gorbea M, 1976 is devoted to this sword and other fine examples
found in Santander Province. Flints have also been discovered and C.A.E.A.P.
discovered an iron rivet and Iron Age pottery on the boulder slope in the
first chamber.
Morlote Jose M et al, 1995 describe Ruchano (sic) as one of
the Iron Age sepulchral caves in the area.
References: anon., 1975b (logbook); Kendal Caving Club and
Manchester University Speleological Society, 1975 (survey); anon., 1976
(logbook); Smith P, 1981a; Corrin J S and Smith P, 1981; Manchester University
Speleological Society, 1982 (survey); Almagro-Gorbea M, 1976 (survey); material
in file; Munoz Fernandez E et al, 1987; Muñoz E and Bermejo A, 1987;
Morlote Jose M et al, 1995
Entrance picture :
Underground picture(s):
Detailed Survey :
Line Survey :
On area survey :
Survex file :