Cathole Cave, Archaeological cave in Gower Peninsula, Wales, GB.
Cathole Cave is a limestone cave on the Gower Peninsula in Wales, with two openings set into the hillside. Inside, a triangular fissure connects several chambers and passages that run through the rock.
The first systematic digs began in 1864, uncovering tools and bones from the Upper Paleolithic going back around 28,000 years. Later research showed the cave was used by people across many different periods over a very long span of time.
The cave holds a carving of a reindeer etched into the rock, considered the oldest known rock art in the British Isles. Visitors who look closely at the wall can still make out the outline of the animal scratched into the stone.
The entrances are fitted with metal grilles, so it is worth checking access conditions before visiting. Inside, the surfaces are slippery, so sturdy footwear and a flashlight (torch) are strongly advised.
Bones of animals now extinct, including mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, and giant deer, were found during the digs. These remains show what kinds of creatures once roamed the Gower Peninsula long before the landscape looked anything like it does today.
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