Thor's Cave Cave / Rock Shelter View all content for Thor's Cave

It wasn't easy getting to the car park South of the caves, a diversion took me round Alstonefield, I got all turned round and my mind seemed to melt, getting there was a fairly hit and miss episode, but get there I did, eventually. I followed the river Manifold for about a mile during one of it's disappearing underground tricks, there's one quite cool thing to see already, then the huge rocky tor comes into view and ones gaze is thrust upwards, it's a long way up. Crossing a now rather defunct bridge the path goes upwards through the woods, taking a right hand turn I am only guessing which way to go, it's been at least decade since I was last here. Suddenly I realise I'm getting very close, and then I'm there, thankfully I was the only one present. I carefully scramble up the entrance to the cave and learn early on how slippy it is in there, imagine a cartoon character suddenly finding themselves on ice, how I remained vertical I'll never know, perhaps it's 'cause I'm a big fan of everything Asgardian. First I go over to the big crack in the right hand wall, it is apparently a serviceable entrance/exit to the cave but you need to have the skills of a snow leopard mountain goat, my skills barely approach those of a long legged bird, or something else totally without balance. I call this crack the suicide exit. Turning 180 degrees the cave splits in two, Thors nostrils Stubob called them, I see no reason not carry on this simile. So I slip and skip off up the left nostril, the simile carries on once inside, the floor is covered in a lubricious muddy clay. There are gaps in the cave wall where you can see into the other nostril, the feeling is one of being in a cathedral, so I did what I always do in a cathedral, I took all my clothes off and writhed around on the floor speaking in tongues. No, of course not. The right nostril was just as slick, but it goes further back and it's got puddles, I really must invest in a big torch, it was most unseemly getting about in the dark using only the flash on my camera. I find a dry spot on what would be Thor's philtrum and sit round for a while, marveling at all the colours in the cave, reds, greens, browns and all in between, the trees out side the entrance going up the Manifold valley are perfection. I'm snapped back into reality by voices, I build up the fire rouse my family grab the spears and run off into action, yelling like madmen. Could have happened, once.

Posted by postman 2nd October 2016ce

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