Park at Pilton green N51° 33.697, W004° 14.566, and follow footpath signs through fields and over a couple of stiles south for around 1.2 km, until you reach the valley then head down to the coast, use the photo below to help you to find the cave;
*PLEASE NOTE*
Paviland is only accessible for around an hour or so during low tide - unless you fancy a tricky climb which I do not recommend - so be sure to plan your visit according to the tides. At low tide the cave offers moderately easy access involving around a 150m scramble over some rocks. this may be difficult for some people, the terrain rating is a warning.
THE RED LADY
Goat's Hole Cave, better known under the name Paviland Cave is one of the most famous caves in the world, for it's archaeological find during the 1800s, the pear-shaped cave entrance 10 metres high by 7 metres wide, is found within the limestone cliffs of Paviland.
The cave was formed by the sea when sea levels were up to 8 metres higher than today's. Within the chamber, daylight gleams from the chimney 20 metres above, barely illuminating two hollows upon the cave floor. These depressions are the remnants of the two major excavations of the cave, dated 1823 and 1912. Goat's Hole was first excavated in 1822 by Mr. L W Dillwyn and Miss Talbot of Penrice Castle. Interested by the discoveries made here, Reverend William Buckley re-excavated the cave the following year. It was during this secondary and more substantial exploration that one of the World's most important archaeological finds was uncovered, the first human fossil to have been found anywhere in the world and is also the oldest ceremonial burial anywhere in Western Europe so far discovered… At the time, however, the discovery was completely misidentified. Buckley was the first Professor of Geology at Oxford at the time and was later to become Dean of Westminster. He was also a devout Christian and it was this latter fact that led Buckley into not recognising the full importance of his find. Buckand believed that no human remains could be dated earlier than the Great Flood that is recorded in the Bible. Misguided by this preconception, his dating of the skeleton was drastically inaccurate. Modern tests have dated the remains to be around 33,000 BC! The remains uncovered by Buckland consisted of a whole side of an adult skeleton that had been covered with red ochre and buried with goods made from bone, antler and ivory. Perforated seashell necklaces also accompanied the body and it was largely these decorative items that led Buckland into identifying the skeleton as that of a female, probably a Roman prostitute or witch. This misidentification of the skeleton, plus the red staining of its bones by the red ochre that had been sprinkled over the body at the time of its burial, gave Buckland's find the title of "The Red Lady of Paviland." A large Mammoth's skull, also uncovered at the site and which marked the site of the ritual burial, was later lost by Buckland and has yet to be rediscovered. A further excavation of Goat's Hole, Paviland, and a re-examination of the "Red Lady of Paviland" skeleton was made in 1912 by Professor Sollas. Armed with more scientific means of dating and identifying the remains of Buckland's earlier discovery, Sollas identified the "Red Lady" as, in fact, a male and dated it to around the Stone Age.
In total, finds at Goat's Hole also include over 4000 worked flints, animal teeth, necklace bones, stone needles and mammoth-ivory bracelets. These can be viewed at Swansea Museum and the National Museum of Cardiff. The "Red Lady of Paviland" itself, is housed in the University Museum of Oxford, where it was first presented by Buckland - there being no suitable museum in Wales at the time of his excavation of the cave. Currently on temporary loan to the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. The skeleton of the "Red Lady of Paviland", as it is still fondly known, is now recognised as belonging to one of the earliest orders of modern man and offers one of only a few examples of the biology and behaviour of our ancestors. His bones are still receiving scientific attention but they have already revealed a wealth of information on how this individual lived his life.
The "Red Lady of Paviland" died no earlier than his 21st year of life and had hitherto been a rather healthy person. During his life, Britain (which was still attached to the rest of Europe at the time) had a rather different climate to that experienced today. When the man was buried, the cave was about 120km from the sea. The cave was overlooking a plain similar to present day Siberia with tundra vegetation. It was probably much more interesting 34,000 years ago. Then, from the cave you would have seen Mammoths, Rhinos, Oryx, vast herds of deer, even the odd Sabre-toothed tiger, all roaming across the plain below. Now all you see is just water with the Bristol Channel swashing against the jagged rock beneath the cave, Lundy Island in the distance, the coast of south-west England beyond that. The ice sheet of the Devensian Glaciation, the last ice age, advanced towards the site, and the weather was cold, 10°C in summer, -20° in winter. Although recent research shows that the period may have been a much warmer interglacial period. The Bristol Channel was just a shallow river which meandered through the very rich hunting ground of Paviland.
From this river, it can be speculated, the "Red Lady of Paviland" fished to supplement his diet. This addition of fish to his diet, as proven by recent studies of the "Red Lady's" skeleton, marked Modern Man apart from Neanderthals who did not vary their diet from their staple of meat and grain. The fact that the "Red Lady" could vary his diet gives one clue as to how Modern Man survived through the various hardships of nature that threatened his survival whilst the Neanderthal race died out. Although no clothing was discovered with the "Red Lady", it has been established that the people of his time wore adorned clothes and would often wear periwinkle necklaces as fashion pieces. Paviland is now recognised as an exceptional archaeological site and, given the rather grand nature of his internment, the "Red Lady" is considered to have been a very important man amongst his people. It is believed that the "Red Lady's" grave was visited as a magical Shamanic site and attracted visitors from far afield. A person of significance during his life, his fame also continues after his death - his being one of the oldest dated modern human remains discovered in the United Kingdom and the oldest known ceremonial burial found in Western Europe.
Its still a mystery as to why he was buried here...
Enjoy exploring this beautiful part of Gower, remember to always exercise common sense and caution.
Please make sure cache is well hidden when you replace.
Cache placed with thanks for guidance from Sian of the National Trust and with the kind permission of the landowner, Chris Beynon