This EarthCache will take you to the relatively small cave along the old banks of the River Otter, locally known as Pixies Parlour. The Reason for this is based on a local legend, and the current festival of Pixie Day.
During the early days of Christianity in England, which was a highly interesting period where local myths and legends, old religious beliefs and Christianity were all blended together to make a much more fantasy (and possibly interesting) version of the widespread religion still practised today. The pixies were supposed to have a spell cast over the place, but when they heard that there would be bells installed at the new nearby church in Ottery St Mary, that this spell would be broken. So the Pixies cast a spell over the monks escorting the bells from Wales and redirected them towards the cliffs at Sidmouth. Thankfully before the monks crested the cliff one of the monks stubbed their toe on a rock and exclaimed "God bless my soul", breaking the spell. They successfully made their way back to Ottery St Mary and the bells were installed. However, this didn't completely break the Pixies spell, who still managed to come out one day a year in June, and capture the towns bell ringers. They would have to be rescued by the towns vicar, so that the Pixies would be kept at bay for another year. Today this legend is re-enacted by the town's Cub and Brownie groups in a reconstructed cave in the town square. This EarthCache will take you to the real cave, but to be on the safe side maybe this one isn't best attempted in June, unless of course the bells are ringing to provide safe passage.
There are a number of different types of caves based on their location, geology and processes that have created them. These include Solution Cave, Primary Cave, Sea or Littoral Cave, Corrasional or Erosional Cave, Glacial Cave, Fracture Cave and Talus Caves.
Solution Cave
Solution Caves are the most common type of cave in England and normally occur in areas where the geology is soluble (able to easily dissolve in water) such as limestones and chalks. As the rocks dissolve due to the waters natural acidity cracks appear and over thousands of years caves start to form along these cracks as they are widened. Apart from the geology they form in, another clue that a cave may be a Solution Cave is if water is obviously draining through it, or evidence for it having done so in the past. This will commonly manifest itself as holes/smoothed cracks in the roof of the cave, where water would have, or still does, flow.
Primary Cave
Primary Caves are not formed through processes of erosion instead they are created at the same time as the surrounding rocks. These most commonly in volcanic rocks where molten lava/magma has flowed through some already cooled rocks without solidifying, leaving behind an opening which becomes a cave.
Corrasional or Erosional Caves
Corrasional or Erosional Caves are formed entirely from erosion by flowing streams carrying rocks and other particles. They can occur in any geology, even hard ones, such as granite. Generally they follow weaknesses and faults within the bedrock. They tend to be obviously formed by water, either with water still flowing through them, or have very rounded, almost wavy, erosion that suggests they were formed by swirling water.
Glacial Caves
Glacial Caves are formed by the resulting erosion by flowing ice and water from within and under glaciers. Due to the weight of the ice above usually collapse the cave soon after creation.
Fracture Cave
Fracture Caves are formed when a more soluble, or weak, underneath a more resistant layer. As the weaker layer erodes the layer above fractures and collapses creating blocks of stones that can create an uneven cave system. This type of cave will often have very rough wall, floor and roof with very angular edges where blocks of rock have fallen away.
Talus Cave
Talus Caves are formed when large boulders fall into a random heap and the gaps between them form an uneven cave system. They are commonly found at the base of cliffs where the blocks have fallen from. They tend to create unstable systems as they are normally subject to further rockfalls and landslides.
As a help to understand the geology of the cave, which may also help to indicate the type of cave described above that Pixies Parlour is, here are some following descriptions of common rock types found in the Ottery St Mary area. Using these descriptions it should be fairly obvious exactly what rock type the surrounding geology is, and what rock this cave is formed in.
Sandstone is also, as its name suggests, a stone that is comprised of sand sized grains (roughly 0.05mm to 2mm). It is a sedimentary rock and these sand particles can be grains of mineral, rock, organic material or a combination of all of them. Recognising sandstone is fairly easy as the texture is as you would expect, like sand. The colour of the rock is also a good indicator of sandstone as it is typically either tan/yellow colour or from pink to dark red depending on the iron content.
Mudstone, as its name suggests, is stone that is formed on material that used to be mud. They form when fine, clay like, particles are deposited in water. It is a very fine grained rock that is usually black or dark grey-brown in colour. It is often relatively soft and crumbly for a stone. The clay particles that form these rocks are smaller than 0.05 mm and cannot be seen by the naked eye. This gives mudstone the appearance of being smooth, as rocks go, both in appearance and feel.
Greensand is a sandstone with visible rounded greenish grains. These grains are called glauconies and consist of a mixture of mixed-layer clay minerals, such as mica. Greensand is really a type of sandstone, but it can be easily identified by the inclusions within. They tend to be more rounded, and slightly larger, than those found in other sandstones. Another clue is the colour of the rock. Greensand is a more greeny colour.
To log this EarthCache go to the posted coordinates and send me a message or email answering these following questions
NB you do not have to enter the cave to answer these questions. The cave appears stable, and therefore safe, however if you do enter then you do so entirely at your own risk
1) Estimate the height of the roof and the distance the cave has been eroded into the rock face.
2) On the walls there is evidence for erosion by man, give some examples of these.
3) Describe the appearance, feel and texture of the walls of the cave (or the small cliff outside).
4) What rock type do you think is exposed here?
5) On the surfaces of the cave is there any evidence for natural erosion and how this cave might have formed? (hint: evidence for erosion type is mentioned above)
6) Based on all of your answers what type of cave do you think Pixies Parlour is?