It’s usually in the middle of the exam session, when we find books about stones and minerals more important to read, than the syllabus. This time my procrastination led me to the discovery I’m really proud of – the Spro cave at Nesodden.
For Jakub, who’s photos will capture the beauty of this place way better than mine.
Although Nesoddtangen peninsula is quite popular among road cyclists, I’ve never actually considered mountain biking there. This was probably a mistake, since the trails around the coast are not only scenic, but also full of attractions and the Spro cave is only one of them. I would not recommend you to take your bike with you inside of the cave, but if you’re looking for an interesting place to take a break, you couldn’t ended up better. The whole area around the cave is just perfect for relaxation, with beautiful beach (often called “Diamond beach”, because of the shiny stones you can find there), grills and perfect picnic spots.
Getting there is easy (more detail information here), you can have some fun on the rocks too (but make sure it’s safe and check if they are not too slippery), so it’s a perfect place for your next trip!
I didn’t manage to find too much information about the history of the cave, but the most likely it was dug in the 1880s. Up until the First World War, the cave had been used to extract mineral and rock resources. There are more than 20 minerals identified inside of the cave, among others microcline, quartz, muscovite, samarskite (this one is actually radioactive), euxenite, monazite, beryl (pretty!), tourmaline, topaz, apatite, calcite and fluorite (which exhibit fluorescence under ultraviolet light – how cool is that!).
In order to get into the cave, you have to use a 30 meters long tunnel, which will lead you to the main hall, where the lake is. Walking through the tunnel is easy, but getting to the hall itself can be a little bit challenging, because it’s necessary to make a few daring steps on the rocks. It’s worth it though, because the view there is really amazing. It’s not too dark to take some pictures: there is just one stone arch above, and the rest of the ceiling is open. The lake itself is probably the biggest attraction, but although water seems to be clean, I doubt you would be tempted to swim there. Not that you cannot try, but I think it’s nice to just enjoy the view and beautiful rocks around you.
From the “main hall”, where the lake is, we can easily get to the other side of the cave. It is smaller and lower, but if you like caves, ruins and those sort of things, you will probably like this one even more. For an unknown reason, there is a wooden coffin there, which makes the place even more gloomy. Although you don’t really need to take flashlight with you to get to the main hall (the one with the lake), it might come in handy on the other side (“gloomy side”), especially if you’d like to explore the second tunnel, which begins over there. In theory, you could use it to get out of the cave, but I would not recommend it, since it’s much darker, smaller and very wet.
Please, have a look at some really good pictures from the cave here.
Although the cave is a very popular place to visit, please make sure that it’s safe for you to go there. If you hear cracking or see tiny stones falling (especially when it’s warm and sunny and rocks are very dry), consider going there another day or ask DNT for more specific information.
Be First to Comment