Cavanaugh Cave, an Adventure
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There aren't any signs pointing the way, but between North Hill and the Katouche Valley is a wonderful and historical cave. Anguilla has many caves, but this Cavanaugh Cave (also spelled "Kavanaugh" and "Cavanah") is the most scenic, and most safe.

The entry is easy and the cave is well lit by a central hole with a tree growing out of it. The main chamber is large with a flat floor, because this cave was mined for phosphates in the 19th century. To explore the further reaches of the cave you would need a flashlight and spelunking equipment.

Cavanaugh Cave is the likely source of the phosphate shipment in 1868 that contained the fossil bones of a new species, Amblyrhiza Inundata, identified by Edward Cape. Subsequent work has confirmed that there was a rodent the size of a bear that lived in Anguilla 125,000 years ago. There has even been a TV show on Paleo World filmed in Anguilla's Pitch Apple Hole.

In the area of the cave, the folliage changes to plants that like a more arid climate. Be careful not to steady yourself by grabbing on the tall cacti that grow along the path. Some of the colonies of cactuc are over 10 feet tall.

If you climb up above the cave and look down into the central hole, you are near the top of the ridge and not far from North Hill village, but I don't know the directions to get to the cave from the village.

 Revised: September 14, 1998

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