Picken's Hole

Picken’s Hole is a small cave on the southern slope of Crook Peak in the Mendip Hills of Somerset. It sits eight metres below the plateau and twenty-seven metres above the valley floor. The cave is recognised as a scheduled monument by the local historic record. It is sometimes confused with Scragg’s Hole, a nearby cave in the same area. The name comes from M. J. Picken, who found animal teeth in earth dug out by badgers. The cave has produced Middle Palaeolithic tools and two Neolithic teeth dated to about 4,800 years before present. Excavations also uncovered bones from spotted hyena, lion, Arctic fox, mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, horse, reindeer, suslik and northern vole. These deposits date to around 35,000 years before present. The finds show the cave was used by humans and animals over long periods. Visitors reach the cave along paths on Crook Peak’s southern side. The entrance is small and set into the hillside. Inside, the space is limited but the floor shows signs of past digs. The view from the plateau overlooks the Somerset Levels and distant hills. The cave’s quiet setting makes it a place for thinking about the past.