A modern-day caveman has explained why he lives an alternative lifestyle in Bristol – and he has come across two big problems.
Bristol, more than most UK cities, has been severely impacted by the housing crisis, leading some locals to resort to cave dwelling. One such “caveman” took drastic measures which have largely been successful, save for contending with freezing temperatures.
“I was originally just sleeping here in the middle of the cave,” he explained to podcaster Joe Fish. “It was fine, but then there was one day where the wind came straight down through the mouth of the cave …it was Baltic.”
He clarified that he’s an experienced outdoorsman, accustomed to dealing with cold and damp conditions, but these were extraordinarily challenging circumstances. “I realised that there was a need for a proper shelter, so I built one. It’s got wood burner in there, so I’m able to survive,” reports the Mirror.
The cave also houses a double bed and a “natural filter” drain. He added: “I’ve been out here before in the snow, and it’s been beautiful. The snow’s been coming down and you look out the cave and it’s surreal.”
Reaching the caves above Bristol is not easy, requiring navigation of narrow paths with a steep drop, yet a number of people – particularly ex-servicemen – have been using them as a refuge for many years.
This modern-day caveman, unable to claim any financial support for nearly ten years due to the lack of a bank account or address, has expressed how local council bureaucracy has left him in limbo.
He said: “For British people if you don’t have an addiction or a health problem or you can’t be classified as having a mental health issue you just don’t get anything on the system.”
Not without irony, he highlighted that the only real effort to remove him from his cave dwelling was not entirely aimed at helping him, but rather the local wildlife.
“They put fencing up to try and stop people staying in the cave, because of the bats,” he said. “They were trying to say that the bats were an issue and they didn’t want anybody coming in here because of the bats. They were going to shut off the whole cave and stop everybody coming in here ever again, just because there were a couple of bats.”
He further noted that this fence acted as more than a barrier for people seeking refuge; it actually obstructed the flight path of the bats as they attempted to leave the cave to feed.
“So mysteriously the fence fell down,” he remarked. He remains a resident of the cave, cohabiting with the bats.