Mystery of eerie car graveyard dubbed ‘Cavern of Lost Souls’ full of ditched motors including iconic blue Ford Cortina

A pile of rotting vehicles lie abandoned in a mineshaft near the village of Corris Uchaf in Wales

[{"selector":"#anim-23582acb-b50e-4b92-9a65-e77b547b442f","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}] [{"selector":"#anim-5b15731c-509b-480a-be31-2f8a92bef1e8","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}]

The disused mine lies silent and flooded, with several tons of rotting iron, oils, antifreeze, and plastic turning the water a menacing emerald green

[{"selector":"#anim-e8d4941a-e9a5-4250-95a6-cedcba2bdafb","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}] [{"selector":"#anim-75e1c4f3-463e-490d-b73e-2f4f3a1703b5","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}]

In 2019, nature photographer Gareth Owen captured some stunning shots of the "Cavern of Lost Souls" after deciding to explore the place

[{"selector":"#anim-0376ece7-b473-4e92-b6d0-810a1af53fc4","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}] [{"selector":"#anim-38c9cf6a-d221-416e-8780-5caa469363d2","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}]

The huge pile of vehicles looms out of the darkness, surrounded by other disused items including fridges and TVs that have been tipped through the small entrance

[{"selector":"#anim-ba85a76a-e4a7-4605-993b-0031438efb12","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}] [{"selector":"#anim-f855370b-75b9-450c-9762-2aca8908936c","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}]

As well as an iconic blue Ford Cortina, the mine appears to be home to the decaying shell of a VW Beetle and a Morris Minor

[{"selector":"#anim-11a600f9-e3dc-4c01-8bd7-518e69eac880","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}] [{"selector":"#anim-a8029462-3cde-4098-becd-21e4b6552d01","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}]

How this creepy yet incredible pile of a thousand derelict cars wound up there remains a mystery - with some speculating the ditched motors were all involved in accidents

[{"selector":"#anim-1d232a08-31c7-418d-911a-d81686b396ba","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}] [{"selector":"#anim-060137f1-7f16-47b6-82fc-11b0ea523eb0","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}]

The cave is not easy to access, with intrepid visitors having to grapple down a 90-degree cliff, where the old paths have eroded away and the slopes are slippery

[{"selector":"#anim-0aad6654-dd9a-42f4-b061-1c1fa783ffc7","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}] [{"selector":"#anim-41addb90-b697-491a-bfa6-fc31db9d3039","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-540deg) scale(0.1)","none"],"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"fill":"both","iterations":1}]