One early August morning, we put on our hiking boots and head out for an adventure!
You see, there is a cave in Yorkshire which sits on the slopes of Ingleborough, Yorkshires 2nd highest peak (723m). The stream "Fell Beck" meanders around the surrounding countryside before free-falling 100m down a pothole as Englands highest unbroken waterfall into an incredible underground chamber!
View of Ingleborough from Twistleton Scar
There are quite a few entrances to the cave; however, you need to go potholing if you want to reach it - UNLESS you join one of only 2 events held each year by the Craven Pot Hole Club or the Bradford Pot Hole Club. On these special events, there is no need to go potholing. They both provide a winch set up over the pothole which lowers you down into the cave (and back up of course!) for a minimal fee.
Looking down to the pothole and winch
We decided to try our luck with Craven Pot Hole Club on the Friday of the bank holiday weekend and started by parking in Clapham. We took the path following the stream up through the woods and past the main entrance to Ingleborough Show Cave. We kept going, along the narrow ravine of Trow Gill and on to the pothole entrance. In all, the walk took about 50 minutes.
Strapped in and on my way down!
On arrival, we 'checked in' at one of the tents. No pre-booking is possible - you turn up, are given a number and simply have to wait your turn. The earlier you turn up, the more likely you are to get to go down. We were there just before 8am (when the check-in opened) and already had quite a few people ahead of us. A wait of around an hour was expected.
Going through the trap door!
Once strapped in the chair, I was lowered down into the 'main chamber'. It was a lot quicker than I was expecting! Around halfway down, the path of the winch crosses paths with the waterfall - yes you do get wet! No worries of there being too much water in the base of the chamber though as the water falls onto a rocky plateau before draining through the cave system.
Travelling down the pothole
On reaching the bottom, I was released from the chair and pointed in the direction of a guide. The guide was full of fascinating information. For example, it wasn't until 1895 that a Frenchman, Edouard Martel, made the first descent to the bottom using only a rope ladder and candles! The main chamber is approximately 129m long, 31m high, and 25m wide and is one of the most complex and longest systems in the UK.
After our guided tour we were allowed to mosy about - of course being sensible and not doing our own potholing while we were there.
The impressive Main Chamber
The chamber around 8°C but feels a lot colder with the wind and spray from the waterfalls. The chamber is lit in various places, so even if you were a 'caver', this event would offer a totally different experience to viewing it with just your head torch!
Yes, that small dot is the winch chair going up!
The ride up seemed to be a lot slower for some reason - staying under the spray of the waterfall a lot long longer than the way down!
If you fancy going along, then make sure you take some warm and waterproof clothing, not just for the chamber itself, but for the surrounding area at the surface! Also a torch/ head torch. Be prepared for a potentially long wait - depending on when you turn up.
Oh... and don't forget to check the batteries are fully charged in your torch/ head torch (no... I didn't get down there and realise mine was flat... nope... not me!)
Thanks for reading xxx