Potholes vs Potholes

jonnyrocketboots

New member
So, trying to explain the difference between a pothole and a cave to my girl,
To me they are all cave!
A pothole has been explained to me before, the vertical drop is greater than its  horizontal length!.?!
And a cave is the opposite, the cave is horizontal and a bit up and down now and again!
Which is it guys??
 

bograt

Active member
I agree, if she asks questions like that, she's not worth keeping--

Obvious answer - I go down holes!! -- get over it!!

Otherwise- how do you consider yourself; are you a 'Potholer' or a 'Caver'?--

P.S. I recall the definition from my 'baby' years; 'If its deeper than it is long, its a Pothole, If its longer than it is deep, its a cave -- not so significant nowadays!
 

T pot 2

Active member
Surely if you have an entrance that you walk / crawl into its a cave and if you drop down vertically on a ladder / rope or climb its a pothole  ;) now which way is stalagmite and stalactite :LOL:

T
 

mikem

Well-known member
They are opposite ends of the same thing, so a continuum - pothole where the water enters the ground, so tend to be more vertical & cave where it leaves so more horizontal...

Mike
 

cap n chris

Well-known member
If people express a disinclination towards potholing offer them caving instead and vice versa and the other way around.
 

cap n chris

Well-known member
IIRC the proper answer is that a pothole is a riverbed feature; eddying currents make rocks spin and these start a circular pothole which enlarges over time. In the level-bedded Dales there are thin skims of gritstone enabling surface streams in an otherwise karstic landscape. These streams have potholes and some have drilled through the gritstone to the limestone beneath allowing ingress of water to start speleogenesis. Thus in the Dales you can descend a pothole into a cave. In other parts of the Dales there are the more classic cave entrances. Therefore it is the route into the cave which determines whether you are potholing or caving.

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GG is a pothole whereas Ingleborough is a cave.

Being asked "What's the difference between potholing and caving?" is a very very very common occurrence.
 

Rhys

Moderator
A pothole is just a particular type of cave in northern England that happens to be vertical in nature. All potholes are caves, but not all caves are potholes.

 

crickleymal

New member
bograt said:
P.S. I recall the definition from my 'baby' years; 'If its deeper than it is long, its a Pothole, If its longer than it is deep, its a cave -- not so significant nowadays!

That reminds me of the Melanie song Psychotherapy
"A thing is a phallic symbol if it's longer than it's wide"
 

Goydenman

Well-known member
A caver is in an offside position if he is in the opposing team's cave and is also "nearer to his opponents' goal or digging place than both the bucket and the second-last opponent." Being "nearer to an opponent's goal or dig" meant that "any part of his head, body or feet is nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the bucket and the second-last opponent".

Regardless of position, there is no offside offence if a potholer receives the dig directly from a corner kick, goal kick, or throw-in. However, an offside offence may occur if a potholer receives the digging bucket directly from either a direct free kick or an indirect free kick

Just for Johnnyrocketboots
 

bograt

Active member
T pot 2 said:
Surely if you have an entrance that you walk / crawl into its a cave and if you drop down vertically on a ladder / rope or climb its a pothole  ;) now which way is stalagmite and stalactite :LOL:

T

So, according to that, Eyam Dale shaft is a pothole, whereas Winze entrance is a cave? is Carlswark a cave or pothole?

In answer to your query; we all know that when tights come down, mites are made and grow up :LOL:
 
Cap'n Chris said:
IIRC the proper answer is that a pothole is a riverbed feature; eddying currents make rocks spin and these start a circular pothole which enlarges over time. .....


Isn't this a marmite?
 

cap n chris

Well-known member
Sure you're not thinking of Moulin? If not, can you provide some kind of reference or source which backs up your love it/hate it observation please?
 

pwhole

Well-known member
My barber relentlessly asks me if I've 'been potholing lately?', even though I usually refer to them as caves (or mines). So I guess potholes is it is. But why are holes in the road called potholes then? Surely they're just 'holes'? But then I don't drive, so could be missing something. Jake Thackray had a great song about a hole, but that's another story altogether...
 

tony from suffolk

Well-known member
(Thirten-year-old me) - "Mum, our schoolteacher wants to take us potholing". "Potholing! Absolutely not! Terribly dangerous! Didn't that poor boy get stuck and died in Peak Cavern the other day?!". "Sorry mum, got it wrong, He wants to take us caving". "Oh well, that's all right then..."
 
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