recommended beginner caves Yorkshire Dales

[rustytackle]

So I've managed to persuade my partner to go caving in Yorkshire, so were going down Wednesday AM returning Thursday PM next week (27-28 May) for Gaping Gill winch on the Thursday.

I was thinking of doing a not-so-long (2-3hr max) trip in easy caves whilst down there; no SRT and very little climbing involved as I'm effectively leading. - I've been caving 3 years, but somewhat rusty after being in Milton Keynes at Uni for a year. I cannot rig and don't feel confident with new people on ropes any higher than 5m, and although I don't mind occassional climbs, climbing side not exactly a strength, and unsure on partners capability on that front.


Could anyone recommend any "beginner" caves suitable for walking/crawling/short, easy climbs - No SRT or climbing?  :-\
I'll check out with Bernies or Inglesport before doing any trips for weather/condition etc. and will not go anywhere near a cave I'm not sure on. Possibly a challenge, but I'm not going to be stupid about this. Hence the research.

What I've come up with so far is:
> Calf Holes Stream passage - going upto pitch then back. I've done this several times with SOUP and know route well, and lead downstream from pitch before as rest of group didn't know where they were going. Weather forecast good, but will check on day just incase.
> Walk into Yordas. I've not done this, but from what Ive heard regular walkers can do it.
> Longchurn - as far as I feel comfortable, possibly to cheese press. Wet cave, and obviously dependant on weather, access to map, and checking with Inglesport. But pretty and reasonable difficulty I'd say, and feel confident with as long as have guide.
> Possibly Sunset pot - omitting pitch, and possibly turn around at lobster pot. I realise this is prone to flooding, but from what I remember route straight forward.
> Great Douk?


Also, can anyone suggest where I can get hold of guides/surveys of these caves (or suggested ones). Ideally online, or paper version from store at cheap cost.

Thanks! 

 

[langcliffe]

I suggest Great Douk. See:

http://ukcaving.com/wiki/index.php/Great_Douk/Middle_Washfold

 

[rustytackle]

I suggest Great Douk. See:

http://ukcaving.com/wiki/index.php/Great_Douk/Middle_Washfold

What's your comments on the others? I feel confident with Calf Holes stream passage

 

[langcliffe]

What's your comments on the others? I feel confident with Calf Holes stream passage

Calf Holes is OK, I suppose, but not very long; Yordas will take you a good ten minutes if you take it leisurely; and Sunset isn't too bad, but a little short if you're only going as far as the climbs. The Long Churn system is good, if it's not too busy. A trip down to the pitch and exiting out of Upper Long Churn can take a couple of hours, with some fine cave to traverse. If you do go in there, don't worry about route finding - the various oxbows make the cave. The main problem is climbing over all the people doing the same as you.

All the above assume reasonable water conditions.

Another alternative (again wet caves with the usual provisos) is a combined Old Ing and Birkwith trip - both are fine segments of the same system, without route finding difficulties. Birkwith, in particular, is fun.

 

[gus horsley]

Also some of the Ribblehead Caves: Runscar, Thistle, etc but they're short.

Bruntscar Cave is a pleasant wander up a rift streamway with cascades and no route-finding problems.

 

[rustytackle]

Richard's done caving before in Scotland and didnt like it. This may be due to the tight nature of Scottish caves, or the fact his friend was treating the trip as a challenge to himself.  Don't know what cave though.

Anyways, as such I don't want to put him off further by taking him to an awfully long or difficult cave.

I found Longchurn (esp cheese press) a good trip in Winter, although wet, nice structures and good sump/lake with waterfall at the end. As far as I recall no SRT, just wading a bit of crawling and perhaps the odd short climb - please confirm this?

With Sunset, I remember having difficulty with getting back up the lobster pot (reasonable sized room with head-height wall you need to climb to get into narrow passage), so am concerned this may prove hazardous if theres just 2 of us and we cant get back up it - hence turning around at the climb.

Calf holes although a short trip I feel very comfortable with if you go in through Browgill to pitch and return with possibility of exploring passageways over other end of pond at bottom of main shaft water fall (the one that leads to sausage press). Again, dependant on weather/water conditions.  Know nothing of the other two in same system you suggested, but could try getting hold of a map - seems buying Northern Caves 2 seems a wise option now....

Yordas is short, I know but close by to Ingleton where we'll be staying and easy enough to walk in on a ramble/hike. I didn't realise it was that short a trip unless you did SRT as well.

Great Douk, again although wet, does sound very promising. Problem with wet caves is persuading other half to go in.


Thanks!

 

[Sally-J]

I don't think a Yordas pull through is an awful lot longer with SRT!

 

[rustytackle]

Hehe. Okay then. Yordas probably a no-no.

 

[dunc]

If you're staying in Ingleton there's always Skirwith Cave (an old show cave) close by - nice enough place although not an overly long trip.

I found Longchurn (esp cheese press) a good trip in Winter, although wet, nice structures and good sump/lake with waterfall at the end. As far as I recall no SRT, just wading a bit of crawling and perhaps the odd short climb - please confirm this?

Yes, Lower Long Churn is mostly walking and a couple of short climbs leads to the Dollytubs, with the option of The Cheesepress en-route. Upper Long Churn (either climb the waterfall or use the dry entrance) is walking in a stream passage to a pool and water chute, which if climbed provides a way out.

With Sunset, I remember having difficulty with getting back up the lobster pot (reasonable sized room with head-height wall you need to climb to get into narrow passage), so am concerned this may prove hazardous if theres just 2 of us and we cant get back up it - hence turning around at the climb.

There are three short climbs in Sunset, all of which could have a rope placed on them if you wanted - if you didn't do all the climbs then it could be quite a short trip.

To echo some of the above;

Great Douk is easy walking in a nice stream passage, once it becomes a crawl you can either carry on and find the way out of Middle Washfold or turn round for twice the fun!

Calf Holes in and out from the Browgill end is good, could potentially be combined with Birkwith / Old Ing if you wanted to extend the day, or do those seperate as they are both easy and pleasant.

Ribblehead has a selection of short caves which can be combined to make a reasonable outing, some of which are slightly more forgiving in wet weather than the above mentioned caves.

 

[pisshead]

I second what others have said about Ribblehead - lots to play in and you're only just below the surface - not scary

 

[kay]

So I've managed to persuade my partner to go caving in Yorkshire, so were going down Wednesday AM returning Thursday PM next week (27-28 May) for Gaping Gill winch on the Thursday.

Main Chamber to Sand Cavern to Stream passage is an easy route with lots of interest. You do have to make your way around a pot on the way, but it's an easy footpath and it's one of these things that looks less scary the nearer you get to it. You'll need to know your route though.

Could anyone recommend any "beginner" caves suitable for walking/crawling/short, easy climbs - No SRT or climbing?  :-\

There's lots of them! I don't do ropes or climbs, and have a lot of fun in the Dales. You really need a copy of Vol 2 of Northern Caves - the one that covers the 3 peaks - I think that's the one that is still available. You should also search on this site fort terms such as 'novice', 'horizontal' and 'children' - we've discussed such things before and there's quite a lot of info hidden here.

What I've come up with so far is:
> Calf Holes Stream passage - going upto pitch then back. I've done this several times with SOUP and know route well, and lead downstream from pitch before as rest of group didn't know where they were going. Weather forecast good, but will check on day just incase.

I thought this was fantastic when I first did the trip - so much variety, and popping out into daylight at the bottom of the waterfall. And the passage across the pool behind the waterfall has good straw stalactites.

In this area you also have Birkwith - low wide entrance in scenic gorge, clamber into fun stream passage, then walk up to canal. If you're really lucky there may even be an inflatable boat waiting for you.

Also Old Ing - walking passage gradually getting wetter and joins to the same canal as in Birkwith. Another one that my father has been in (though not right to the end).

> Walk into Yordas. I've not done this, but from what Ive heard regular walkers can do it.

I took my 83-year old father in.
You can crawl around in the downstream end. And it's worth walking up the valley to look at the SRT entrances. But if you're doing GG, you'd get more variety by dong some of the other caves - Yordas is a big chamber with a waterfall at one end, basically - bit like GG main chamber  :tease:

> Longchurn - as far as I feel comfortable, possibly to cheese press. Wet cave, and obviously dependant on weather, access to map, and checking with Inglesport. But pretty and reasonable difficulty I'd say, and feel confident with as long as have guide.

Before going through the arch into Lower Long Churn, go into Upper Long Churn - nice stream passage, mostly walking height, up to Dr Bannisters Handbasin, which is well worth a look. there's a cross-passage, Baptistry Crawl, which links into Lower Long Churn.  I'd suggest doing this and not going across Plank Pool and Double Shuffle, but instead trying some of the other caves nearby, particularly Borrins Moor, which has 5 entrances and no climbs whatever. Inglesport sell a survey which shows all the caves in the area, and also a poster style survey of just the Churns, which has pics and makes a nice souvenir.

> Possibly Sunset pot - omitting pitch, and possibly turn around at lobster pot. I realise this is prone to flooding, but from what I remember route straight forward.

Sunset is not particularly inspiring. If you're happy about crawls, Lower Sunset is fun - more or less parallel to Sunset, with an entrance at each end, and a third passage branching off into Sunset. It's flat out at all three ends, rising to perhaps 4ft where the three passages meet. But it's interesting, and you'll not meet many people who have been down there! But it's not one for this weekend.

> Great Douk?

Classic novice cave, great fun. Explore the passages to the left at the entrance and find the window in the cliff above the entrance. Then go up the streamway, and look out for the hole in the roof in the crawly bit which takes you into Middle Washfold and then out into the limestone pavement. There are a number of other horizontal caves in the area worth looking at.

Ribblehead is another area with a lot of horizontal caves. Thistle and Runscar are classic children's first caves, but still fun. Roger Kirk and Roger Kirk West Sink are more crawly, but pretty. Gunnerfleet is also pretty but marred by farm debris in the entrances. Katnot and Thornsgill are nearby, and Greensett is half way up Whernside - nice to do on a sunny day with minimal kit and taking a picnic.Scar Top is well worth a visit, but later on because parts of it are quite seriously tight.

For this first trip, I'd suggest Browgill/Calf Holes,  Upper Long Churn or Great Douk. And pop along to Skirwith if you have a spare couple of hours.

 

[RAMBLER]

Hi there.... do u know of any contacts in yorkshire that look after beginners too... the subject has always interested me,, but never done anything .. regards
dave

 

[kay]

Hi there.... do u know of any contacts in yorkshire that look after beginners too... the subject has always interested me,, but never done anything .. regards
dave

Most of the clubs look after beginners, but the two I know most about, YSS (Google on YSS cave) every now and again has 'Try caving' meets aimed specifically at beginners, with a follow up programme of progressively more difficult caves, and Bradford Pothole Club has two meets on its caving weekends, one of which is a horizontal cave suitable for beginners or for those who don't like SRT.

 

[Les W]

I'm surprised it's not been mentioned but

http://www.trycaving.org.uk/

is a good place to start