All respect guys, but I am not a caver, and have no desire to be one.  I am a geoconservationist with the Sheffield Area Geology Trust, and we are conducting a review of the geological sites along the Permian Limestone in South Yorkshire.  A couple of our notifications are of cave sites in Maltby, School Cave and Maltby Wood (SE 522921 and 550918 are the GR I have.)

Can anyone help me with precise approach / locations / permission /access, so that I can describe and photograph the geological aspects ON THE SURFACE ?
All suggestions welcome.
Cheers.

I'm no expert on the area - but have blundered around failing to find entrances around Maltby in the dim and distant past.

The now, out of print, Northern Caves Vol. 1 lists

Maltby Wood Cave: NGR 549917 - N side of railway cutting, 30m E of bridge

Unfortunately there is no record of School Cave or any cave fitting the grid ref you quote. There are, however, several other sites in the vicinity. If no-one else with more local knowledge replies send me a direct message and I'll send you details of the sites listed in vol. 1 for that area.
Steve

Hi,

Sheet is SK and not SE, but I assume that was just a typo.

The ukcaving wiki has:
School Cave as SK 53308 91452 https://ukcaving.com/wiki/index.php?title=School_Cave
Maltby Wood Cave as SK 549 917  https://ukcaving.com/wiki/index.php?title=Maltby_Wood_Cave  but is in railway cutting

List of Magnesian Limestone Caves  https://ukcaving.com/wiki/index.php?title=Yorkshire#South_Yorkshire

There are the three Herne Hill Caves in Maltby itself, which are listed in Caves of the Peak District.  Details re. location and access should be on the DCA website at www.thedca.org.uk.  However DCA is continuing to update details and grid references where these may not be accurate and is also after photos of entrances for the Derbyshire Cave Registry.

Maltby Wood Cave is listed in Caves of the Peak District, but not Maltby School Cave, so it would be good to have this added to the Derbyshire Cave Registry list.  Details of how to do this should be on the website.

Unfortunately the local yobbos have had a go at one of the entrances recently so the Police, in some haste, arranged to have it locked with a new padlock, to which DCA doesn't have a key!  We are trying to sort this out and there is a note about the access problems on the DCA website.

Thanks in advance if you can provide updated information for DCA.

Jenny Potts
Acting Secretary, DCA

Just to inform you that many of the magnesian limestone caves east of Sheffield are detailed in "Caves of the Peak District ISBN978-0-9563473-2-9 Page 247. Also useful information on location, access etc. can be obtained from the Derbyshire Caving Association Website Database. Also if you can track down Tony Gibbs, onetime DCA Conservation Officer last heard of living near Rotherham he was particularly knowledgeable in this area. Herne Hill Caves are now controlled by DCA.

If you get in touch with Chesterfield Caving Club, a number of their members have/are looked at/are looking after caves in the Maltby area. Just google their name.

I have personally visited Herne Hill 1 and 3, Herne Hill 2 is somewhat buried at the back of the supermarket.

Afaik Maltby Wood Cave is in the side of a still active railway cutting, and the powers that be would look dimly on anyone accessing the cave without permission which is unlikely to be given, and would be accompanied by a minimum ?1000 fine and/or a visit by the boys in blue and one of these ->  :spank:

There is somewhere online a geosurvey by Tony Gibbs of caves in Magnesian Limestone.

This isn't the RIGS Survey by Tony Gibbs but is a good starting point for caves in South Yorkshire:

http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/7489/1/CR07025N.pdf

Enjoy.