The Angerholme Pots on Wild Boar Fell

Jack Hare

New member
I went for a wander and a wild camp with some friends last weekend on Wild Boar Fell. We'd been lured there by a certain travelling cave-equipment salesperson, who claimed that there were caverns measureless to man in the thick limestone below the gritstone cap. It's certainly an impressive place, and we wandered happily along the NE flank of the fell, following the line of shakeholes and poking around to see what we could find. Lacking any ladders or ropes, we didn't descend anything that weekend.

Now, Northern Caves lists these as the Angerholme Pots, 1-27 with a few extra ones. Mary at the British Caving Library has very kindly sent over a scan of the Gritstone Club journal from 1985 which reports that club's exploration efforts. Each cave gets only a brief write up, and so it's never entirely clear what blocked further progress, leaving the tantalising possibility that with a bit of work there might be some interesting cave there.

I would be surprised if no one has been back in the previous 35 years, but I can't find anything written down. Does anyone have any further information? We were particularly taken with some of the more northern, higher altitude pots with plentiful water flowing in.
 

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grahams

Well-known member
Caves and Karst of the Yorkshire Dales page 269 has a bit of info. regarding Needlehouse Gill, the destination of the Angerholme water.
 

Jack Hare

New member
grahams said:
Caves and Karst of the Yorkshire Dales page 269 has a bit of info. regarding Needlehouse Gill, the destination of the Angerholme water.

Thanks, I'll try to find a copy of that!

psychocrawler said:
A lot can change in 35 years. There is nothing like a field visit to see what you can find.

Yes, I'm definitely thinking of just going to have a look. I just didn't want to tackle some awful wet squeeze and then find "ULSA was ere 2017" scratched into a rock!
 

blackshiver

Member
More likely to find  MSG 1969... but given most Moldy exploratory trips were on friday evenings, that particular area was just out of reach of Teesside so definitely worth ?adopting? it.

The MSG journals are all online on the North York Caving Club website and are an excellent read. Look out for the the study into the Flying Moles of West Stainmore.

Footnote......Well it was just out of reach from Teeside because going that far meant that we could not get back to a pub before last orders at 10:30. Someone reminded me today of the long forgotten anguish of hitting the car park just as the door closed.

A generation have grown up not knowing the ?new normal? is a blast from the past.

 

tamarmole

Active member
blackshiver said:
More likely to find  MSG 1969... but given most Moldy exploratory trips were on friday evenings, that particular area was just out of reach of Teesside so definitely worth ?adopting? it.

The MSG journals are all online on the North York Caving Club website and are an excellent read. Look out for the the study into the Flying Moles of West Stainmore.

Footnote......Well it was just out of reach from Teeside because going that far meant that we could not get back to a pub before last orders at 10:30. Someone reminded me today of the long forgotten anguish of hitting the car park just as the door closed.

A generation have grown up not knowing the ?new normal? is a blast from the past.

Another vote for the Moldywarps Journals, they are required reading for anyone who wants to get off the beaten track in the North. 
 

Jack Hare

New member
Hi all,

We went for another poke around last weekend and abseiled into several of the pots. Full write up here: http://fusionandthings.eu/2020/10/10/another-look-at-the-caves-of-wild-boar-fell/

We also met two cavers from the BPC who were having a look at the caves - I promised them a write up with photos on ukcaving, so hopefully they see this here!
 
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