L
LoneRanger
Guest
1:30 p.m. Christmas Eve, thoughts turn to caving. I quickly log onto the Internet to check the weather – fine and dry. Then a quick check on the caving forum to see if anyone has replied to my latest post (the suggestion of graded lists and star ratings in the next guidebook should stir up some discussion). An hour later I log off the Internet. Drat. Still, the forum did provide an idea for where to go: Skirwith Cave, just outside Ingleton, right next to the road, Grade III, and two questions on the forum needing answers - a perfect objective. Pack the kit and were off.
3:30 p.m. arrive at the lower entrance at the bottom of the cliff. The forum suggested that the section of cave from here to the main entrance has been ‘lost'. I decide to check it out anyway. A low crawl leads to a narrow rift. After a couple of minor squeezes and maybe 100m from the entrance the guide book indicates that daylight should be near. Instead, I meet corrugated iron sheets, wooden fence posts and concrete. The farmer obviously didn't like this exit. So it's back the way I came. But I'm nicely warmed up, and I have the answer to the first question: the lower section of the cave is not ‘lost', but the through trip is.
The main entrance is about a hundred meters above the cliff in an open grassy field - an unmistakable open cave entrance.
It took me three quarters of an hour to find it! I must have walked within yards of it several times as I zig-zagged back and forth across the hill. This was a long walk to a roadside cave. I could have got to Gaping Gill as quickly.
Once underground, the cave provided a splendid well decorated open stream passage. At one time, this was a show cave and there are plenty relics of this former use: crumbling concrete steps, broken handrails and rotting wooden walkways, all of which add to the interest of the cave. At the end of the show cave section is a chamber, where a thundering 15' waterfall enters. This demands respect, but is relatively easily climbed.
Above the climb are two passages, the left hand dry passage is a simple crawl to a choke after 30m. The active right hand branch starts with low crawling through cascades and pools, it then degenerates into a wet crawl through deeper water. The guidebook mentions two ducks, and the crawl does end with a minor duck – no worse than the one in Valley Entrance. Is this really the duck?
The passage then opens up to a grand, walking size streamway, which meanders along for a considerable distance, with sections of stooping and crawling, mostly in two feet or more of water. Eventually the roof lowers to a duck that is worthy of the name. This one is twenty or thirty feet long, with one ear in the water, thankfully there's lots of space under the water, so no real problems. Cool!
After the duck is a chamber with the diver's line disappearing into the sump pool. Mission accomplished.
And the answer to the second forum question: ‘How far can you go beyond the water fall? The answer is a good long way, and well worth doing too.
The cave probably has the best part of 1km of dry passage (most of which is rather wet). It deserves at least one quality star in the forthcoming Northern Caves guidebook, and will likely be placed in the lower third of the grade threes in the graded list
3:30 p.m. arrive at the lower entrance at the bottom of the cliff. The forum suggested that the section of cave from here to the main entrance has been ‘lost'. I decide to check it out anyway. A low crawl leads to a narrow rift. After a couple of minor squeezes and maybe 100m from the entrance the guide book indicates that daylight should be near. Instead, I meet corrugated iron sheets, wooden fence posts and concrete. The farmer obviously didn't like this exit. So it's back the way I came. But I'm nicely warmed up, and I have the answer to the first question: the lower section of the cave is not ‘lost', but the through trip is.
The main entrance is about a hundred meters above the cliff in an open grassy field - an unmistakable open cave entrance.
It took me three quarters of an hour to find it! I must have walked within yards of it several times as I zig-zagged back and forth across the hill. This was a long walk to a roadside cave. I could have got to Gaping Gill as quickly.
Once underground, the cave provided a splendid well decorated open stream passage. At one time, this was a show cave and there are plenty relics of this former use: crumbling concrete steps, broken handrails and rotting wooden walkways, all of which add to the interest of the cave. At the end of the show cave section is a chamber, where a thundering 15' waterfall enters. This demands respect, but is relatively easily climbed.
Above the climb are two passages, the left hand dry passage is a simple crawl to a choke after 30m. The active right hand branch starts with low crawling through cascades and pools, it then degenerates into a wet crawl through deeper water. The guidebook mentions two ducks, and the crawl does end with a minor duck – no worse than the one in Valley Entrance. Is this really the duck?
The passage then opens up to a grand, walking size streamway, which meanders along for a considerable distance, with sections of stooping and crawling, mostly in two feet or more of water. Eventually the roof lowers to a duck that is worthy of the name. This one is twenty or thirty feet long, with one ear in the water, thankfully there's lots of space under the water, so no real problems. Cool!
After the duck is a chamber with the diver's line disappearing into the sump pool. Mission accomplished.
And the answer to the second forum question: ‘How far can you go beyond the water fall? The answer is a good long way, and well worth doing too.
The cave probably has the best part of 1km of dry passage (most of which is rather wet). It deserves at least one quality star in the forthcoming Northern Caves guidebook, and will likely be placed in the lower third of the grade threes in the graded list
