SUSS Swaledale 2025 expedition report

[Logismos]

The expedition report for the SUSS (& TSG & Moldywarps) expedition to the Swaledale area is finally done, and on the SUSS website.
It can be found at the following link: http://shefcavers.org.uk/expeditions/

Over 10 days in the easter holidays this mini-expedition discovered and surveyed a phenomenal 1337m of new cave!
The report features pictures, stories, and the new survey sections we produced.

It's my first time writing a full report like this, and I've tried to balance giving all the information follow-up teams would need whilst also (hopefully) making it enjoyable to read. None of this would have been possible without the support of tens of people, so do read those Thanks too!

Whilst you're on the website, feel free to check out our trip reports and newsletters.

 

[Lankyman]

What a great report and glad to hear it was very productive! I always enjoyed caving in the Northern Dales and often wondered about the untapped potential - still do when I'm wandering around the area. Is 'Whitfield Fell Sink' one of the swallow holes shown on the OS map just north of the bridleway that leads to big beacon cairn on Oxnop Common? It sounds like there's a bit of an 'issue' with shooting interests there. I drove over the Oxnop road in May when water levels were very low. There's a pretty obvious resurgence just above the road on the Swaledale descent. Is that where the Whitfield water comes out? There's also 'Lealamb Pot' which I had a brief look in a few years ago when cutting down from the beacon cairn. Nothing obvious but I only had a cursory look. And finally .... are you going to discover the Swinnergill master cave?

 

[Goydenman]

Great work guys.... well put together reports. Thanks

 

[Logismos]

What a great report and glad to hear it was very productive! I always enjoyed caving in the Northern Dales and often wondered about the untapped potential - still do when I'm wandering around the area. Is 'Whitfield Fell Sink' one of the swallow holes shown on the OS map just north of the bridleway that leads to big beacon cairn on Oxnop Common? It sounds like there's a bit of an 'issue' with shooting interests there. I drove over the Oxnop road in May when water levels were very low. There's a pretty obvious resurgence just above the road on the Swaledale descent. Is that where the Whitfield water comes out? There's also 'Lealamb Pot' which I had a brief look in a few years ago when cutting down from the beacon cairn. Nothing obvious but I only had a cursory look. And finally .... are you going to discover the Swinnergill master cave?

Chris Curry could definitely answer your questions better, though he's currently in Ario.
My understanding is:
Whitfield Fell Sink is indeed up on that moor somewhere. We have a theoretical pin for it, but our scout didn't quite make it there as she was afraid of getting shot by the gamekeeper (though she was entirely within her right to be there).
There's a major resurgence at 54°21'18.3"N 2°06'34.6"W which Chris used the name "Snowdon Ghyll" (/Gill?) to describe. I think he speculates that could be connected to all those sinkholes in the area (with a dye trace done sometime pre-2000 I think).
There's certainly some work in the Swinnergill area, though I'm afraid I don't know the details!

 

[alanw]

That grid reference is at the end of the stream at the bottom of this image. The OS 6" map of around 1900 shows "Snowden Gill" a couple of hundred meters to the north.

Side by side georeferenced maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland

 

[Lankyman]

but our scout didn't quite make it there as she was afraid of getting shot by the gamekeeper (though she was entirely within her right to be there).

That's not good at all. In the eighties (long before CRoW access came in) I remember being confronted by a shotgun-weilding farmer as we headed up towards Langcliffe Pot. Even back then I think waving a gun around people wasn't legal. Our shield and defender was a character called the Mole (a few on here will know who I mean). Basically, he suggested shoving the barrels somewhere delicate. We turned back and a High Noon situation was avoided. IIRC landowners can close access on 28(?) days of the year but there are supposed to be signs posted up. I wandered up to Goldsborough above Baldersdale a few weeks ago and closure signs were posted on the Pennine Way. I don't think restrictions apply to public rights of way so I marched on past.

 

[Peter Ryder]

Good reading and very professional production....I have distant memories of New Level Mine Cave, and the first encounter with the draught in Draughting Hole. I don't know whether you are all aware there is a quite big and hard-won cave at the Snowden Gill Rising just above the Oxnop Road, all in the last MSG journal.

 

[Lankyman]

Is Snowden Gill Rising the one that's right by the road visible on the left as you come down? I had a brief look last month. There was very little water emerging and I didn't notice an obvious way in. What is there in there?

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[Peter Ryder]

There should be a dug out entrance, maybe under a slab, and around 300m of passage, low and wet in places but some good formations as well. All after my time….

 

[JAA]

There’s no bother with the Gunnerside estate generally or any of the gamekeepers provided permission is sought to dig and you engage with them as if they are also human beings rather than shotgun wielding enemies of freedom. Funnily enough despite the common idea, gamekeepers and farmers don’t actually shoot at anyone.,,, I certainly don’t recall seeing many shot walkers or caver and while I don’t want to hijack your thread and this isn’t aimed at anyone, the rhetoric of “shotgun wielding farmer/gamekeeper” etc gets tiresome and does very little for good relations. (I’ve been both a farmer and a grouse keeper. My tally of shot walkers and cavers is currently 0” )

Excellent report, glad you enjoyed Arkengarthdale, my great grandparents farmed and lived at Faggergill and I grew up just down the hill and still live there , the best of all the dales in my opinion and with some interesting caving! But I’m biased!

 

[RUSS B]

Is Snowden Gill Rising the one that's right by the road visible on the left as you come down? I had a brief look last month. There was very little water emerging and I didn't notice an obvious way in. What is there in there?

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Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

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No that's not it, Snowden gill is further down and further up off the road.

 

[Logismos]

There’s no bother with the Gunnerside estate generally or any of the gamekeepers provided permission is sought to dig and you engage with them as if they are also human beings rather than shotgun wielding enemies of freedom. Funnily enough despite the common idea, gamekeepers and farmers don’t actually shoot at anyone.,,, I certainly don’t recall seeing many shot walkers or caver and while I don’t want to hijack your thread and this isn’t aimed at anyone, the rhetoric of “shotgun wielding farmer/gamekeeper” etc gets tiresome and does very little for good relations. (I’ve been both a farmer and a grouse keeper. My tally of shot walkers and cavers is currently 0” )

Excellent report, glad you enjoyed Arkengarthdale, my great grandparents farmed and lived at Faggergill and I grew up just down the hill and still live there , the best of all the dales in my opinion and with some interesting caving! But I’m biased!

Yes, perhaps I should clarify that our scouts fears where mostly just her own. The gamekeeper was rather grumpy with her, and spouted some fine shite about legal repercussions - but the feeling of being hunted was largely her own creation

 

[Lankyman]

No that's not it, Snowden gill is further down and further up off the road.

Doh! Now I see it clearly printed just south of the cattle grid at Jenkin Gate. Should I go to Specsavers? That would explain my not seeing any evidence of the entrance Pete Roe describes, at the 'roadside' resurgence further south. I wonder then what that is? It's very obvious, visible from the road and particularly in high water levels. It must have been looked at by someone.

 

[Dave-A]

“Bat Shit Grotto” sounds interesting. I don’t suppose you could share some more detail on the amount of said bat shit? Did you get any photos?

 

[Chris Curry]

What a great report and glad to hear it was very productive! I always enjoyed caving in the Northern Dales and often wondered about the untapped potential - still do when I'm wandering around the area. Is 'Whitfield Fell Sink' one of the swallow holes shown on the OS map just north of the bridleway that leads to big beacon cairn on Oxnop Common? It sounds like there's a bit of an 'issue' with shooting interests there. I drove over the Oxnop road in May when water levels were very low. There's a pretty obvious resurgence just above the road on the Swaledale descent. Is that where the Whitfield water comes out? There's also 'Lealamb Pot' which I had a brief look in a few years ago when cutting down from the beacon cairn. Nothing obvious but I only had a cursory look. And finally .... are you going to discover the Swinnergill master cave?

Good afternoon, on my way back from Ario so duly answering questions!

Yes, we believe the Whitfield Fell Sinks along the bench of limestone to the west of the Oxnop-Askrigg road and up into Whitfield Gill run northwards under the hill to resurge at Snowden Gill. We dug Snowden Gill from resurgence a few years ago and eventually broke through into ~300m of streamway. Survey will be published with full writeup in MSG Journal 15 next year, but attached below for reference. The upstream extent of the cave is a complex fault/boulder choke with water falling from above beyond a tight, aqueous squeeze, and will require some ingenuity and determination to progress beyond. There are several promising dig sites at the sink end of the system which may gain us access from the other side of the hill, hence the interest and very helpful GPS locating exercise by SUSS.

I’d like to reassure everyone that no shootings were ever on the cards. We have a very good relationship with the Gunnerside Estate gamekeepers, who are very helpful and accommodating, but perhaps came across a little direct and intimidating to the lone SUSS member investigating potholes on CROW access land.

I believe Lealamb Pot is responsible for the small resurgence on the roadside, but I’m not aware of a definitive dye trace on this.

The Swinnergill Master Cave is on the to-do list!

 

[Lankyman]

Good afternoon, on my way back from Ario so duly answering questions!

Yes, we believe the Whitfield Fell Sinks along the bench of limestone to the west of the Oxnop-Askrigg road and up into Whitfield Gill run northwards under the hill to resurge at Snowden Gill. We dug Snowden Gill from resurgence a few years ago and eventually broke through into ~300m of streamway. Survey will be published with full writeup in MSG Journal 15 next year, but attached below for reference. The upstream extent of the cave is a complex fault/boulder choke with water falling from above beyond a tight, aqueous squeeze, and will require some ingenuity and determination to progress beyond. There are several promising dig sites at the sink end of the system which may gain us access from the other side of the hill, hence the interest and very helpful GPS locating exercise by SUSS.

I believe Lealamb Pot is responsible for the small resurgence on the roadside, but I’m not aware of a definitive dye trace on this.

The Swinnergill Master Cave is on the to-do list!

Thanks for this, Chris. It's good to see that a lot of effort is going into some of the potential. I think the first time I had an inkling that big things were possible in the Northern Dales was when I visited Cliff Force Cave in the late seventies and read that the water came from over the hill in Wensleydale. I read somewhere on this forum that water sinking at Botcher Gill Nook goes to the same rising as Swinner Gill? I decided to take a peek in there last month as I was walking by but there was hardly any water and nothing obvious. Nice little ravine below the track. If it goes to East Gill (and picks up Swinner Gill en route) then it should be a half decent cave.

 

[Peter Ryder]

Thanks for this, Chris. It's good to see that a lot of effort is going into some of the potential. I think the first time I had an inkling that big things were possible in the Northern Dales was when I visited Cliff Force Cave in the late seventies and read that the water came from over the hill in Wensleydale. I read somewhere on this forum that water sinking at Botcher Gill Nook goes to the same rising as Swinner Gill? I decided to take a peek in there last month as I was walking by but there was hardly any water and nothing obvious. Nice little ravine below the track. If it goes to East Gill (and picks up Swinner Gill en route) then it should be a half decent cave.

Botched Gill goes to a rising in the lower gorge at Swinnergill, below Stone Root Cave. I put an excessive amount of fluorescein through it in 1973 and turned Swinnergill very green indeed.

 

[Lankyman]

Botched Gill goes to a rising in the lower gorge at Swinnergill, below Stone Root Cave. I put an excessive amount of fluorescein through it in 1973 and turned Swinnergill very green indeed.

That would make sense given how deep Swinner Gill cuts down. Even without water going to East Gill it still looks like a worthwhile potential cave (over 2km in a straight line). I've scrambled up the gill quite a few times but never noticed Stone Root Cave or a rising on the east side (then again I've never been carrying my NC 1). There's water coming out of a small stone arched entrance on the west bank, right where the public footpath crosses the beck (about 911009). I've always assumed it was a drainage adit for mines further up the gill where the C-to-C crosses.

 

[Peter Ryder]

I have a feeling a big rockfall buried Stone Root Cave, which was somewhere we had intended to go back to. Can’t remember much except that it was quite tight and crawly and around 30m long…. Maybe it never got surveyed. Took its name from a fossil at the entrance.