Urien's Shaft, Colt Park area, Ingleborough

[Pitlamp]

Just come across this paragraph in a 1970 Burnley Caving Club Newsletter.

I contribute information to the Northern Caves database and I'd be interested to sort this one out. It's one I've never heard of.
Can anyone offer any intelligence on Urien's Shaft? (I realise it's from over 54 years ago.)

 

[grahams]

I don't think that Pete Wilson or Dave Shepherd access UKCaving. I'll give them a prod and will get back to you.

 

[mikem]

Well, at least SD771.779 is actually close to colt park farm, so urien's must have been just to the west.

Could be one of these:

https://www.rrcpc.org.uk/newsletters/NL_V55_N2_A13.htm

p.68 of Wessex logbook lists gauber hole as a Yorkshire dig with sketch survey visited 4th July 1966

The rivers, mountains and sea-coast of Yorkshire 2nd edition 1855 by John Phillips lists "gauber hole, on the north side of Ingleborough, and another
cavern opened by Mr. Farrer, may be added to the list, which probably will be augmented hereafter." Which is the only old reference I can find nearby.

Or was that batty wife?https://oldfieldslimestone.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-gauber-viking-settlement.html?m=1

 

[Pitlamp]

Thanks for looking Mike - and especially to Graham S for agreeing to investigate directly. It's not urgent but it'd be good to know whatever information is available about it.

 

[mikem]

The hillgrove logbook describes dig as a 10ft rift near colt farm:

Logbook List – Wessex Cave Club

wessex-cave-club.org

 

[mikem]

The red rose grid ref for gauber pot would put it in about the right position, although northern caves 2nd edition has it a bit further north and K2 pot at pretty much that exact spot (all 3 could well be the same feature)

The "Wessex" dig is presumably one of the park fell holes. Somebody must have worked out which the original gauber hole is (the quarry cave?)

 

[Pitlamp]

Thanks Mike; it did wonder if this was another name for something else. I have some history in connection with this one, as I was invited along as a youth by a bloke known as K2 who had found an unknown hole. It was named K2 Pot but I'm pretty sure we'd simply "rediscovered" what Northern Caves lists as Gauber Pot. Long time ago; I've never been back and my memory is vague but I do have a sketch elevation I made at the time. It matches the description of Gauber Pot. I'll try and rummage out the sketch.

 

[Pitlamp]

Found it. My caving diary for 29-12-74 says, somewhat tongue in cheek:

"After promises of a vast gulf full of raging torrents and huge chambers we followed K2 up to Ribblehead Quarry and beyond to an area of small sinks. A 45 ft pitch into a pleasant, clean washed, double shaft was found, with a good formation on one wall. The sink in the floor was just a bit too immature to warrant much investigation anyway. The rising is probably in the quarry itself. Note, several interesting sinks just down valley from this are worth a probe."

Graham S - perhaps if you could show this sketch to Pete or Dave it might help jog memories?

 

[Pitlamp]

P.S. I guess this underlines the advantages of maintaining a caving diary.

 

[mikem]

& at least you got the grid ref about right

 

[grahams]

Peter Wilson has said that he doesn't recognise the survey of K2 and he thinks that it's not Urien's. We're intending to go to Colt Park to try to clear up the mystery this week. As BCC has a bit of a reputation for losing their discoveries (or re-discoveries) we might not be successful but we'll give it a go. Mikem's RRCPC article should be a great help.

Meanwhile, here's a bit more info regarding Urien's Shaft.

 

[mikem]

Sounds exactly like gauber / K2 pot!

 

[mikem]

For most of the caves in the red rose article, that is the only reference brought up by Google, except the hydrology database - then there's

Apparently the porcellanous band is found outside otterstone

Batty beck and cow pasture risings are in

CDG Newsletter Issue 199 - April 2016 - Cave Diving Group

Version Size551.60 KB Create Date16/10/2017 Last Updated16/01/2018 Batty Beck Rising Blue John Rising Cow Pasture Rising Emergence de Cregols Equinox Hole Gaping Gill (Lost River Series) Gingling Hole Goyden Pot Hurtle Pot Malham Cove Rising […]

cavedivinggroup.org.uk

Colt park cave and pint pot in

BCRA Online Archive: The British Speleological Association Records

British Cave Research Association - online historical archive for UK speleology, caves, and caving: The British Speleological Association Records

archives.bcra.org.uk

Slab cave

Slab Cave Re-Covering

This short stream cave on the Ingleborough National Nature Reserve had a ramshackle cover of slate boskins balanced on tree routes and sky hooks.

cncc.org.uk

 

[Pitlamp]

Peter Wilson has said that he doesn't recognise the survey of K2 and he thinks that it's not Urien's. We're intending to go to Colt Park to try to clear up the mystery this week. As BCC has a bit of a reputation for losing their discoveries (or re-discoveries) we might not be successful but we'll give it a go. Mikem's RRCPC article should be a great help.

Meanwhile, here's a bit more info regarding Urien's Shaft.

Thanks for asking - and especially for arranging to go for a look!

 

[grahams]

Thanks for asking - and especially for arranging to go for a look!

No problem. Three of us go walkabout/pokeabout every couple of weeks so this will be an interesting objective. Occasionally we even go underground as long as it doesn't involve crawling.

 

[Goydenman]

If it turns out to be Gauber pot then I was with the team that cleaned up this pot of rubbish so just contact me for details of what was there

 

[kay]

Colt park cave and pint pot in

BCRA Online Archive: The British Speleological Association Records

British Cave Research Association - online historical archive for UK speleology, caves, and caving: The British Speleological Association Records

archives.bcra.org.uk

Any further clues as to how to find it, please? Which folder is it in, do you know?

 

[mikem]

Sorry I don't, when I googled it came up with "2 - Colt Park Cave. 3 - Pint Pot Hole; 4 - Borrans Moor (Simons) Cave. 5 - Washfold Caves. 6 - Alum Pot, Selside. 7 - Alum Pot, Selside. 8 - Alum Pot ..."