'Top ten Caves / Caving Trips'

[JoshW]

my top six - I don't need any more.

Ingleborough Show Cave
White Scar Show Cave (up to the stairs)
Dan Yr Ogof Show Cave
Wookey Hole (not wild wookey)
Gough's Show Cave
Peak Cavern Show Cave

Is there anything you particularly dislike about Stump Cross Caverns? 

why would i need it, i've just listed you the undeniable top 6 caves of all time. nobody can argue with it, all your lists are rubbish 

[badger]

I have a top 10 of virtual reality cave trips

like this?

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news-features/son-doong-cave/2/#s=pano37

No, Josh, virtual reality trips  like Eastwhere down to the west end,

[Badlad]

I notice a number of cavers have listed the various connections within the Notts2 / Lost Johns system.  Cracker, Deaths Head, Voldermort etc.  Superb trips all and the diggers will be proud to know their efforts are so well thought of.  Cheers

[PeteHall]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Stoke Lane Slocker. After my first visit, I declared it "my new favourite cave". With its narrow and aqueous entrance series and spectacular chambers beyond, it has a bit of everything (except SRT) for the sporting caver.

I've been back several times and it never disapoints (even after a suspected dose of weils disease).

I'm not sure I have a favourite cave now, nor a top ten, but if I did, Stoke Lane would certainly make the list.

[Wardy]

I think a list like this should show your influences;
I like BirKs Fell - It was my first big trip so left an impression and I have returned a lot
Strans Gill - Its just a gem that gets better all the way
Winnats Head - I spent too much time there
El Chorreadero - I saw it on TV, heard the tales and when I did the trip it was even better
Gouffre Berger - a world classic
San augustin - Gives the Berger a run for its money
Dan yr Ogof - sporting, pretty, complex and still with potential
St Caths / Doolin - a great cave in a great place with Guinness just as it should be when you get out
Lost Johns, Notts, Box Head Pot, Deaths Head etc - if you can bundle all these together for 1 choice then its on the list
Swinsto Simpsons exchange - As that way you can include two great trips I struggle to split

Pity it wasn't a top 12 or maybe 15, why not round it up to 20.....................................

[PeteHall]

I think a list like this should show your influences;

Much more interesting that way and also much more likely to inspire others to visit, rather than just a list of names.

[Bratchley]

Jesus wept!

Many apologies, nearlywhite, for starting a ‘ridiculous topic’.

Some people have thin skin... Sorry I won't express my opinion on this valuable comparison of arbitrary lists - it just seems like a topic for stroking egos and one upmanship. Each cave has its own merit. Have fun

Bad day at work there, nearlywhite? 

My list:
Bakers Pit
Pridhamsleigh Cavern
Afton Red Rift
Coombesend Cavern
Bunkers Hole
Reeds Cavern
Dog Hole
Pixies Hole
Cliffords Cave
Radford Cave

[nobrotson]

Never been in any of the caves Bratchley listed, must try harder.

Penyghent Pot - so varied, so much history, so much potential.
Langcliffe Pot - ditto
Top Sink to Pip - Classic.
Draenen - Rock 'n' Roll choke return trip. Still so much I want to do in this system...
SchwarzMoosKogel Hohle system - 258 (Tunnockschacht). Any trip to Hydra, the deep bit, is really special.
SchwarzMoosKogel Hohle system - 107 (Gehmsehohle) to 161 (Kaninchenhohle) through trip. Did this with Andrew Atkinson, Becka and Rob Adams on the connection trip in 2014, will almost certainly never be done again.
Albania, Kelmend Region, 'Dragon Cave' - absolute monster cave waiting to be found here, must return.
Giants Hole, lower series round trip - one of the best for introducing people to caving.
Harwoods Hole, NZ - absolute stunner. NZ has too many amazing caves I still have yet to explore properly.
Lost Johns - Notts 2 pull through - learn from your mistakes...

[tony from suffolk]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Stoke Lane Slocker. After my first visit, I declared it "my new favourite cave". With its narrow and aqueous entrance series and spectacular chambers beyond, it has a bit of everything (except SRT) for the sporting caver.

I've been back several times and it never disapoints (even after a suspected dose of weils disease).

I'm not sure I have a favourite cave now, nor a top ten, but if I did, Stoke Lane would certainly make the list.

...and on mine. It was the first cave I ever did, and that feeling of fear laced with excitement I felt on that visit always returned whenever I went down the cave again. My very favourite cave, Eastwater, I love for it's wonderfully gloomy atmosphere.

[Keris82]

I can't believe I forgot Wookey Hole and Reservor Hole! I would put Peak Cavern but we went the wrong way and ended up in colostomy crawl! 

[mikem]

Never been in any of the caves Bratchley listed, must try harder.

That's coz they are all Devon delights & he's been in much better caves, but doesn't want to tell you about them...

[psychocrawler]

Just a list? I think not.

Penyghent Pot - the best cave in the world
Birks Fell Cave - midweek evening trip
Mossdale Caverns - spooky solo trip
Langcliffe Pot - feeling of remoteness and potential
Daren Cilau (Psychotronic Strangeways) - best trip in Wales and great name
BU56 - best foreign cave I’ve done
Fairy Holes - storming trip, no tackle faff and I had to wait 36 years to do it
Goyden Pot system - whatever you want - walking, diving, crawling, climbing and nowhere near Slease Gill.....
Anything in Dentdale - splendid esoteric gems, go there
Rat Hole - vertical pleasure courtesy of Mr Wooding

[droid]

In no particular order:

Giant's Hole: local fave for me. Could walk to it from my parent's house.....just.
Penyghent: just brilliant.
Swinsto/Simpsons exchange: 2 for the price of 1
Gaping: Anything. Underground theme park
Pozo del Arguilles: 145m pitch. I was the last one out of the big chamber.
King Pot: Classic trip. Bit of everything, good conclusion.
Peak Cavern. Just the once. Like to go back.
Bage Mine. Extensive. Links to other local mines. Small amount of natural.
Tatham Wife Hole: Underrated classic easy trip.
P8: A lot of caving in a small space.

[alastairgott]

1) Longcliffe to the first day of Digging
2) Longcliffe to the 10th day of Digging
3) Longcliffe surface working
4) Longcliffe after one years digging
5) Longcliffe, Longcliffe, Longcliffe, repeat.
6) Giants hole
7) Peak Cavern, all of the trips.
Silvestre Cave, Tresviso, Spain
9) Ireby Fell Cavern.
10) hmm either Mendip (St Cuthbert's Swallet led by Martin Grass) or Nenthead round.

[mrodoc]

Hmm!

Round the British Isles I would say memorable caves are:
Afton Red Rift in Devon for some interesting traverses, fine formations and a round trip.
St. Cuthberts Swallet
Swildons, a  Round trip (taking in Swildons 4) or the Black Hole series for a bit of excitement
Upper Flood Swallet - a fine new addtion to any list
 OFD bottom to Top
Dan yr Ogof round trip
I have done relatively little in Yorkshire but Providence to Dow was a memorable trip as was White Scar and Tatham Wife (my first Yorkshire pot aged 17)
Claonaite to Rana throught trip in Scotland (but you need a small bottle for one sump)
Valley Head Cave on Skye - a 400 metre aqueous through trip and really sporting.
St. Catherine's to Fisherstreet in Clare.
Pollballiny if you want a challenge - it seems to go on for ever until you get to the big stuff.

[mikem]

Ten best for formations
...for big impressive passages
...for great pitches
...for challenging squeezes
...for knackering yourself out

[hoehlenforscher]

Up near the top must be Penyghent pot to the sump and back done on ladders back in the day. Just 3 of us to carry all the gear. Still one of those trips that I will take with me to the grave.
Likewise a trip done many years ago IIRC in County pot and out of Wretched Rabbit (well over 30 years ago so memory means it may have been a different one)
Swinstos through trip for just being so much fun, especially when the oil drum exit was a proper duck.
Giants round trip was always a favorite when in Uni in Keele.
Swildons short round with a bit of water about. Always a great sporting trip with plenty of variation
OFD through trips just for being long and sporting, again, especially if there is a bit of water about
Grotte Gournier for being my first foriegn cave and being so different and on such a different scale to anything in the UK done up till that point
Anywhere in the Schwarzmooskogelhoehle as it represented so much of my life when I lived out in Germany
The Hirlatzhoehle for being on such a mega scale as to be a step above anything done, even in France!

And finally an honourable mention must go to the humble Eglaes Faen as being my introduction to caving and despite its' deminutive size for having one of the most difficult/intimidating bits of passage I have ever done

[Cap'n Chris]

Goatchurch Cavern
10 times.

[caving_fox]

Craig A Fyynnon is my favourite UK cave.
Grotte de Gournier streamway
PoulnaGollum - Poll Elva through trip (although I like a lot of the Claire systems)
JH via WhiteRiver to Peak
Lost Johns (DH exchange although I've done both not yet managed to be on exchange trip)
OFD. I think my choice would be CwnDwr to Smith's and out of Top.

after that it starts getting hard to separate there's a whole bunch of worthy caves.