Caving & potholing

Our introductory level caving experience suitable for complete beginners. You can choose whether to join an open group session (see our calendar on the home page for details of upcoming trips) or have your own privately guided trip tailored to your own wishes and abilities. All our Explore Caving sessions include stunning clean-washed streamways, waterfalls and cascades, some very simple climbs, chambers adorned with formations and fossils, and ‘optional’ crawls and squeezes for those looking for some fun and a bit of a challenge.

Sessions normally last a half-day with all kit provided, or why not make a day of it and explore a different cave system in the afternoon. Classic venues include Runscar and Thistle cave at Ribblehead with their fun ‘through-trips’ (i.e. going in one entrance and exiting another), Upper and Lower Long Churn Caves near the magnificent Alum Pot, and Great Douk Cave with its half-mile long streamway and impressive entrance.
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You may have already tried caving before and loved it, or fancy a bit more of a challenge! Our adventure caving trips are a step up from our explore caving sessions and involve a short vertical section to take the intrepid explorer deeper into the cave system, where magnificent sights await. The vertical section (known as a ‘pitch’) will be anywhere between 6m and 15m in height and be tackled with the aid of a ladder and lifeline, so no previous experience is required.

Venues include the Long Churns/Alum Pot caves with its spectacular 60m deep shaft, Valley Entrance/Kingsdale Master Cave with its stunning canyon-like streamway, Sunset Hole, Calf Holes, and Bull Pot of the Witches which is part of the 80km long Three Counties System. Although classed as an intermediate level trip, these caves are suitable for novices with a reasonable level of fitness and a spirit for adventure! You may wish to choose an open group session (see our calendar on the home page for details of upcoming trips) or have your own privately guided trip tailored to your own wishes and abilities.
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The Yorkshire Dales is without doubt the finest region for vertical caving (potholing) in the UK! To undertake one of these very special caving trips you will need to have a good level of fitness and ideally have tried caving before. The session will last for much of the day, and include two or more vertical sections to negotiate on ladder and lifeline to delve deeper into the cave system.

Venues include Sell Gill Holes with its three pitches leading to a spectacular chamber, New Goyden Pot with its two pitches leading into a beautiful huge underground river, Alum Pot to the ‘Bridge’ and Heron Pot where a canyon like through trip descent can be achieved (weather conditions allowing).
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The Yorkshire Dales is without doubt the finest region for vertical caving (potholing) in the UK! Our advanced caving sessions are for those with previous experience of caving, and who are proficient in Single Rope Techniques (SRT). You may have a cave on your list you’ve been wanting to visit for ages but not have the equipment or confidence to tackle, or you might just be visiting the area and want to experience the very best potholes the Yorkshire Dales has to offer. Classic venues include the famous Gaping Gill, Meregill Hole, Juniper Gulf, Marble Steps Pot and so, so many more!!! In fact, the Yorkshire Dales has over 50 potholes deeper than 100 m depth!

Yorkshire Dales Guides have our very own SRT vertical caving training facility – a great place to refresh those skills before heading underground. We also run 1 or 2-day courses for anyone wishing to learn SRT so that they can progress towards tackling some of Yorkshire’s (and elsewhere) finest cave systems. Please note that anyone participating in an advanced caving trip will be required to demonstrate SRT ability at our facility before heading underground.
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Develop your skills at our purpose built indoor training facility, or join us on a 1-day or 2-day course to learn SRT and take your new found skills underground on the second day to one of the classic potholes of the Yorkshire Dales!!

Check out our 'vertical caving training facility page' for more info!
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Looking to complete a course, or need a venue to practice skills for your upcoming LCMLA or CIC (module 2 and 3 assessments)? Then come on down to our spacious SRT training facility (see vertical caving training facility page).

Within the facility, there is an array of ropes, platforms, traverses (both high and low-level) and anchor points for your own rigging, all contained within a very spacious 15m x 10m x 6-8m high area which is perfect for group work. Upstairs, there is also an office with comfortable seating, white boards and projectors, which is also available for use. Get in touch for more info!
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Our cave safety courses are designed for anyone who wants to ‘really get into’ caving, beyond the standard introductory and intermediate level guided caving trips we offer. It really is a fascinating sport taking you into a beautiful and highly unique environment. No caver forgets the first time they explored and splashed their way down their first underground streamway, or turned that corner and found themselves in a large, quiet chamber surrounded by thousands of glistening and delicate stalactites hanging from the roof, or started abseiling down their first pitch (vertical shaft) with a waterfall crashing down beside them.

Whether you’ve already tried caving and want to start doing more easy horizontal caving trips with friends, or are a more experienced caver who wants to learn the skills to take on more serious vertical potholes, we are positive we can cater for your needs. Our office and vertical caving training facility means we have the perfect premises to teach you all the skills you need to know, from researching and planning your caving trip, to the safety aspects of clothing/equipment/callouts and weather, to the skills required for moving underground safely and efficiently, and knowing what to do if things go wrong.

Get in touch for a chat and will happily put together a single or multi-day course for you based on your wishes and requirements!
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Looking to complete a course, or need a venue to practice skills for your upcoming LCMLA or CIC (module 2 and 3 assessments)? Then come on down to our spacious SRT training facility (see vertical caving training facility page). The facility is also perfect for groups about to go on expedition who need to make sure their rescue skills are up-to-date in a safe environment.

Within the facility, there is an array of ropes, platforms, traverses (both high and low-level) and anchor points for your own rigging, all contained within a very spacious 15m x 10m x 6-8m high area which is perfect for group work. Upstairs, there is also an office with comfortable seating, white boards and projectors, which is also available for use. Get in touch for more info!
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