White Scar Cave, Ingleborough
Underground Scenery and Limestone Sculptures in the Yorkshire Dales
Jul 20, 2009
In 1923, a young student, Christopher Long, discovered a narrow passageway leading into the western slope of Ingleborough, one of the famous Three Peaks of the Yorkshire Dales. Aided by the light of candles attached to the brim of his hat, he crawled on his stomach for several hours through a space little wider than himself, and so was the first person to enter White Scar Cave.
Visitors today do not have to repeat Long’s performance, for a wide passage was dug into the hill by miners, as far as the point at which he was able to stand. White Scar Cave was then opened to the public in 1927.
Geology of the Yorkshire Dales
The rocks in this region of North Yorkshire consist of layers of Silurian shale, carboniferous limestone and fell sandstone, laid down in prehistoric seas during different geological periods. It is in the limestone layers, which date back 299-360 million years that the caves are found, having been formed by the relentless dissolving of the calcium carbonate by acidic rainwater.
First Section of White Scar Cave
The entrance tunnel leads into the hillside for more than 100 metres. As one travels deeper, the thunder of running water becomes steadily louder, until one arrives at the first waterfall. It was near this point that Christopher Long ended his exploratory crawl. From here, one follows a series of metal grid walkways that twist ever deeper into Ingleborough. In some places, the water level often rises sufficiently to cover the grid, leaving the visitor with wet feet. During periods of persistent, heavy rain, the water can rise very quickly, several centimetres in as many minutes, so curtailing visits into the cave.
Stalagmites, Stalactites and Calcite Curtains
After the first waterfall, comes a low-roofed section, appropriately known as the Gorilla Walk. Here, the walls are covered with curtains of calcite, formed by deposition of dissolved salts from the relentless flow of water through the ceiling cracks. Most are cream coloured, but some are stained with the red-brown of iron and the turquoise of copper salts.
At places where there are shelves beneath the roof, stalagmites and stalactites have grown into weird sculptures that have been named to reflect their varied shapes. The Judge’s Head resembles a miniature, porcelain ornament. Elsewhere, a calcite curtain evokes the image of a witch’s gnarled fingers.
Up until 1990, tours into the cave ended around this point, and were only extended when a new, and even more spectacular section was discovered.
Through The Squeeze and Bagshaw Tunnel
On passing through a narrow stretch, known as The Squeeze, one comes to the Crown of Thorns, Sword of Damocles, Arum Lily and Devil’s Tongue stalactites. In places, one must dodge quickly through showers, and everywhere, there is the incessant roar of rushing water, echoing through the tunnels.
One now ascends a staircase through the Bagshaw Tunnel, another section opened by miners, which permitted the extension, in 1990, into the enormous Battlefield Cavern. Around 100 metres long and 30 metres high, this was discovered in 1971, by cave explorers, who burrowed from beneath, through a narrow, partially blocked passage, called The Foxhole.
White Scar's Battlefield Cavern
Unlike other parts of the cave system, which have been formed by percolating rain water dissolving the limestone, Battlefield Cavern was largely excavated by the physical erosion of the rock by water flowing through it under high pressure. The swirling currents have also carved vertical caves in the roof, known as avens.
From the roof hang clusters of many hundreds of very delicate, fluorescing stalactites, which have been growing since the water drained out of the chamber around 200 thousand years ago. More substantial features are said to resemble the face of a witch, and her companion cat.
Amid the boulder debris on the floor of the cavern are large areas of mudstone deposits that have remained completely undisturbed since the river drained away, and are unique in Europe. For this reason, the Battlefield Cavern is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
White Scar Cave is open daily, 10am - 5pm, from February to October, and at weekends from November to January. The full tour covers a distance of about a mile and occupies around 80 minutes.
On the southern side of the mountain is the Ingleborough cave, which is linked to Gaping Gill. So far, no connection between this system and White Scar Cave has been found.
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