Secret caves in the Yorkshire Dales

Here at Stump Cross Caverns, we're sitting on top of a fascinating network of caverns and passageways. It's called a "show cave" for a reason – we want to show off our stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone and more.

But there's more here than meets the eye. Beyond the caverns that are open to visitors, there's a sprawling complex of passageways where only intrepid cavers dare to crawl.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park is dotted, riddled, scattered with caves. It has more holes than a Swiss cheese factory. There are more than 2,500 of them – or, at least, 2,500 that we know about. The landscape is still being explored with new chambers being discovered every few years.

The Dales are a "karst". This is a geological term for a landscape full of sinkholes and caves. The biggest in the world is the Nullarbor Plain in southern Australia – a vast and arid expanse without a tree in sight. It's not for nothing that it's called "Nullarbor" – Latin for "no trees".

The Dales, by contrast, are gloriously green – but they still have a certain bleak beauty that comes from the rugged, cave-strewn landscape.

They're home to the Three Counties – the longest cave system in Britain – as well as the echoing chamber of Gaping Gill.

Before you jump in the car to explore further, it's important to note that caving needs to be done properly. And "properly" means safely and in a group with an experienced caver.

The first rule of caving is to never go alone – so if you do have a craving for caving, make sure to do a guided course or see what local clubs you can join.

Experienced caving is safe. Inexperienced caving is not. It's just not worth taking a risk – so make sure to stay safe down there.

Gaping Gill

Gaping Gill is one of the biggest chambers in Britain. A 3D model of the chamber – made with an industrial laser rangefinder – revealed that you could fit St Paul's Cathedral or York Minster in there.

It's also home to the highest unbroken waterfall in Britain. The Fell Beck stream flows into the cavern's bouldery floor and eventually reemerges in nearby Ingleborough Cave.

The first recorded descent was made by John Birbeck in 1842. A group of local farmers lowered him down by rope. He made it 58 metres down onto what's now known as Birbeck's Ledge.

Birbeck is a local speleological legend  who's also known for making the first successful descent into Alum Pot – a dramatic open shaft on the slopes of Ingleborough. He was winched down in a large bucket by a group of nine railway workers.

Alum Pot is a 70-metre-deep pothole. If you do visit, make sure not to go past the protective wall unless you're properly kitted out and in the company of experienced potholers.

In 1895, a Frenchman named Edouard Martel descended to the bottom of Gaping Gill with just a rope ladder and a candle. Today, members of the public can be winched into the main shaft entrance by Craven and Bradford Pothole Clubs on May and August bank holidays.

The Three Counties system

This is the longest and most tortuous system in Britain. It's currently estimated to be 89 kilometres long and, as the name suggests, straddles the three counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria.

The Three Counties network has more than 40 entrances, several fossil routes and a host of caves. These sport evocative names like Lost Johns' Cave, Rumbling Hole, Death's Head Hole and the Bull Pot of the Witches.

This is ancient land – one stalagmite in Lancaster Hole has been dated to over 350,000 years ago. Amazingly, some sections are still forming to this day.

The caves were discovered in 1946 by George Cornes and Bill Taylor. Cornes sat down in a shakehole and saw something unusual. Together they discovered what's now known as Lancaster Hole – still the main entrance to the system.

Since then, a huge amount of energy has gone into exploring the network of caverns and passageways.

Great Douk Cave

Great Douk Cave is popular with beginners who can go on guided tours through its stream passage. It's one of the best spots for a budding caver's first low crawl. (With the supervision of a veteran guide, of course.)

The cave is located under the western slope of Ingleborough's limestone bench. Cavers start at the small waterfall at its entrance then go to a second entrance 600 yards up the hill.

A "douk" is an old Yorkshire word that could either mean "damp, wet, mist" or "to bathe, to duck".

The lost caverns of Greenhow Hill

As well as the 2,500 caves we know about, the Yorkshire Dales are probably home to far more. Myths abound about the lost caverns of Greenhow Hill – an area just up the road from us that used to be the site of intensive lead mining.

The most famous lost cavern was supposedly discovered by Cambridge medical student Christopher Long in 1922 or 1923. Long is a crucial part of Stump Cross lore – he and his friends did some important exploring here.

The legend goes that Long uncovered a lost lake, but sealed up the entrance when the new owner refused to cut him into a deal. We're still waiting for it to be found again.

Then there's Joss Pounder's cavern near Dry Gill. Pounder was a local lead miner who, the story goes, was paid £5 to explore the caverns. He claimed to have found a large cave with "a great amount of water in it".

Doubts have been cast on Pounder's motives – that £5 was nothing for a low-paid miner to sniff at. He may have made up the story to secure his reward. As with Long's lost lake, it's not been found since.

Stump Cross Caverns is a magnificent show cave hidden deep underneath the Dales. Are you looking for caves to explore but don't want to deal with ropes, flash floods and slippy climbs? Why not pay us a visit? It's quick and easy to book online.