Gaping Gill
Credit: Megan
Today, Mum, Keith and I went to Gaping Gill, a huge natural cavern in Yorkshire. Twice a year, caving clubs set up a winch and take the public down into the main chamber (see image, click on it for a larger version). In August the winch is run by the Craven Pothole Club. This year it is open this week, including the weekend, and it is well worth a visit. To get down in to the chamber, you sit in a metal chair which is winched down the main shaft to the floor of the main chamber. As you descend you pass very close to the rock face, and go past a ledge on one side just before it opens out into cavern. Normally there is a stream which runs down from Ingleborough, but the club divert most of it so that there is only a trickle of water accompanying you during the descent. The cavern is amazing, and the club members give guided tours explaining the history of the place. There are more than twelve miles of known passages in the system but, as visitors, you don't leave the main chamber. There is plenty to see though, and we spent a couple of hours there. It's funny, I've been to winch meets several times before, and I always seem to enjoy it more each time I go.
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