Ingleborough Cave

Ingleborough Cave, first entered and made accessible in 1837, is one of the Yorkshire Dales finest examples of limestone scenery.

A well lit concrete footpath leads you past huge stalactites, stalagmites and flowstones. Visitors are lead by our expert guides through a kilometre of awe-inspiring passages that are brought to life by formations and artefacts dating back millions of years!

The Cave also shows the significant impact of the Ice Age, and as recently as 2002 the tooth of a woolly rhinoceros, now long extinct, was discovered just beyond the show cave.

A breakthrough Discovery

The imposing entrance to Ingleborough Cave has always been an obvious feature, however until 1837 the secrets of the Cave were hidden behind large natural calcite dams beyond which water had ponded, submerging much of the immediate passage beyond.

Following a severe flood, it was realised that large passages had to exist behind these dams. Local land owner James Farrer set workmen on to break down the dams, releasing the trapped water, and revealing a wonderland of sculpted passages and beautiful cave formations which have been delighting visitors ever since.