Weathercote Cave

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Weathercote Cave is a natural cave in Chapel-le-Dale, North Yorkshire, England. It sits in Carboniferous limestone and is part of the Winterscales Beck underground water system. The cave has long fascinated visitors since the 1700s and was open to paying guests until 1971.

Entrance and main features
- The entrance is a large shaft about 20 metres deep, in the valley floor below the Hill Inn. It is surrounded by a wall, with a path leading to the shaft.
- The opening shaft is about 61 metres long and up to 15 metres wide. Water from Winterscales Beck enters at the northern end and drops about 20 metres down the shaft.
- The top of the waterfall is blocked by a big boulder known as Mohammed’s Coffin, a name tied to a legend about magnetic rocks in Mecca.
- A flight of 51 steps leads down beneath a natural rock arch to the bottom. From there, short passages lead to water-filled chambers and sinks.

Connections and exploration
- The underground waterways connect to Jingle Pot, a daylight shaft about 140 metres down the valley, and further to Hurtle Pot.
- The combined explored passages total about 2.4 kilometres, with a depth of around 64 metres. The water can be followed upstream through narrow passages and small rooms, and in floods the shaft can fill to the top and overflow down the valley.

Geology and location
- Weathercote Cave forms in Visean Great Scar limestone. It is part of the Winterscales Beck underground route: Winterscales Beck sinks upstream, travels through a cave system, reaches base level at Weathercote, and resurges later at God’s Bridge down the valley.

History and openings
- The connection between Weathercote and two other caves was proved in 1770 when a bonnet lost in Weathercote was later found in Hurtle Pot.
- The cave was described in detail by Richard Pococke in 1751 and gained attention in 1780, when it was highlighted as a major curiosity and attraction.
- Artists and writers visiting the area—such as J. M. W. Turner (1808, 1816), William Westall (1818), Wordsworth (1835), and John Ruskin (1875)—helped make Weathercote famous. In the mid-1800s, visitors often paid a small entry fee, about 1 shilling at that time.
- In 1971 a visiting caver died after a rock fell, and since then access has been restricted.
- The underwater link to Jingle Pot was confirmed in 1986 by the Cave Diving Group.
- Weathercote Cave lies within the Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Hazards and access
- Hazards include water, loose rocks, and vertical sections. Access is only by prior arrangement.