White Scar Caves is a
show cave
A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits.
Definition
A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to ...
in the civil parish of
Ingleton,
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
, England, under
Ingleborough
Ingleborough () is the second-highest mountain in the Yorkshire Dales, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks (the other two being Whernside and Pen-y-ghent), and is frequently climbed as part of the Three Peaks walk. A large part o ...
in the
Chapel-le-Dale
Chapel-le-Dale is a hamlet in the civil parish of Ingleton, North Yorkshire, England. It is in the Yorkshire Dales and was previously in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
History
The hamlet is situated on the B6255 road between Ingleton and Ribble ...
valley of the
Yorkshire Dales National Park
The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a national park in England covering most of the Yorkshire Dales. Most of the park is in North Yorkshire, with a sizeable area in Westmorland (Cumbria) and a small part in Lancashire. The park was designat ...
. It is a
solutional resurgence cave formed in
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
, some long.
It was first explored in August 1923 by two
amateur
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
geologists
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...
, Christopher Long and J.H. Churchill, but further discoveries have been made since then including ''The Battlefield'', at long it is one of the largest known
cave
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
chambers in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
.
White Scar Cave- Caving notes
/ref> Originally accessed through a vertical boulder choke
A boulder choke is a collection of large rocks or rubble that obstructs a shaft or passage in a cave or mine. In order to progress through passages cavers often need to negotiate or clear boulder chokes.
Boulder chokes can be formed by rockfall, ...
, an access tunnel has been cut to include it on the visitor trail.
It is open as a show cave
A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits.
Definition
A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to ...
, the entrance being from the Ribblehead
Ribblehead is the area of moorland at the head of the River Ribble in the area known as Ribblesdale, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, England.
Ribblehead is most notable for Ribblehead railway station and Ribblehead Viaduct on the Settl ...
to Ingleton road on the west of Ingleborough, with tours being run throughout the year. The visitor facilities include a shop and café.
References
External links
Visitor attraction website
{{Authority control
Show caves in the United Kingdom
Yorkshire Dales
Caves of North Yorkshire
Subterranean waterfalls