Ireby Fell Cavern
Encyclopedia
Ireby Fell Cavern is a cave system on Leck Fell
, North Yorkshire
, England.
This popular cave starts with a pitch series that eventually opens out into a very large series of dry sand
y passages.
The entrance is a vertical concrete
pipe at the bottom of a shakehole that was last shored up in 2006. The traditional route is down three pitches (Ding, Dong, and Bell), but there is an alternative Shadow route which escapes most of the water flow in wet weather. After many metres of rift passage is Well Pitch which accesses the main lower sandy passages known as Duke Street.
At the far end of Duke Street is Whirlpool chamber where a short sump (not free-diveable) gave access to cave divers
into further passages known as Ireby II.
In early 2007, a system involving a primitive hand pump and a mud dam to temporarily retain the water in an artificial lake in Duke Street allowed non-divers to enter this part of the cave.
This facilitated the digging out of a passage in the roof of Whirlpool Chamber previously blocked by sand, to be dug out from both ends hence creating a bypass to the sump.
Digging has also forged a dry bypass to the sump via the aptly named Cripple Creek.
maps, though the early explorers could see little justification for the name. Various digs were undertaken from 1932 onwards until in 1949 a small scar on the NW side of the shakehole gave access to a passage that reached the first pitch. Much of the cave was explored and surveyed down to the sump at the end of Duke Street. The cave entrance then became blocked 1953 until it was reopened 1963.
Leck Fell
Leck Fell is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Lancashire. An area of typically heavily grazed open moorland of rough grass and remnant patches of heather with little or no tree cover, it is characterised by the virtual absence of surface drainage and an extensive subterranean drainage...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England.
This popular cave starts with a pitch series that eventually opens out into a very large series of dry sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
y passages.
The entrance is a vertical concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
pipe at the bottom of a shakehole that was last shored up in 2006. The traditional route is down three pitches (Ding, Dong, and Bell), but there is an alternative Shadow route which escapes most of the water flow in wet weather. After many metres of rift passage is Well Pitch which accesses the main lower sandy passages known as Duke Street.
At the far end of Duke Street is Whirlpool chamber where a short sump (not free-diveable) gave access to cave divers
Cave diving
Cave diving is a type of technical diving in which specialized equipment is used to enable the exploration of caves which are at least partially filled with water. In the United Kingdom it is an extension of the more common sport of caving, and in the United States an extension of the more common...
into further passages known as Ireby II.
In early 2007, a system involving a primitive hand pump and a mud dam to temporarily retain the water in an artificial lake in Duke Street allowed non-divers to enter this part of the cave.
This facilitated the digging out of a passage in the roof of Whirlpool Chamber previously blocked by sand, to be dug out from both ends hence creating a bypass to the sump.
Digging has also forged a dry bypass to the sump via the aptly named Cripple Creek.
History
The prominent depression of Ireby Fell was marked as "The Cavern" on the first (1847) issue of the Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps, though the early explorers could see little justification for the name. Various digs were undertaken from 1932 onwards until in 1949 a small scar on the NW side of the shakehole gave access to a passage that reached the first pitch. Much of the cave was explored and surveyed down to the sump at the end of Duke Street. The cave entrance then became blocked 1953 until it was reopened 1963.