Underground cave system links Yorkshire, and .

Lancaster-Ease Gill Cave System

• The Caves under and around Ease Gill on the Cumbria/Lancashire of border of the UK form part of the longest and most complex system in Britain, the Three Counties System. The system extends beneath Casterton, Leck and Ireby Fells around the western and southern flanks of Gregareth Hill, with around 89Km of passages. The caves are formed in the Carboniferous (Dinantian) Great Scar Limestone. They contain a wide range of passage types, sediments and speleothems.

• AYGILL THE BOREHOLE BOUNDARY POT BULL POT of THE WITCHES

• BYE GEORGE CASTERTON POT CORNER SINK COUNTY POT

• COW DUBS II COW POT THE CRUMBLES GALE GARTH

• HERBERT"S HOLE HOWGILL SINK KIRK POT LANCASTER HOLE

• LECK BECK HEAD CAVES LINK POT MISTRAL

• NEW CAVE NEW SLIT SINKS NIPPIKIN POT OUR LADY'S

• OXFORD POT PEGLEG POT PETERSON POT PIPPIKIN POT

• PIPPIKIN SINK POOL SINK ROSY SINK SHORTY HOLE

• SLIT SINKS SMOKEY HOLE SWINDON HOLE SYLVESTER POT

• TOP TIP POT TOP SINK WITCHES CAVE WRETCHED RABBIT

Gaping Gill System - A List Of Entrances At 365ft deep the main shaft and main chamber of Gaping Gill are obviously extremely dangerous

• Entrance Location Year Connected Point of Entry into System • Main Shaft SD 7511 7270 1895 Main Chamber, Gaping Gill • Jib Tunnel SD 7510 7270 1896 Main Chamber, Gaping Gill • Flood Entrance Pot SD 7514 7242 1909 South-East Passage, Gaping Gill • Rat Hole SD 7509 7272 1935 Main Chamber, Gaping Gill • Disappointment Pot SD 7505 7260 1944 Hensler's Master Cave, Gaping Gill • Stream Passage Pot SD 7485 7252 1949 Stream Passage, Gaping Gill • Bar Pot SD 7518 7234 1949 South-East Passage, Gaping Gill • Wade's Entrance SD 7511 7243 1957 Flood Entrance Pot, below first pitch • Beck Head Stream CaveSD 7550 7115 1978 Lake Pluto, Ingleborough Cave • Ingleborough Cave SD 7542 7109 1983 Lower Series, Far Waters, Gaping Gill • Motley Pot SD 7497 7265 1984 Upstream Disappointment Pot • Rat Hole Sink SD 7510 7273 1984 Upstream Rat Hole • Clapham Beck Head Cave SD 7546 7109 1991 Downstream Beck Head Stream Cave • Foxholes SD 7569 7146 1993 Far Eastern Bedding Plane, Ingleborough Cave • Hensler's Pot SD 7526 7252 2003 Hensler's High Aven, Gaping Gill • Corky's Pot SD 7527 7268 2004 East Passage (Mud Hall), Gaping Gill • Clapham Bottoms Pot SD 7584 7208 2004 Troubled Waters Series, Gaping Gill • Small Mammal Pot SD 7520 7233 2005 Small Mammal House, Bar Pot • Marilyn SD 7524 7242 2005 Aven before 3rd pitch, Disappointment Pot • Stile Pot SD 7521 7233 2008 Small Mammal House, Bar Pot • OBJ Hole SD 7507 7246 2010 Flood Entrance Pot, after the zig-zags

Cave formation begins when rainwater absorbs carbon dioxide as it falls through the atmosphere. Rain water must have carbon dioxide to become acidic. It must be acidic to chemically react to the limestone bedrock. Rainwater is absorbed by the soil into the ground. As rainwater comes through the soil it absorbs more carbon dioxide that is being produced by plants that are dead. This changes the ground water to a weaker form of carbonic acid (H2O + CO 2 = H 2CO 3). As it travels down through the ground it comes to solid rock. When the rock is limestone or dolomite caves can form. A drop of water suspended on the roof of a cave will be saturated with dissolved limestone and tend to lose carbon dioxide so that a thin ring of limestone is formed. These drips slowly form hollow stalactites which regularly become plugged resulting in a cone shape dripstone or stalactite which form at about half an inch per hundred years. Secrets may be things not spoken Places, things or an event Confidences are not broken Sharing of them is not meant

6 miles of passages are dry On Casterton Fell in June Kirkby Lonsdale is close by Ease Gill flows into the Lune

We wandered up a dry stream bed Which had cut through limestone rock We went into a cave that led To a crawl and then a block

“I can’t get through” Paul said to me But I thought I’d have a nose The gap was tight but I could see That beyond the ceiling rose

Feet first into the slot I went A squeeze but then room to stand I turned and looked and then I bent I could move the floor by hand

I braced and pulled the slab to me Down it slid, more space was left Paul followed now the way was free New to man – this secret cleft

Past stalactites and down a pot To a chamber underground In ’63 that was the lot A way through was later found

Geological ages (horizontal axis is millions of years ago)