Going Underground
The weather forecast for today is nasty. I believe that the phrase used was “catastrophic thunderstorms”. Probably hyperbole, but doesn’t sound like the sort of thing one needs to be caught in whilst hill walking.
I have been meaning to visit some of the caves of the area, which look quite spectacular, and today would seem to present the perfect opportunity to get out of the humidity and potential downpours. As the plan is forming, a seed of doubt starts to take root in my mind…
Is a hole in the ground the ideal place to be if there is a torrential downpour?
The nerd in me goes into research mode.
It seems that of the two nearby caves, White Scar is the most sensitive to adverse climatic conditions (this is later confirmed by a gentleman at Ingleborough Cave who asserts that White Scar floods when it’s misty - can’t help thinking that there is some inter-grotto rivalry here!).
Ingleborough Cave it is then. This also has the advantage (well depending on your perspective I guess) that the cave is about 1.5 mile “hike” from the entrance. What wasn’t apparent is that there is no car park and space needs to be found in the picturesque, if compact, village of Clapham.
Anyway, parking achieved, walk completed, brief safety talk (“put this helmet on and be prepared to duck at the low bits”) absorbed and I am off to sample some beautiful subterranean delights…
