5 sites · down to 64 m · 1 suitable for an intro team
Cave diving in the Yorkshire Dales
- Sites5
- Max depth64 m
- Water temperature4–10 °C
- Dive centres3
Now in Yorkshire Dales and Lake District (Great Britain)
- Keld HeadGeoff Yeadon, the man who crossed the Yorkshire Dales underwater: a life of explorations under Ingleborough ↗
Diving and fills
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Fills nearby
- Fill stationCapernwray Diving CentreAir, nitrox and trimix; O₂ and 300 bar not mentioned (ask)Route ↗
- Fill stationThe ScubaDiving Gear Store (Manchester)Nitrox 28–36 % (230/210 bar), technical nitrox 50 % and 100 % O₂ (200 bar), trimix (per litre of O₂ and helium plus a £5.50 standing charge)Route ↗
Why come here
Around Ingleton lie classic British resurgences and sumps: Keld Head, the main resurgence of the Kingsdale system, and Hurtle Pot in Chapel-le-Dale, plus the flooded slate quarry of Hodge Close in the Lake District. Cave diving here is a branch of caving through the Cave Diving Group, which overseas divers can only join temporarily; Keld Head needs the permission of the farmer at Braida Garth, who may refuse on any day, and Joint Hole is closed. The water is cold, 4–7 °C, and peat-stained at Keld Head: good visibility takes weeks of dry weather, and in spate Hurtle Pot floods dramatically. The CDG recommends solo diving in British sumps, with sidemount, helmet and permanent lines.
Don't miss
- Keld Head: the resurgence where Kingsdale Beck returns to daylight, explored by the CDG since 1945 and known for historic distance dives, including a European record in 1978.
- Hurtle Pot: a shaft with a sump pool on the underground course of Winterscales Beck, according to InDEPTH the most dived cave in the UK thanks to its easy access.
- Hodge Close Quarry: a green-slate quarry with large boulders and wrecked cars underwater and two large openings to Parrock Quarry with the steel base of a crane; enter the tunnels only with cave or mine training and a continuous guideline.
On a rest day
- Ingleton Waterfalls Trail: A circular walk of about 8 km from Ingleton along the Twiss and the Doe, past waterfalls such as Thornton Force.
- White Scar Cave: In Chapel-le-Dale a show cave leads to the Battlefield, a chamber 90 m long and one of the largest cave chambers in Britain.
- Ribblehead Viaduct: This 24-arch viaduct carries the Settle–Carlisle line across the Ribble valley at Ribblehead.
All 5 sites
1 closed not shown ·
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gavel PotPermission neededSidemount · Full cave | 64 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Hodge Close QuarryBackmount · Intro to cave | 32 m | Backmount | Intro to cave |
| Hurtle PotSidemount · Full cave | 35 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Keld HeadPermission neededSidemount · Full cave | – | Sidemount | Full cave |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Map
Dive centres and fill stations
3 dive centres, fill stations and instructors
Fill station
Capernwray Diving Centre
Jackdaw Quarry, Capernwray Road, Carnforth LA6 1AD
- Air, nitrox and trimix
- Dive equipment
Fill station
The ScubaDiving Gear Store (Manchester)
Unit 5, Victoria Lane, Manchester M45 6BL
- Nitrox 28–36 %, technical nitrox 50 % and 100 % O₂, trimix
Independent instructor
RebreatherPro Training (Dave Gration)
Works in: United Kingdom, Lot, Malta and Finland (based in Leicestershire)
- Cavern, Intro to cave, Full cave, Sidemount, CCR, Trimix · TDI, IANTD, RAID · Listing at the agency ↗
Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from Ingleton and independent instructors by name. Not a recommendation: check what they offer yourself.
On this list, or should you be? Get a free partner card →Where to stay
Find a place near Ingleton, Clapham, Kirkby Lonsdale, Settle, Coniston
Villages that work well as a base for the caves in this region. Find a place for your team:
- IngletonBooking.com ↗
- ClaphamBooking.com ↗
- Kirkby LonsdaleBooking.com ↗
- SettleBooking.com ↗
- ConistonBooking.com ↗
The links to Booking.com are affiliate links: if you book through one, DiveTripPlanner earns a small commission. You pay the same.
Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- 999 or 112. Accident in a cave: call 999, ask for the police and say it is a cave rescue. Diving accident on land: National Diving Accident Helpline 07831 151 523 (24 h) or the nearest BHA chamber; DAN Europe +39 06 4211 5685.
- Chambers: Hyperbaric Treatment & Training, 2 East Street, Birkenhead CH41 1BY, tel. 0151 648 8000 (24/7; backup 07802 824245), category 1 (~1 h 45 from Ingleton). North of England Medical Hyperbaric Unit, Spire Hull and East Riding Hospital, Lowfield Road, Anlaby, Hull HU10 7AZ, tel. 01482 659471 (hospital switchboard), category 1 (~2 h 15).
Access and rules
- Access: the Council of Northern Caving Clubs (CNCC) publishes access rules per cave (cncc.org.uk). Keld Head: permission from the farmer at Braida Garth (may be refused on any day), carry your CDG card and preferably go with a local CDG member. Hurtle Pot: no permission needed. Joint Hole: closed. Hodge Close: goodwill parking fee, no formal permission.
- CDG Northern Section: ask about access and conditions beforehand. Overseas cave divers can only get temporary CDG membership.
- Insurance: BCA membership (caving member £32 a year) includes public liability insurance; clubs such as UKMC use it to cover landowners.
Gas and fills
- Gas: Capernwray Diving Centre near Carnforth (air, nitrox, trimix; ~25 min) and The ScubaDiving Gear Store in Manchester (technical nitrox, O₂, trimix; ~1 h 15).
Water and season
- Water and visibility: Keld Head ~7 °C and peat-stained, good visibility needs weeks of dry weather; Hodge Close 4–6 °C and usually clear. In sumps rarely above 7 °C, with 1–2 m visibility as normal (CDG).
- Floods: in Chapel-le-Dale the Weathercote shaft can fill to the top in spate and Hurtle Pot then floods dramatically — dive only after a dry spell.
Safety
- Cave diving in the UK is a branch of caving, not of sport diving. The sumps are dived through the Cave Diving Group (membership and training). These pages are not an invitation to go on your own.
- British practice: the CDG recommends solo diving in British sumps because no British sump allows unimpeded buddy diving. Sidemount, helmet, hand-held lights and permanent 4 mm lines are the norm.
News
News articles that mention one of the caves in this region, collected automatically and not checked by us.
Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines.
Searched automatically, last on 13 Nov 2026.
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