Yorkshire Dales, Great Britain · about 4 km from Ingleton
Keld Head
- CertificationFull cave
- Water temperature≈ ~7 °Cestimated, no reports yet
- SpecialSidemount
Diving and fills
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What it looks like
Four Hours Underground | Scott RG’s Solo Keld Head Cave Dive Keld head - UK cave diving Solo Cave Dive to West Kingsdale Master Cave Sump| Full Return Traverse
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Videos and posts
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Four Hours Underground | Scott RG’s Solo Keld Head Cave Dive Keld head - UK cave diving Solo Cave Dive to West Kingsdale Master Cave Sump| Full Return Traverse
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Other people's footage, not advice: how someone else dives here says nothing about what suits your team. Dive within your training.
The dive
Keld Head is the resurgence in West Kingsdale where Kingsdale Beck returns to daylight after its underground course: the main resurgence of the Kingsdale system.
1 earlier accident or incident has been reported at this cave. Read what happened ↓
Profile and sections
Keld Head is the resurgence in West Kingsdale where Kingsdale Beck returns to daylight after its underground course: the main resurgence of the Kingsdale system. The water is ~7 °C and peat-stained yellow-brown, and visibility is often limited. Good conditions need at least 3 weeks of dry weather, ideally 3 months.
The CDG has explored it since 1945. Keld Head is known for historic distance dives, including a European record in 1978.
Practical: in 2021 CDG members had tentative access again.
- Depth and profile
- Underwater through-dive to Kingsdale Master Cave: 1,829 m (1978 or 1979, sources differ); traverse from King Pot ~3 km (1991). Cave 8.1 km long; the Kingsdale cave system ~27 km. Max dive depth not published; Northern Caves lists a depth of 35 m for the cave.
- Configuration
- Sidemount is usual; CCR makes sense for the long distances. Backmount possible.
- DPV: DPV possible (estimate)
- Distances of 1.8–3 km make a scooter attractive; limited visibility and the access rules are the constraint — ask the CDG.
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Experienced divers only
This is how the planner decides who in your team may dive this cave. Rules your own trip adds (organizer, a mail, the AI) show with your trip.
How to get there
Not on access land. Ask the farmer at Braida Garth (further up the valley) for permission beforehand; it may be refused on any given day. After major access problems in recent years access is fragile: ask local CDG members for advice first, carry your CDG card, and the farmer prefers visitors to be accompanied by a local CDG member he knows. Without permission, don't dive or even walk down to the pool.
Around Keld Head
FillsNo fill station known nearby
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Caves nearby4 within 45 km
News
All (3)
Nearby
Articles about cave diving that name a place within 25 km of this site, but no cave by name. They're not necessarily about this site.
Accidents and incidents
What happened at this cave before, with the sources. No names are given; read it as a lesson for your own planning.
- Fatal diving accidents at Keld Head in 1970 (remains recovered only 5 years later) and 1980.
Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines. Search for more news ↗ Searched automatically, last on 13 Nov 2026.
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