When can you visit Gaping Gill without being an experienced caver?

Twice a year during the May and August bank holiday weekends, local caving clubs set up a winch system that lowers visitors down in a bosun's chair. The Bradford Pothole Club operates in May and the Craven Pothole Club in August.

How deep is the drop into Gaping Gill?

The main shaft drops approximately 100 metres, making it the tallest unbroken waterfall inside any cave in Britain. The descent by winch takes about a minute or two.

Do you need to book in advance for the Gaping Gill winch descent?

It depends on how each caving club is running things that particular year. Check current information with the Bradford Pothole Club or Craven Pothole Club before your trip, as booking requirements and arrangements vary.

Beneath the Dales

Gaping Gill: Yorkshire's 100m Underground Waterfall

A stream drops 100 metres into a cave chamber in the Yorkshire Dales. Twice a year, caving clubs winch visitors down. Not one for the faint-hearted.

27 August 20267 min read