Rowten Pot

Rowten Pot is a cave entrance in North Yorkshire. It lies in Kingsdale, a dry valley on the moors. The shaft drops seventy-two metres straight down. A stream falls into the pot from just below the surface. Below the shaft, the cave turns horizontal and meets the underground West Kingsdale river. The whole system runs for twenty-seven kilometres through the limestone. The cave is popular with cavers because it is large and has many aerial routes. Single rope techniques are normally used to descend the shaft. Three short sumps link to the Kingsdale Master Cave and can be free-dived. Nearby caves such as Swinsto Cave and Simpson Pot connect to the same system. Jingling Cave joins Rowten Caves, which re-emerge in Rowten Pot a few metres below the moor. Rowten Pot was first described in verse in 1781 by Thomas Dixon. Early accounts exaggerated the depth, but a proper descent reached thirty metres in 1890. In 1897 a party from the Yorkshire Ramblers’ Club reached the sump. Two fatal accidents have occurred here: one in 1939 when rising water trapped companions, and another in 1986 during a rescue. These incidents led to stronger safety measures in popular caves.