Gaping Gill

Gaping Gill is a vast pothole on the southern slopes of Ingleborough in North Yorkshire. The shaft plunges ninety-eight metres straight down, with Fell Beck tumbling into its depths. After the fall the water vanishes into boulders below and reappears near Ingleborough Cave. The chamber ranks among Britain’s largest natural openings to the surface. It once held the record as the deepest shaft in the country until Titan in Derbyshire was found in 1999. The waterfall remains the highest freefall in the United Kingdom. Explorers have traced many linked passages feeding into the main shaft. Names like Jib Tunnel, Disappointment Pot and Hensler’s Crawl mark these routes. The Bradford and Craven Pothole Clubs run winch rides down the shaft at holiday weekends for visitors willing to pay. A 3D laser model showed the chamber’s volume matches that of York Minster. Early attempts in the 19th century reached ledges half way down before Édouard-Alfred Martel completed the first full descent in 1895. Visitors who descend the shaft find themselves in a vast underground space lit by winch lights. The stream’s echo rises from the bouldery floor far below. Nearby entrances offer alternative ways into the system for cavers. Hensler’s Crawl leads to the Master Cave discovered in 1937. On rare dry days experienced climbers tackle the main shaft’s rock climb first done in 1972. The connection to Ingleborough Cave was made underwater in 1983 by cave divers.