Long Churn Cave

Long Churn Cave lies in the Ingleborough area of the Yorkshire Dales, carved from limestone by acidic rainwater over millions of years. It sits near Selside, about 14 kilometres north of Ingleton in North Yorkshire. The cave splits into two parts, Lower Long Churn and Upper Long Churn, both fed by streams and linked to Alum Pot and Diccan Pot. Upper Long Churn is reached by dropping 4 metres into Dr Bannister’s Handbasin, a deep pool at the foot of a waterfall. Lower Long Churn leads to Diccan Pot and the notorious Cheesepress, a tight squeeze that can be bypassed. Explorers have visited the cave since before 1779, with John Hutton recording a traverse in 1779 in his book about caves near Ingleborough. W. Boyd-Dawkins explored it in 1870, and Alfred Wainwright later warned of its hidden dangers. The cave serves as a training ground for beginner cavers, though rising water in wet weather can make it hazardous. In 2007 two people drowned here, and in 2008 storms trapped two groups inside. Inside, Upper Long Churn offers a single long passage after the waterfall drop. Lower Long Churn ends in a chamber that opens onto a window into Alum Pot, a far trickier shaft to descend. The cave’s passages show signs of earlier aids like the Plank Pool, now removed. Visitors follow the marked route carefully, aware that straying off path can lead to unseen dangers in the black interiors.