Langcliffe Pot

Langcliffe Pot is a cave system on the slopes of Great Whernside in Upper Wharfedale, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) SSE of Kettlewell in North Yorkshire.

Although a considerable length of passage has been explored in Langcliffe Pot, the current end is over 170 metres (560 ft) above the resurgence, and over 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) in distance.

Downstream, 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) of boulder-strewn streamway finishes where the water disappears under a wall, but a small passage leads into Boireau Falls Chamber, at the base of which it is possible to regain the stream.

[1] Langcliffe Pot is a solutional cave formed within rocks of the Yoredale Series of the Pendlian and Brigantian substages of the Mississippian epoch of the Carboniferous period.

The resurgence at Black Keld, some 174 metres (571 ft) below the lowest point of Langcliffe Pot, lies in the Great Scar Limestone.

[4] Langcliffe Pot was first spotted in December 1935 by members of the Craven Pothole Club (CPC), and they made the first descent the following April when the first 45 metres (148 ft) of traverse in the downstream passage was explored to a pool.

Over the next three months, ULSA explored and surveyed the main stream passage as far as Boireau Falls Chamber, and all the major inlets, giving a total system length of 6.4 kilometres (4.0 mi).

[5] In June 1972 the system flooded whilst an ULSA diving team were on the far side of the Nemesis boulder choke, trapping them which resulted in a major rescue call-out.