The Ryedale Windypits are archaeologically significant natural underground features within the North York Moors National Park.

In warmer months cold air can be felt in the passage entrances, sometimes moving so violently as to vibrate the foliage nearby.

Seven species of bat have been recorded including whiskered Myotis mystacinus, Daubenton's M. daubentoni, Natterer's M. nattereri and brown long-eared Plecotus auritus.

[citation needed] The human remains from the four Windypits are Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age burials due to their association with the Beaker pottery and flint tools found in the chambers of the fissures.

[citation needed] In 2011, the BBC's History Cold Case programme featured a team from the Centre of Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee investigating the site.