This popular cave starts with a pitch series that eventually opens out into a very large series of dry sandy passages.
The entrance is a vertical concrete pipe at the bottom of a shakehole that was last shored up in 2006.[4] The traditional route is down three pitches (Ding, Dong, and Bell), but there are several alternative routes. All may become impassable in wet weather. After many metres of rift passage is Well Pitch which accesses the main lower sandy passages known as Duke Street.
At the far end of Duke Street is Whirlpool chamber where a short sump (not free-diveable) gave access to cave divers into further passages known as Ireby II.
In early 2007, a system involving a primitive hand pump[5] and a mud dam to temporarily retain the water in an artificial lake in Duke Street allowed non-divers to enter this part of the cave.[6] This facilitated the digging out of a passage in the roof of Whirlpool Chamber previously blocked by sand, to be dug out from both ends hence creating a bypass to the sump.[7]
Digging has also forged a dry bypass to the sump via the aptly named Cripple Creek.
Historyedit
The prominent depression of Ireby Fell was marked as "The Cavern" on the first (1847) issue of the Ordnance Survey maps, though the early explorers could see little justification for the name. Various digs were undertaken from 1932 onwards until in 1949 a small scar on the NW side of the shakehole gave access to a passage that reached the first pitch.[8] Much of the cave was explored and surveyed down to the sump at the end of Duke Street. The cave entrance then became blocked in 1953 until it was reopened in 1963.[9]
Referencesedit
^"CNCC Website – Caving Access: Three Counties System". Retrieved 4 March 2008.
^Marshal, Des; Rust, Donald (1997). Selected Caves of Britain and Ireland. Leicester: Cordee. ISBN1-871890-43-8.
^Pacey, Neil (August–September 2010). "Closing the Gap". Descent (215): 23–27. ISSN 0046-0036.
^anon (2008). "Sump 1 Bypass Opened – Ireby Fell".
^Atkinson, F. (1949). "The Cavern. Ireby Fell. Lancashire". Cave Science – A Quarterly Review of Speleology. II (9). Settle, BSA: 21–27.
^Reynolds, T. (1963). "Reopening the cavern – Ireby Fell". Northern Pennine Club.
External linksedit
www.rrcpc.org.uk
May 12, 2024
ireby, fell, cavern, cave, system, ireby, fell, lancashire, england, near, border, with, north, yorkshire, segment, three, counties, system, linking, rift, system, south, with, notts, north, looking, north, across, entrance, sink, holelocationleck, fell, lanca. Ireby Fell Cavern is a cave system on Ireby Fell Lancashire England near the border with North Yorkshire 2 It is a segment of the Three Counties System linking the Rift Pot system to the south with Notts Pot to the north 3 Ireby Fell CavernLooking north across entrance sink holeLocationLeck Fell Lancashire EnglandOS gridSD 6737 7734Coordinates54 11 27 N 2 30 05 W 54 190825 N 2 50149 W 54 190825 2 50149Depth128 metres 420 ft Length4 600 metres 15 100 ft Discovery1949GeologyLimestoneEntrances1AccessFree 1 Cave surveycavemaps orgBRAC grade4 This popular cave starts with a pitch series that eventually opens out into a very large series of dry sandy passages The entrance is a vertical concrete pipe at the bottom of a shakehole that was last shored up in 2006 4 The traditional route is down three pitches Ding Dong and Bell but there are several alternative routes All may become impassable in wet weather After many metres of rift passage is Well Pitch which accesses the main lower sandy passages known as Duke Street At the far end of Duke Street is Whirlpool chamber where a short sump not free diveable gave access to cave divers into further passages known as Ireby II Helictites in Ireby Fell Cavern In early 2007 a system involving a primitive hand pump 5 and a mud dam to temporarily retain the water in an artificial lake in Duke Street allowed non divers to enter this part of the cave 6 This facilitated the digging out of a passage in the roof of Whirlpool Chamber previously blocked by sand to be dug out from both ends hence creating a bypass to the sump 7 Digging has also forged a dry bypass to the sump via the aptly named Cripple Creek History editThe prominent depression of Ireby Fell was marked as The Cavern on the first 1847 issue of the Ordnance Survey maps though the early explorers could see little justification for the name Various digs were undertaken from 1932 onwards until in 1949 a small scar on the NW side of the shakehole gave access to a passage that reached the first pitch 8 Much of the cave was explored and surveyed down to the sump at the end of Duke Street The cave entrance then became blocked in 1953 until it was reopened in 1963 9 References edit CNCC Website Caving Access Three Counties System Retrieved 4 March 2008 Marshal Des Rust Donald 1997 Selected Caves of Britain and Ireland Leicester Cordee ISBN 1 871890 43 8 Pacey Neil August September 2010 Closing the Gap Descent 215 23 27 ISSN 0046 0036 Pickup Jack April May 2006 Ireby s rumoured collapse Descent 189 11 ISSN 0046 0036 Todd Julian 12 July 2008 Pumping the Sump in Ireby Fell Cavern Video Wilson Simon April May 2007 Plumbing know how breaks Ireby sump Descent 195 13 ISSN 0046 0036 anon 2008 Sump 1 Bypass Opened Ireby Fell Atkinson F 1949 The Cavern Ireby Fell Lancashire Cave Science A Quarterly Review of Speleology II 9 Settle BSA 21 27 Reynolds T 1963 Reopening the cavern Ireby Fell Northern Pennine Club External links editwww rrcpc org uk Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ireby Fell Cavern amp oldid 1094768675, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
