Cave Descriptions

EuroSpeleo 2016 - Cave Route Description

GREAT DOUK CAVE & MIDDLE WASHFOLD CAVE

Great Douk is a pleasant and easy trip, great for novices. From the bottom of the huge entrance shakehole, the stream is followed for its entire length upstream and, for those who wish to crawl, it is possible to complete the through trip to exit at the nearby Middle Washfold Cave.

Parking:

Park in one of large laybys on the B6255 a few hundred metres past (north of) the Old Hill Inn in Chapel-le-Dale (if approaching from Ingleton).

How to find:

Grid reference SD 7471 7702

On the opposite side of the road to the first layby is the marked footpath up Ingleborough. Follow this over two stiles/walls (approx 1km). After the second stile, turn left (off the path) and follow the left hand wall to reach the large collapse/shakehole of Great Douk after about 500m.

Navigation:

At the bottom of the hole, a stream cascades in from above. Climb up to this and follow the walking sized passage upstream for some distance via cascades and flowstone.

Then, a low crawl in the stream (this can be bypassed by an oxbow) and then a junction is reached. Go left and the passage lowers to a flat out bedding crawl, with the water entering on the left and straight ahead being choked. Here, a hole in the roof reaches a higher bedding passage leading to another junction. At this junction, go left and you will soon reach the Middle Washfold Cave exit from the system.

On leaving Middle Washfold Cave, go north (across the wall) to return to Great Douk.