Weathercote Cave

by Tony Oldham


The cave is strictly for sightseeing. Unlike most other caves potholers are not encouraged.

It has been a popular venue for tourists since the eighteenth century, and indeed, one of the best descriptions of it is to be found in "A Tour to the Caves in the Environs of Ingleborough and Settle" by John Hutton (1780). (pdf) He describes it as a "stupendous subterranean cataract". Weathercote Cave is 108 feet deep, and it is possible to climb down into the roofless chasm, by means of a flight of rickety and slimy steps.

A boulder, suspended 77 feet above the floor, still bears the name coined by Hutton, "Mahomet's Coffin". From behind it a waterfall appears and plunges, with a deafening roar, on to the floor beneath.

There is no guide in this cave, and no lights are needed.


Text from: Tony and Anne Oldham (1972): Discovering Caves - A guide to the Show Caves of Britain. With kind permission by Tony Oldham.