Introductory half day Caving Sessions in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Thursday 8th August 2013.

Having returned to the Lake District from his day at Brimham Rocks and Howstean Gorge, Iain returned to Yorkshire the very next day to run an Introductory Caving Session in The Yorkshire Dales National Park  for Duncan Shrimpton and his children Patrick and Alex. (photo one)

Duncan and his family were on holiday for a week from the South East of England. Many years ago, Duncan had been on his first ever caving trip in Long Churns and wanted to revisit the experience with his children. When asked how he had found Kendal Mountaineering Services, Duncan replied that we had come up on a Google search for caving in the area and that he had liked the factual nature of our website and that the fact that the really important bit - the price, was clearly available in the site information - as of course it should be!

Iain met the family at Inglesport as he always does. Inglesport has a fantastic cafe and is a well stocked outdoor shop and is a favourite meeting point for cavers from all around the country.

From there, we drove to Selside in Ribblesdale, got changed into caving oversuits and wellingtons and headed underground in to Long Churns where Iain took this photo of Patrick as he wriggled through The Cheese Press with ease.

We made a point of entering the system via Diccan Entrance as we had Army recruits hot on our heels and we didn't want to be stuck waiting in a queue in the the lower part of Long Churns. It was a good plan, we had gotten The Cheese Press, The Slot and Plank Pool out of the way before we met them again.

As we had entered via Diccan Entrance, Iain took the party upstream to Middle Entrance and then on to the upstream entrance into Cross Passage (Babtistry Crawl) and then downstream in Babtistry to emerge again in Lower Long Churns.

This time on our return upstream, we climbed the Entrance Waterfall  before continuing upstream  on our Introductory Caving Session in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Photo three shows Patrick & Alex who by this time were becoming proper little cavers "bridging" the main streamway to avoid getting a soaking as we headed in to Upper Long Churns in the direction of Doctor Bannisters Washbasin.

On arriving at Doctor Bannister Washbasin, the children did a quick lap of the very large pool there before climbing the waterfall with assistance from Iain & their Dad.

We emerged at the upstream entrance in Long Churns with Iain offering to guide the trio around part of the Borrins Moor System. However, Alex had decided that she had had enough of caving for one day and quite fancied the idea of returning to Inglesport for further sustainance. Good choice!

Our final photo from this Introductory Half Day Caving Session in the Yorkshire Dales National Park shows the family on the limestone pavement, Penyghent in the background. After that we packed up and all returned to Inglesport - another great caving session done & dusted!

To book your Introductory Caving Session with us contact us here. Half day sessions start at £45 per person for a four hour caving session with caving oversuit, wellington boots, a caving belt and helmet with light all supplied as part of the fee. Caving is great fun and we look forward to showing you & your family the delights of what is to be seen underground.