Simpson's Pot

Infobox Cave
name = Simpson's Pot
photo =
caption =
location = Kingsdale, North Yorkshire
depth = convert|112|m|ft|0|lk=oncite book
title=Selected Caves of Britain and Ireland
author=Des Marshal, Donald Rust
id = ISBN 1-871-89043-8
year=1997]
length = convert|884|m|ft|0|lk=on
coordinates = coord|54|11.715|N|2|28.044|W|type:cave
survey =
discovery = 1940
geology = Limestone
difficulty = Grade 4
hazards =
access = Free

Simpson's Pot is one of two popular pull-through trips into the West Kingsdale System whose exit is Valley Entrance at the base of the hill at the side of the road. (The other similar trip is Swinsto Hole).

A trip through Simpson's consists of a series of short wet pitches, a duck through "Blasted Hole", followed by the 30m high "Slit Pot" before gaining the Kingsdale Master Cave streamway. It is important to leave a short ladder "Roof Tunnel Pitch" down into the streamway from the Valley Entrance end, or it is very difficult to leave the cave. The water sumps at this point and emerges at Keld Head. An average trip lasts 2-3 hours and is very similar to the sport of canyoning, except it requires lights.

Somewhere along the route is a blind pit which cavers sometimes get trapped in after having pulled the rope down without checking that there isn't any way on. [cite web
url=http://www.cro.org.uk/printable/node/43
title=Incident Report 2006
date=4 January 2006
publisher=Cave Rescue Organisation] This is one reason why it is essential for cavers to tell someone where they are going in case they get lost in a place where there is no way out.

References