6 miles away from Grassington. On
the B6265 between Grassington and Pately Bridge. Discovered
in 1858. These Natural Caves are open to the public.
Stump Cross Caverns near Grassington in Yorkshire is
one of the countries leading show caves, and one of
the few that actually encourages cavers to explore and
extend it. The cave was discovered accidentally by two
lead miners working near Stubbe or Stump Cross in 1858,
William and Mark Newbold.
Caves are usually disliked by miners as they contain
no lead ore, but the Newbold brothers were from Derbyshire
and knew that a cave opened up to the public, could
have commercial value. Knowing that access via a vertical
shaft would be unpopular with visitors, they opened
up a sloping rift, installed steps, and by 1863 the
cave was opened to the public, with many thousands of
people visiting it since.
The superb range of stalactites and stalagmites, unusual
rock formations and spectacular lighting with level
pathways all go to make a descent into the caves an
unforgettable experience for people of all ages.
Sparkling stalactites and stalagmites add an extra
ingredient to the water sculpted rock walls of the cave,
and scientists have found a way to tell how old they
are. Some of the stalagmites at Stump Cross Caverns
are known to be at least 170,000 years old and, therefore,
the actual passages themselves must be very much older.
Exploration since 1858 has extended the system to over
4 miles in length and yielded animal bones over 90,000
years old from a time when the Dales were a wild, and
frozen wasteland.
Self-guided tours or guided tours by arrangement. Schools,
private and evening parties are welcome by appointment.
Open daily mid March – mid November, from 10am
Open weekends (and by appointment) during the winter
months, from 11am – 4 pm
Video Room with 20 minute video about the area and
its caves.
Gift Shop Tea Room accommodating up to 60 at a time.
National Park Information Point
Ample car and coach parking for patrons Come hail or,
come sunshine ...well it doesn't matter does it?
Actually if it rains heavily the cave is liable to
flooding so check first!
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