The Gaping Gill Winch
Gaping Gill in the Yorkshire Dales on Winch day…. That is my 6 year old you can see!
The Gaping Gill Winch
Want to take the journey of a lifetime and seize the opportunity to be winched down into the depths of Gaping Gill on the side of Ingleborough. Yes. WINCHED! Yes. INTO Gaping Gill?!
The caving experience of a lifetime? We think so! And one that can be enjoyed with the kids too!
What is Gaping Gill?
If you’d like to channel your inner Muse vibes for a moment…..
It’s a SUPER-MASSIVE-BLACK-HOLE!
Otherwise known as a bloody great pothole on the side of the super famous Yorkshire peak Ingleborough, Gaping Gill is literally a portal into the underworld.
And I will be telling you just how you can reach said underworld with the kids! (Are you suitably intrigued?!)
Hint: It is down a winch….
Tell me more about Gaping Gill first!
Under normal circumstances, Gaping Gill is an ‘admire from a distance’ kinda spectacle. Nestled just under the summit of Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales, Gaping Gill is the place where the water of Fell Beck spectacularly disappears. Watching the water of the beck disappear and seeing the spray rise from the big black abyss is quite simply a marvel of nature.
Because that water disappears down 110 metres of nothingness into one of the largest caverns in the UK. A cavern that is inaccessible to all!
(Ok, MOST. If you are a highly skilled and experienced caver, you can shout at me right now!)
And in doing so, it creates the tallest unbroken waterfall in the UK. Yes, move over Hardraw! In the subterranean world, this waterfall is the BOSS!
Gaping Gill on winch day. The tents belong to the volunteers of Bradford Pothole Club.
Can you tell me the geeky Gaping Gill history bits?
ALWAYS!
(Not here for the geeky bits? Skip to the bottom for our tips, I’ll still love ya!)
The first recorded attempt to get down this shaft was in 1842. John Birkbeck reached a totally admirable 55 meters considering he was descending a bloody waterfall with a candle and ran out of rope! He has a ledge that bears his name at the point he reached. Hats off to this guy! And if you head down yourself, make sure you keep your eyes peeled for it.
It would take another 50 years for somebody to reach the cave floor. Which goes someway to demonstrate what a feat of exploration it was!
After that point there were a number of folk who explored various parts, but it wasn’t 1983 that the connection was finally made between Gaping Gill and Ingleborough Cave (a spectacular show cave, just down the hill towards Clapham). With 12 miles worth of tunnels linking the two, you can imagine why it took so long!
The Gaping Gill winch has been running continuously for over 60 years (except for 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic). So be prepared to take part in something legendary!
Helmets on! Ready to be winched down Gaping Gill!
How on earth do you do the Gaping Gill Winch with the kids?
Visit on a Gaping Gill Winch Day
This occurs twice a year in May and August. Check out the Bradford Pothole Club’s website to know about the May winch and the Craven Pothole Club for the August winch, as they will update it with the details of the next meet. You can find their Gaping Gill page here.
You cannot access Gaping Gill at any other time of year or in any other way.
(Unless you are a highly skilled and experienced caver who knows where the other entrances are. Don’t even attempt to find them if you aren’t! You won’t be able to get in!).
What’s the winch? Well, it is literally a winch! The BPC set up a platform directly above the entrance to Gaping Gill. Then, one by one, they lower paying members of the public 110 metres down into the cavern below in a chair cage.
Do I have to book Gaping Gill Winch?
No. There is no way to book it. It operates on a first come first served basis and runs from 8am to 5pm. If there are too many people waiting to go down, they will close the book early, and post a sign at Ingleborough Cave (to save you the journey!)
Now, understandably this experience is popular and therefore busy! So in my opinion, the only thing you can do to guarantee yourself a chilled experience is by getting there mega early. We arrived at 7.45am and were winched down within an hour. It didn’t feel like a long wait and the kids weren’t climbing the walls. We had explored and were out by 10.30am and had plenty of time left in the day to either climb Ingleborough, or head back down to explore Ingleborough Cave (which is part of the same cave system).
The view from the underworld! The vast Cavern underneath Gaping Gill.
Can I camp there to save me the time?
No. Only members of the Bradford Pothole Club have permission to camp at Gaping Gill at winch meets.
Can I get to Gaping Gill through Ingleborough Cave?
No. There is no access from Ingleborough Cave.
So how do we get to Gaping Gill?
We find the easiest way to get to Gaping Gill is from Clapham, where you can park at the Yorkshire Dales Car Park (it is not locked overnight, so you can park there in the early hours to walk to Gaping Gill). There is also on street free parking (just adhere to parking restrictions and do not block any access to properties).
From here, you can either walk through the Ingleborough Estate Nature Trail (a toll path £2.50/ adult £1/ child that can be paid for by a coin machine that provides tickets). Or you can walk around the edge of this if you’d rather not pay. The path runs past Ingleborough Cave (which opens at 10am), and then heads up through Trow Gill and up to Gaping Gill from there.
The walk is about 3.5 miles there and takes about an hour and a half to two hours.
You can find all the details of this walk on our Gaping Gill page.
How much does it cost?
The winch is £20/ person. There are no concessions for children. (Price up to date as of 2024)
How old do the kids need to be?
The lower age limit is 6 for the May Bradford Pothole Club Winch. For the later Craven Pothole Club, the winch limit is 7. (correct as of 2024) Provided the child is happy to be winched down on the day, that’s all that’s required. There are no height or weight restrictions in place. There are additional harnesses provided for the safety of the youngest and smallest children.
The waterfalls of Gaping Gill on Winch Day
What do I need to take with me?
Waterproofs. Both trousers and tops. Whilst the BPC dam Fell Beck to divert the water away from the entrance, some of the water still manages to get down to Gaping Gill, and you will get sprayed by it on the way down. We’re not talking soaking here, but it is wet! Think of it, as a refreshing shower! Also, once you are in there, to really explore the cave, you absolutely will get muddy too! The kids wore their Reima and Didrikson waterproof dungarees, which were perfect! Check out the range at the Little Adventure Shop. These have been tried and and tested to the max, and they are still going strong! (Items were previously gifted by the Little Adventure Shop as an Ad/PR product on our social media channels)
Layers. It is cold in the cave. Even if there’s blazing sunshine outside, the cave will still be cold and damp, so don’t be fooled! There may also be a considerable wait to get winched back up again from the bottom so be prepared! We recommend taking waterproof gloves as well to stop numb fingers (we didn’t, and I spent the wait for the winch back up with the kids’ hands shoved up my jumper!)
Food. We took sausage sandwiches for brekkie! There may be a wait, and you know that a wait with kids is bad enough without them being hungry as well! Prepare for a meal or two dependant on your arrival time.
Distractions! Be warned. The wait can be up to several hours. We’d recommend taking a few card games, or a book to pass some of the time. Of course, simply watching the winch go up and down is entertainment, but not for long!
A strong high beam torch or head torches. Yes, the cavern is fully floodlit, but to access some of the more exciting parts of the cave, you will need your own torch, as you will not be able to see without it! If you are concerned about it getting wet (we weren’t too bothered!) You can always put it inside a dry bag and head down with that! We bought our Novostella rechargeable LED torches from Amazon, and they are the perfect strength (featured in the pictures As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases).
Cash. The winch is £15/ person and whilst I spotted a card machine when we were there, the website says cash. I wonder if the signal might not be too great in the middle of nowhere!
Walking boots. Wear walking boots. We saw a few in wellies, but in my opinion with the walk to get there, and with the scrambling involved to get to some of the more exciting parts inside the cave, the grip on walking boots will be best. Yes, it was wet down there, but nothing that the walking boots couldn’t handle.
The view from up high! Scramble up to the iron ladder to explore the caves up there.
What do Bradford Pothole Club provide?
They will provide you with a tag and a helmet. Everything else you need to bring.
Will there be somewhere to put my rucksack?
A fair few abandoned their bags on the side of the Gill, and they were still there when they came back, but that’s probably not advisable! We had a Daddy to look after ours, but I did spot some tucked away just next to the winch for safe keeping.
How will I know what to do when I get inside?
There is an expert caver down at the bottom of the winch who will be able to tell you where to go, and what’s safe to access. There are information boards installed all over the cavern to tell you all about the various parts and what you are looking at! Areas that are unsafe are taped off and warning signs are in place.
Are there any toilets at Gaping Gill?
No. The nearest toilets are the specially provided portaloos at Ingleborough Cave, or back at the car park in Clapham. So bear that in mind!
Can I take my Camera or Phone down with me?
Yes! We would recommend using a dry bag or waterproof phone case if you intend on recording your descent! We used our Duc-Kit Pro Waterproof Dry Bag and Waterproof Phone Case (tap the link to take a look! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
Anything else?
Enjoy! We couldn’t have found the members of the BPC crew to be any friendlier or welcoming! They were super knowledgeable, enthusiastic, kid friendly and just superstars!
Bring your torch to explore more!
What do you reckon? Would you risk a winch down?
Let us know in the comments!
And for a video of our descent, head to our Facebook and Instagram pages!
Want to know more about the Gaping Gill winch?
Head to the website for Bradford Pothole Club!