Yorkshire Subterranean Society

This is a bit of a strange one, it was always a cave that I had heard so much about ('Ding' 'Dong' 'Bell!'); one of those that you though you knew before you got down there and it turned out to be totally different to what I had imagined. The guide book describes this as a magnificent cave! How exactly do you depict that . . .

The walk over to Ireby is satisfying enough by the time you get there, those of you who have walked back late at night in winter will know what I mean, by the time you get back your extremely useful SRT kit underground has decided to freeze and has chemically bonded its self to you to prevent you from bending in any direction to get your wellies off.

Walking to a cave entrance for the first time you never quite know what to expect, be it a rift in the limestone pavement, a collapsed shakehole or a hole in the hillside covered by a dustbin lid.

Ireby’s entrance lies in a fairly large shakehole littered with large boulders, with a fairly insignificant concrete pipe nested in the far left corner. Sliding down the pipe and a few shuffles later brings you into a chamber which descends slowly towards the series of Ding! Dong! Bell! Three fairly small consecutive pitches but very memorable. Further down the stream way the water cascades down over pussy pitch.

The thing about this cave is it always has that bit extra tucked away somewhere that you manage to forget about. It’s one of those place’s were you feel you’ve been a long way but never quite remember how you got there “its always quicker going back”. Who can remember the duck or the fact that you go through several large chambers before you get anywhere near Duke Street.

Duke street its self is a wonderful passage the fact that it is older that most of the cave before it adds to its appeal progressing through whirlpool chamber to reach the sump that leads to Ireby II