Sleets Ghyll And Dowka Bottom Caves
By Cuthbert Hastings.
Sleets Ghyll Cave: The Wharfedale caves have not received so much attention from Ramblers as they deserve, with the exception of Scoska Cave, near Arncliffe, in which the Ramblers discovered, in 1905, the remains of the ill’ starred “Lady of Scoska.”[1]
About two miles below Arncliffe, and almost opposite Hawkswick, the road crosses a watercourse or ghyll by a bridge. At the head of this ghyll is a cave which presents some interesting and unusual features. In most caves the passages run generally in the same plane or with a slope upwards, and in some cases waterfalls have to be climbed; but in this case a descent of 170 ft. in distance has to be made down a steep slope of limestone scree lying on limestone rock, making a vertical descent of about 90 ft. For the next 80 yds. a passage with an average height of from 6-10, ft. is followed, the floor is covered with mud and rock and there are some low archways, 3-4 ft. high. Beyond this a low and winding passage, about 100 ft. long with a width of about 12 ft. and a descent of 15 ft., leads to a very long chamber, 399 yds. long with an average height of 10-12 ft. and a width of about 15 ft. The floor is covered with mud which, in places, lies in ridges running diagonally across the chamber, cut through by a small stream fed by the water dropping from the roof.
The stalagmite pavement with which the floor is covered at the place where the water drops is well worth seeing. From this pavement and near the wall rises a stalagmite column, but all the smaller stalactites – the pipes and leaves – have been wantonly broken down by visitors within the last five years, and the broken fragments can be seen on the floor. At the end of this chamber the floor rises steeply until it almost meets the roof, leaving only a very small opening impossible to follow. The general direction of the cave is W.S.W., and the total length, including the steep slope at the entrance, 542 yds. The far end is only about a quarter of a mile from Dowka Bottom Cave, but must be about 400 ft. below it.
Dowka Bottom Cave is on Hawkswick Clowder, about 1,250 ft. above sea level. The entrance, which is not easy to find, lies 900 yds. from the head of Sleets Ghyll. Follow the wall at the top of the scar for half a mile, and then the wall running at right angles until this wall turns to the N.E. – the cave lies 35 yds. W. of this corner.
At the entrance a descent of about 20 ft. is made partly by scrambling and partly by ladder, and then two passages are seen, one running N. and the other S.
Proceeding along the N. passage, which is the longer of the two (162 yds.) and very high, for a few yards, a large chamber is entered, the floor of which has been dug up in the search for human and animal remains, and some very valuable discoveries made.[2] This chamber is really a water sink for the drainage of both passages.
Beyond this the passage rises rapidly and progress is difficult owing to the slipperiness of the stalagmitic pavement which covers the floor. There are some very fine stalagmite bosses but nothing further of interest.
The S. passage is only about 53 yds. long, with a general rise upwards and in one place a climb of some 15 ft. The far end comes out on the surface of the moor and was probably once the original entrance to the cave before the roof at the present entrance fell in, which it obviously has, to judge from the quantity of débris lying at the bottom of this opening and between the two passages.