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132 Chapter 8: <strong>The</strong> Greta Headwaters<br />
it says on its ro<strong>of</strong>, that is, caves – to be precise, <strong>the</strong><br />
White Scar Caves. By <strong>the</strong> time Chapel Beck crosses<br />
<strong>the</strong> footpath from Beezleys it is wide and docile enough<br />
to require nearly fifty stepping-stones to cross. But it<br />
is only girding its loins for a tumultuous fall through<br />
Baxenghyll Gorge, including impressive cascades at<br />
Beezley Falls, Rival Falls and Snow Falls, between<br />
which <strong>the</strong> water lies black-brown in deep pools.<br />
<strong>The</strong> glen is a Site <strong>of</strong> Special Scientific Interest<br />
because <strong>of</strong> its geology and associated flora. It is also<br />
designated an Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland, ancient<br />
in this context being defined as pre-1600. Ancient<br />
woodland is scarce locally because <strong>of</strong> grazing but much<br />
<strong>of</strong> this glen is inaccessible to sheep or cattle, enabling<br />
oak and birch, with occasional hazel, holly and rowan,<br />
to flourish on <strong>the</strong> acidic soils that overlie <strong>the</strong> Silurian<br />
slate. <strong>The</strong> woodlands are also important for <strong>the</strong>ir mosses<br />
and liverworts, which thrive in dark gullies, and ground<br />
plants such as wood rush, dog’s mercury and wild<br />
garlic.<br />
<strong>The</strong> path alongside <strong>the</strong> falls provides views <strong>of</strong><br />
several disused slate quarries, while from high to <strong>the</strong><br />
east <strong>the</strong> stone-crushing noise <strong>of</strong> Skirwith Quarry may<br />
well intrude. This quarry continues to mine <strong>the</strong> Ingleton<br />
Granite previously mined upstream.<br />
As Chapel Beck emerges from <strong>the</strong> wooded glen<br />
it passes through <strong>the</strong> remains <strong>of</strong> Mealbank Quarry.<br />
Beezley Falls<br />
White Scar Caves are <strong>the</strong> longest show caves in England.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y were discovered in 1923 when two Cambridge<br />
students, Christopher Long and John Churchill, investigated<br />
Playfair’s Cave, <strong>the</strong>n thought to lead only a short distance.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y had previously explored <strong>the</strong> Cheddar Gorge in<br />
Somerset and Stump Cross Cavern near Harrogate and,<br />
having concluded that <strong>the</strong>re was money to be made from<br />
developing a show cave, had come to Ingleborough with<br />
that specific intention.<br />
So, wearing, according to <strong>the</strong> Yorkshire Post, an outfit<br />
that “consisted <strong>of</strong> all-lea<strong>the</strong>r clo<strong>the</strong>s, thoroughly treated<br />
with dubbin; a helmet, with three candles and an electric<br />
lamp, served by a battery and switch attached to <strong>the</strong>ir belts;<br />
rock-climbing boots and a plentiful application <strong>of</strong> vaseline<br />
to such parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir body as were exposed” (that is, most<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m), Long and Churchill ventured in. <strong>The</strong>y found a<br />
way beyond a pool and after crawling 200m reached <strong>the</strong><br />
first waterfall <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> cave’s main stream. Subsequently <strong>the</strong>y<br />
explored upstream, passing many fine formations, now<br />
bearing prosaic names such as <strong>the</strong> Sword <strong>of</strong> Damocles and<br />
<strong>the</strong> Devil’s Tongue, as far as <strong>the</strong> lakes now bypassed by <strong>the</strong><br />
Bagshaw Tunnel.<br />
Unfortunately, <strong>the</strong>y were not rewarded for this<br />
endeavour because Long, a manic depressive, died <strong>of</strong> a<br />
drug overdose in 1924 and Churchill was unable to raise<br />
sufficient funds to continue <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> cave.<br />
<strong>The</strong> cave was eventually opened to <strong>the</strong> public in 1925,<br />
with <strong>the</strong> first manager, Tom Greenwood, adding fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />
galleries and passages in <strong>the</strong> 1930s. In 1971 <strong>the</strong> massive<br />
200,000-year-old Battlefield Cavern, 100m long and 30m<br />
high with thousands <strong>of</strong> delicate stalactites and undisturbed<br />
prehistoric mud pools, was discovered and this now forms<br />
<strong>the</strong> climax <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> present tour, 1.5km and 90 minutes from<br />
<strong>the</strong> entrance.<br />
It contains probably <strong>the</strong> thickest coal seam within an<br />
English limestone sequence, and <strong>the</strong> sediments are rich<br />
in fossils yet to be fully understood. <strong>The</strong> quarry also<br />
has <strong>the</strong> ruins <strong>of</strong> England’s first H<strong>of</strong>fmann kiln, which<br />
operated from 1864 to 1909. This kiln had a literally<br />
revolutionary design, whereby material was burned in<br />
a continuous horizontal loop, ra<strong>the</strong>r than tipped into a<br />
vertical furnace.<br />
On <strong>the</strong> outskirts <strong>of</strong> Ingleton, Chapel Beck passes an<br />
outdoor swimming pool that a plaque proudly informs<br />
us has been ranked <strong>the</strong> 52 nd such pool in <strong>the</strong> world. Just<br />
before <strong>the</strong> viaduct for <strong>the</strong> old Lowgill-Clapham line<br />
Chapel Beck is joined by Kingsdale Beck to form <strong>the</strong><br />
River Greta.<br />
This is Chapter 8 <strong>of</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Land</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Lune</strong> (2nd edition), http://www.drakkar.co.uk/land<strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong>lune.html, Copyright © 2010 John Self