Weather
ImageAlt

Ten strange or quirky facts about White Scar Cave

A little quiz about odd and puzzling aspects of White Scar Cave.  See how many you know or can guess.

 

What do we possess that are not needed by the natural inhabitants of the cave?

Eyes!  In the absence of man the cave becomes a realm of absolute darkness.  Insects, worms, shrimps and spiders (mainly of microscopic size) have been found.  These are of interest to biospeleologists, who study cave life.

What name is given to crazy cave formations that grow spirally, sideways and any which way?

Helictites. There are several examples at White Scar.

What peculiar phenomenon sometimes happens at closing time?

A disembodied murmuring voice follows the last guide out of the cave. Scary?

What human ritual once took place in the Battlefield Cavern?

A wedding.  The bride’s dress was spotless white, and the ceremony was conducted in the echoing splendour of the natural vault.

How did Christopher Long, who discovered the cave, light his way on his first trip?

He used candles which he stuck in the brim of his hat.

In which year were caves around Ingleton first described in a guidebook?

1780.  The book is entitled “A Tour to the Caves, in the environs of Ingleborough and Settle, in the West-Riding of Yorkshire”.  It was one of the first books in the world to treat caves as places to visit and enjoy.

What is black and very thin and visible near the cave entrance?

A seam of coal.  The limestone was once covered by vast swamps, whose rotting vegetation formed coal deposits.  Coal was once mined at the nearby village of Ingleton.

Why does the cave have the strange name White Scar?

From the colour of the steep craggy outcrops of rock which tower 600 feet above the cave entrance.  They are called scars, a term derived from the Old Norse word sker meaning  ‘low reef in the sea’
 

What is cave lore?

Cave lore refers to the accumulating body of knowledge, legends, traditions and happenings about a particular cave.  It sounds peculiar, but people who have lived and worked around White Scar for many years will tell you that the cave has a personality, with moods that vary from day to day.  A little like us!

Who or what is Big Bertha?

Big Bertha is the name given to a massive boulder in the stream cave beyond the visitor trail.  Elsewhere in the system are Jailhouse Rock, Carrot Hall and Taffy Turnip’s Trepidation.

Share the secret:

Cave Highlights

icon: Cave Highlights Why not explore some of these peculiar phenomena in more detail

Cave Highlights

Web design by Obergine