Cateran Hole facts for kids

Cateran Hole is a cool cave located on Cateran Hill in Northumberland, England. It's about 35 meters (around 115 feet) long. This cave is found in a type of rock called Gritstone, which is a hard, coarse-grained sandstone. Cateran Hole is about 4 miles north of a village called Eglingham.

To find the cave, you can look for a tall mast behind a farm. Then, line up the mast with the left side of a wood near Quarry House farm. Walking in that direction will lead you to the cave.

Exploring Cateran Hole

The entrance to Cateran Hole starts with a shallow dip in the ground. You'll find steps carved into the rock that lead you down. These steps take you into a passage that is easy to walk through at first.

Inside the Passage

After the first steep steps, the passage becomes quite roomy. It slopes gently downwards. The passage is formed between two large, flat surfaces of Gritstone rock that meet above you.

About 30 meters (around 98 feet) into the cave, you'll reach a part where a large rock hangs down from the ceiling. This makes the passage much smaller. You'll need to crawl through this section to continue.

The Final Chamber

The crawling part is usually sandy and dry. However, if there has been a lot of rain, it can sometimes fill with water. After this crawl, you'll reach a small chamber. This chamber is blocked by many large rocks, so you can't go any further.

Legends and History

Cateran Hole has some interesting stories connected to it. People say that it was once a secret hiding place for smugglers. Smugglers were people who secretly brought goods into or out of a country to avoid paying taxes.

Some local people also believe that the cave once had a secret tunnel connecting it to Chillingham Castle, which is a famous nearby castle. They also thought it might connect to Hepburn. However, this idea seems unlikely because the cave doesn't point in the direction of either place. The carved steps at the entrance make the story about smugglers more believable.