Disappointment Pot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Disappointment Pot |
|
|---|---|
Negotiating the duck in Disappointment Pot
|
|
| Location | Ingleborough, North Yorkshire |
| OS grid | SD 7505 7260 |
| Depth | 110 metres (360 ft) (To Hensler's Master Cave) |
| Length | 500 metres (1,600 ft) |
| Elevation | 395 metres (1,296 ft) |
| Discovery | 1912 |
| Geology | Carboniferous limestone |
| Entrances | 3 |
| Difficulty | IV |
| Hazards | water, verticality |
| Access | Permit |
| Cave survey | On Cavemaps |
Disappointment Pot is an exciting cave entrance. It leads into the huge Gaping Gill cave system. You can find it in a steep, grassy dip in the ground. This dip is called a shakehole. It's about 120 meters (130 yards) south-east of the main Gaping Gill entrance.
This cave is mostly narrow. A stream flows through it. The passage goes down several small shafts. It then joins the main Gaping Gill system. Its water flows into a big passage called Hensler's Master Cave. Disappointment Pot is located in a special protected area. This area is known as the Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Contents
Exploring Disappointment Pot
To enter the cave, you climb down about 10 meters (33 feet). This drop is at the bottom of the grassy shakehole. You then enter a stream passage.
Inside the Cave
If you go upstream, you'll find a passage. After about 100 meters (330 feet), it leads to where the stream disappears. This is also where the Motley Pot exit is.
If you go downstream, the passage gets narrow and winding. The stream flows through it. You'll reach a short section where you have to crawl flat. After that, there's a "duck." This means the passage is very low, and you have to get wet. There's only a tiny bit of air above the water.
The passage then gets bigger. It leads to the first of five short drops. These drops are called "pitches." A pitch is a vertical drop in a cave that you usually need ropes to get down.
Other Entrances
Just before the third pitch, you'll see a high opening. This is where Marilyn, the third entrance, joins the cave. The fifth pitch is the biggest, about 14 meters (46 feet) high. This pitch drops into a large room.
To continue, you climb down a pile of rocks. Then you follow a wide passage for about 80 meters (260 feet). This leads you to Hensler's Master Cave. This is a major part of the Gaping Gill System.
Motley Pot
Motley Pot is another entrance to the cave. It's currently blocked. This entrance leads to small passages. These passages carry the main stream from a nearby sinkhole. It connects to Disappointment Pot just upstream of the main entrance. There's a 4-meter (13-foot) climb down inside.
Marilyn
Marilyn is the third entrance. It drops straight down two pitches. One is 25 meters (82 feet) and the other is 23 meters (75 feet). Marilyn joins Disappointment Pot just before the third pitch. This entrance helps cavers avoid the tight, winding passages and wet crawls.
Cave explorers have also found other passages. Some are "fossil" passages, meaning they no longer carry water. Others are active inlets, still bringing water into the main streamway.
History of Discovery
The cave was first explored in 1912. J. Blackburn-Holden and Eli Simpson were the first to enter. They hoped it would be another way into Gaping Gill. Another entrance, Flood Entrance Pot, had been found recently.
Why the Name "Disappointment"?
However, they were disappointed. After about 100 meters (330 feet), the cave ended. It became a low passage filled with water. This is why it's called Disappointment Pot.
Later Discoveries
The passages at the bottom of Disappointment Pot were found later. These passages lead from Hensler's Master Cave to the chamber where Disappointment Pot ends. Eric Hensler discovered them in 1937. He found over 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) of new passages in Gaping Gill on a solo trip.
In 1944, Bob Leakey explored the flooded passage. This was the part that had stopped Simpson. Leakey was able to dive through the water. He found air on the other side where he could stand. He then broke down a small dam of rocks. This lowered the water level. After that, the entire cave could be explored to the very bottom.
Opening New Entrances
Motley Pot was dug open in 1984. Members of the Bradford Pothole Club did this work. They wanted an entrance closer to where the stream disappeared.
The third entrance, Marilyn, was opened in 2005. Members of the Craven Pothole Club opened it up. Its pitches drop almost directly into Disappointment Pot. The second pitch had actually been climbed from below in 1995 by members of the Bradford Pothole Club.
