Simpson Pot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Simpson Pot |
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| Simpson's Pot | |
Descending Stake Pot pitch in Simpson Pot
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| Location | Kingsdale, North Yorkshire |
| OS grid | SD 6962 7787 |
| Depth | 112 metres (367 ft) |
| Length | 884 metres (2,900 ft) |
| Elevation | 376 metres (1,234 ft) |
| Discovery | 1940 |
| Geology | Carboniferous limestone |
| Entrances | 1 |
| Difficulty | Grade 4 |
| Hazards | water, verticality |
| Access | Free |
| Cave survey | On Cavemapper |
Simpson Pot is a famous limestone cave in West Kingsdale, North Yorkshire, England. It's named after Eli Simpson, who first noted its entrance. This cave is a popular spot for cavers, who are people who explore caves.
Simpson Pot connects to another cave called Swinsto Cave. From there, it leads into the Kingsdale Master Cave. Many cavers enjoy exploring Simpson Pot by using ropes to go down its deep sections. They can then pull their ropes up and exit through the Valley Entrance of Kingsdale Master Cave, which is at the bottom of the hill. Simpson Pot is part of a huge cave system that is about 27 kilometers (17 miles) long. This system helps drain water from both sides of Kingsdale.
Contents
Exploring Simpson Pot: What to Expect
The entrance to Simpson Pot is in a special dip in the ground called a shakehole. Here, a small stream flows into the cave. The passage quickly gets bigger, big enough to walk through. Soon, you reach a series of short drops known as Five Step Pot.
Below Five Step Pot, the main stream drops down an 11-meter (36-foot) deep hole called The Pit. However, the usual way to go (called the voie normale) is to climb over this hole into a dry area. This path has a few climbs and two more short drops. Eventually, you reach the 9-meter (30-foot) deep Storm Pot, where the stream you saw earlier reappears from the roof. It's also possible to follow the water through passages that are below The Pit.
Beyond Storm Pot: The Blasted Hole and Aven Pot
After Storm Pot, cavers need to get through a pool of water called The Blasted Hole. The water here can be waist-deep, and there's not much space above it. Once past this, the passage gets wider. You then go down three more drops to reach Aven Pot.
At the top of Aven Pot, there are two different ways to go. The main path goes down Aven Pot itself. Soon after, you reach the 23-meter (75-foot) deep Slit Pot. The top of Slit Pot is a very narrow crack that you have to squeeze through. At the bottom, this passage joins Swinsto Cave. The combined streams then drop down a short climb into Swinsto Final Chamber.
Alternative Routes and the Strike Series
The same Swinsto Final Chamber can be reached by taking a different path. Instead of going down Aven Pot, you can climb over it into a dry area. In a corner of a chamber there, a hole drops 40 meters (130 feet) into Swinsto Great Aven. From here, you climb down some large rocks to get back to Swinsto Final Chamber.
Another interesting part is the Strike Series. You can get to it by climbing up a 21-meter (69-foot) passage at one end of Swinsto Great Aven. This series is a complex network of passages that rise to more than 100 meters (328 feet) high!
How Simpson Pot Formed: Geology and Water Flow
Simpson Pot is a type of cave called a karst cave. It formed in a rock layer known as the Great Scar Limestone Group. This limestone was laid down about 335 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period.
Water's Journey Through the Cave System
Simpson Pot is like a smaller stream that flows into a bigger river. In this case, it's a tributary to the West Kingsdale Master Cave System. Water from Simpson Pot mixes with water from other caves like Swinsto Cave, Rowten Pot, Bull Pot, and Yordas Cave. All this water eventually comes out at a place called Keld Head, about a kilometer (0.6 miles) to the south.
The upper parts of Simpson Pot follow flat layers of rock that gently slope towards the north-east. When the cave reaches an area with many cracks, like at Five Steps Pot, the water can quickly drop down a series of shafts. Both Swinsto Great Aven and Swinsto Final Chamber formed along small cracks in the rock called faults. The passages above Aven Pot that lead to Swinsto Great Aven are thought to be the original path the water from Swinsto Cave used to take. Now, these passages are dry.
The History of Simpson Pot Exploration
The entrance to Simpson Pot was first noticed by Eli Simpson around 1910. However, it wasn't until 1940 that he showed it to a group of cave explorers from the British Speleological Association. This group included a famous caver named Bob Leakey.
Early Discoveries and Connections
On their first trip, Bob Leakey explored deeply into the cave. He climbed Five Steps Pot and went across The Pit. He was stopped by a 6-meter (20-foot) drop. The next day, the group explored as far as The Blasted Hole, where the passage seemed to end in water.
Later, Leakey went back alone and found a crack above the water. He felt a strong draft of air coming from it. A team returned and used explosives to remove a piece of rock, which opened up the passage beyond. On the same day, they discovered that Simpson Pot connected to Swinsto Cave!
Later Discoveries and Safety Lessons
More parts of the cave were found later. The Aven Pot extensions, which lead to the top of Swinsto Great Aven, were discovered in 1962 by members of the University of Leeds Speleological Association. The Strike Series was entered in 1978 by the Northern Cave Club.
Caving can be a challenging activity, and it's very important to be prepared and careful. There have been times when cavers have needed help after making a mistake, such as accidentally going down The Pit and not being able to get back up. This shows how important it is to have proper training, the right equipment, and to always explore caves safely.
