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Yorkshire Dales National Park
Clapham
Things to do in Clapham
Ingleborough Cave

Ingleborough Cave, Clapham: Hours, Address, Ingleborough Cave Reviews: 4.5/5

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Ingleborough Cave

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Ingleborough Cave
4.5
475
#1 of 6 things to do in Clapham
Caverns & Caves
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10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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About
Ingleborough Cave, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, was first discovered in 1837 by brave Victorian explorers who drained away a lake and went on to discover 1/2km of previously unexplored passages delving deep beneath Ingleborough mountain with only candles to guide them! Today, the cave is well lit, and you can follow in the footsteps of those pioneers on an awe-inspiring voyage of discovery! A concrete footpath leads visitors past breath-taking stalactites, stalagmites and flowstones, as you are led by expert guides through a kilometre of passages brought to life by formations and artefacts dating back millions of years! The significant impact of the Ice Age is visible, and as recently as 2002 the tooth of a woolly rhinoceros, now long extinct, was discovered just beyond the show cave!
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

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4.5
475 reviews
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Abigail Willson
Market Harborough, UK51 contributions
Stunning Caves
Jun 2022 • Solo
Absolutely stunning. I’ve been to caves all around the world and I can honestly say this has the most diversity of formations that I’ve come across! Stunning colours. Pretty waterfalls and features. Peaceful walk to get there. Well worth a visit.

Plus, every member of staff I met were so friendly and helpful. Especially John, who I spoke at length with in the cave. He truly is an expert. Should he see this, I found the prehistoric settlement cave. And I also got to fit in Malham Cove after all!
Written 21 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Jacky H
Milton Keynes, UK129 contributions
Nice cave system
Jun 2022 • Friends
This is a nice cave system. There are low tunnels but luckily you will be provided with hard hats. The cave is very popular with school trips, which led my party to not fully see the last chamber as it was filled with children. The walk to the cave is nice, with a lovely waterfall, remember to bring change for the toll path £2.50 adults £1 children, the machine doesn't give change.
Written 8 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Sarah L
14 contributions
Beautiful
May 2022 • Family
We had a lovely time here, the trail is very scenic and lots of wildlife to look at, I went with my son and my dog and we enjoyed playing in the steam and skimming stones whilst laughing and joking. When we reached the cave we had to show our receipt of purchase and the lady was very helpful, you get a guide with info on explaining parts of the cave itself. The cave experience is quite short as it’s not massive but it is very interesting and all I can say is it shows thousands of years of beauty. The gift shop is small and could benefit from a larger choice of snacks other than ice cream. Dogs are very welcome as long as they are well behaved and on leads for the duration of your visit.
Written 24 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Caroline H
3 contributions
Ingleborough Cave is amazing.
Apr 2022
We visited Ingleborough Cave and it had such natural beauty. John was very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful in providing all of the information about the cave.
Written 12 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
RSJ_13
staffordshire10 contributions
Well worth a visit
Apr 2022 • Friends
Gorgeous place to visit, nature trail first before entry to cave £13 for both. Cave was very big with lots to see and we had a member of staff at the very end that highlighted a few extra features including reflections of rock formations in water which would have been totally missed. He was very pleasant and friendly! One way in cave and same way back. Loved the experience.
Written 11 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Jane2112
England178 contributions
Super Santa trip, can't wait till next year.
Dec 2021
Another fabulous visit to Santa in his grotto. This time taking my son's almost 3 year old nephew , along with the rest of the family, 6 adults and 1 child in total. My sons had visited Santa in their youth, and I was looking forward to revisiting the whole experience.
We had pre booked a time slot and allowed lots of time for little legs to walk up to the cave. Although busy, it was well run, with about 3 groups in the cave at any one time.
The cave is lit up like fairy land, and lots of Christmas decorations throughout.
The normal cave guides become elves during this period and tell a story about elves and goblins working in the cave, involving audience participation.
The children all get individual time with Santa, and our great nephew was very pleased with his gift - great value for money.
There is a mini bus running from the village, right to the cave if you need it.
I can't wait for next December
Written 4 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Darren99999
Aylesbury Vale, UK515 contributions
Excellent and amazing
Feb 2022 • Family
We parked at Clapham and walked about 45 minutes to the caves, beautiful walk through the woodland. The caves are self guided, with a guide inside to add some extra information to the laminate guide sheet. Well lit trail and some fine examples of limestone formations. Look out for the fairytale castle at the end!
Written 27 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
jimibob
Edinburgh, UK111 contributions
Spectacular cave
Sep 2021
Just a pleasant stroll through the Ingleborough Estate Nature Trail will bring you to the entrance to the cave. On the day of our visit, we were its first customers, and flatteringly, charged adult rather than concession for admission. We must look younger than we feel. Although there wasn't a guided tour on offer, we were given hard hats and some advice about the cave. It really is a spectacular piece of limestone geology with a wealth of features. Well lit, good underfoot, really interesting, and the guide did find us later and point out a number of features we might not have noticed otherwise, including ancient fossils some 350 million years old. Well worth visiting.
Written 14 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Richard S
1 contribution
Santa and Covid not a good combination!!
Dec 2021
Visited Santa’s Grotto 23 Dec. web site said groups of fifteen ours numbered more than 30. It is not possible to really keep a safe distance in the cave, but this is made much worse by having 3 groups in the cave at once so they have to pass each other on very narrow path. This could be improved if only 1 group were allowed entry at on time. This would cut the number of visitors, but if the rather silly story the “elves “ give to extend the stay in the caves were cut the number would not be diminished much.

Some 8 to 10 adults in our group declined to wear masks even when offered free ones. I know the management is not responsible for such ignorant and selfish people, but it is difficult to understand why they don’t say “no mask no entry” like so many other establishments; especially since they cannot maintain customer distancing in the cave.

There were some rather meager lights and decorations in the cave but they add nothing to the majesty of the cave itself even for the children who experience much more spectacular effects in most towns. There is no lighting on the 1.2 mile walk to the cave and we wondered how the people who were walking to the cave at 3 pm we’re going to get back. There is a steep fall to one side of the track for much of the way.

In summary the cave is a natural beauty spot , but the Santa experience is rather poor and the Covid restrictions virtually non existent. Take your chance or not the choice is yours. We would not have gone had we known beforehand and hope the visit does not destroy our family Christmas .
Written 1 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
kristen h
Runcorn, UK3 contributions
Fabulous family day
Dec 2021 • Family
Santa's grotto was magical. Really friendly and helpful staff who were amazing with kids and so accommodating!
Great mini bus service too who frequently stopped to collect small ones with tired legs
Written 24 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Ingleborough Cave
Ingleborough Cave is open:
  • Sun - Sat 10:00 - 16:00