Ingleborough Cave
Ingleborough Cave, Clapham: Hours, Address, Ingleborough Cave Reviews: 4.5/5
Ingleborough Cave
Ingleborough Cave
4.5
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
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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Popular mentions
4.5
475 reviews
Excellent
359
Very good
97
Average
9
Poor
6
Terrible
4
Abigail Willson
Market Harborough, UK51 contributions
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!
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 .
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
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
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.
June R
1 contribution
Are you allowed dogs in caves
Ingleborough Cave
Clapham, UK11 contributions
Hi, yes dogs are more than welcome in both the cave and on the trail, providing they’re kept on a lead. Thanks.
Hi would like to know if you're open yet. Would like to visit.
Ingleborough Cave
Clapham, UK11 contributions
Good Afternoon, we are open daily from 10am-4pm. Thanks.
Is this walk accessible for standard (ie not all-terrain) electric wheelchairs? If not, do you know how to get the accessible minibus which you mention? Thanks in advance
Ingleborough Cave
Clapham, UK11 contributions
Good Morning Georgie,
We do not recommend using standard electric wheelchairs on the path for a couple of reasons. Although the track is well maintained, it is still ultimately gravel, and it also climbs at a steady incline. We wouldn’t want you to damage your electric wheelchair, or for the battery to run out part way up due to the additional strain the gravel and the incline are putting on the battery.
The all terrain powered wheelchair, a.k.a the tramper, can be pre-booked over the phone or via email.
We hope to see you visiting soon.
Sue S
Liverpool, UK174 contributions
Hiya are they suitable for a Dog "pram" I have 2 doggies but one is really old and needs a pram x
Ruth J
Bradford, UK10 contributions
Hi looking for advice/guidance. How long is the tour in the caves? Is there anywhere you recommend visiting or seeing whilst there, planning to bring a group of international students.
Cheers
Ruth
Lynn Mills
Liverpool, UK547 contributions
Think the tour is just under an hour with a guide. Personally, I didn't find anything else worth seeing. Gaping Gill is about an hour away, you walk past Ingleborough cave to get to it, but you would have to check when there are tours as only open a couple of times a year. Hope this helps
Kirsten H
Blackburn, UK
Can you park at the actual entrance of the caves?
Ingleborough Cave
Clapham, UK11 contributions
Hi, you can’t, no. You park in Clapham village and walk through the Ingleborough Estate Nature Trail (1.3 miles) to get to the Cave. For the less able, we have an all terrain powered wheelchair that is available for hire free of charge, but this must be done by pre-arrangement. Thanks, Andrew
Mandi I
Lytham St Anne's, UK1 contribution
Do you have to book for Santa grotto or just turn up on the said dates?
Ingleborough Cave
Clapham, UK11 contributions
Hi,
You can’t book, no. It is just a case of turning up on the day! We hope to see you in December!
Best
Andrew
picklesglen
Ios, Greece17 contributions
Are dogs allowed in caves
Jenny H
Dalston, UK176 contributions
Yes they are ! Mine loved it!!
picklesglen
Ios, Greece17 contributions
Are dogs allowed in caves
joeysel
Leeds, UK537 contributions
Hiya, yes they are but must be kept on a lead.
Enjoy, they are awesome!
Cheers
Joe
Frequently Asked Questions about Ingleborough Cave
- Ingleborough Cave is open:
- Sun - Sat 10:00 - 16:00
- Hotels near Ingleborough Cave:
- (2.32 km) Wood View Bed & Breakfast
- (3.04 km) The Traddock
- (4.39 km) Moor View Bed and Breakfast
- (2.86 km) Game Cock Inn
- (3.69 km) Orcaber Farm Caravan & Camping Park
- Restaurants near Ingleborough Cave:
- (2.86 km) The Game Cock Inn
- (3.10 km) Goat Gap Cafe
- (6.17 km) The Old Post Office
- (4.88 km) Elaines Tea Rooms
- (6.46 km) Masons Freehouse