Disappointment Pot

Disappointment Pot is a cave on the slopes of Ingleborough near Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, England, and one of several ways into the Gaping Gill system. It is a technical pothole for experienced cavers, not a sightseeing stop, but the surrounding moor makes a rewarding day out.

What is Disappointment Pot?

The entrance sits in a steep, grassy shakehole about 120 metres south-east of the Gaping Gill main shaft. Cavers first found it in 1912. Below the surface a narrow streamway drops through a series of short shafts before joining the main system as a major inlet into Hensler's Master Cave. Along the way you cross a boulder ruckle and follow a roomy passage for about 80 metres. A tight section of streamway follows, with a stretch you crawl through flat on your stomach and a duck where there is barely any air space. Caving guides grade it IV, with water and vertical drops as the main hazards.

Can visitors go inside?

Entry is by permit only. The cave lies within the Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest, so conservation rules apply, and trips are arranged through caving clubs and the landowner. If you have no vertical caving experience, do not attempt it.

How do you get to the area?

Most people start from Clapham. The footpath leads through the Ingleborough Estate nature trail, past Ingleborough Cave and up through the gorge of Trow Gill onto the moor below Ingleborough. Sources quote roughly 4 to 4.5 km each way, and anywhere from about an hour to two hours on foot depending on pace. A small toll of around £1 per adult applies on the trail near Ingleborough Cave. Refreshments are sold at the cave, but not at Gaping Gill itself.

What can you see on the surface?

The pot itself is an unassuming hollow. The real spectacle is the neighbouring Gaping Gill main shaft, which has no fence, so keep well back from the edge. The French speleologist Édouard-Alfred Martel made the first exploration of Gaping Gill in 1895. Its shaft held the title of Britain's deepest known until the Titan shaft in Derbyshire was found in 1999.

When is the best time to visit?

Casual visitors should aim for a Winch Meet. For one week in May (run with Bradford Pothole Club) and one week in August (with Craven Pothole Club), the clubs lower the public into the main chamber of Gaping Gill on a winch seat. Check the clubs' websites for current dates and prices before travelling. Outside those weeks, a walk up Ingleborough is the better plan, with moorland weather in mind.

Frequently asked questions

Can a tourist enter Disappointment Pot? Not without a permit and caving experience. It is graded IV and meant for cavers.

Where is Disappointment Pot? About 120 metres south-east of the Gaping Gill main shaft, on Ingleborough above Clapham.

How can I see inside Gaping Gill without caving experience? Join a winch meet in May or August, when the clubs lower visitors to the cavern floor.

Is rescue help nearby? The Cave Rescue Organisation is based in Clapham, but you should still plan any moorland or underground trip with a wide safety margin.