Long Churn Cave
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| Long Churn | |
|---|---|
 Dr. Bannisters Hand Basin | |
| Location | Ingleton |
| Coordinates | 54°10′32″N 2°20′57″W / 54.17556°N 2.34917°W |
| Discovery | 1870 |
Long Churn Cave is a cave in the Ingleborough area of the Yorkshire Dales. First explored before 1779, it has become a popular location for beginner cavers and it contains the most famous squeeze in the Dales, the "Cheesepress". It is near Selside, about 9 miles (14 km) north of Ingleton, North Yorkshire. Access is by permission from the landowner at Selside Farm after payment of a nominal fee.
Created in limestone by the slow corrosion of slightly acidic rainwater over millions of years, the cave is split into two parts, "Lower Long Churn" and "Upper Long Churn", each active with a stream, and is connected to the nearby Alum Pot and Diccan Pot.[1] Upper Long Churn can be entered via descent of a 4-metre (13 ft) waterfall into "Dr Bannister's Handbasin", a moderately deep pool of water, and comprises a single long passage.[2] Lower Long Churn leads to an exit into Diccan Pot, followed by the "Cheesepress", a narrow squeeze which is notorious for its tightness but which can be bypassed.[3][2] The following part of the passage used to be aided by artificial aids (over the so-called "Plank Pool") but is no longer. The end of the Lower Long Churn is a chamber which opens on a window into Alum Pot, which is much more technically difficult to descend (or ascend).[2]