On the Turbary Road, Kingsdale
Rescuers in the Yorkshire Dales were involved in two major searches at the weekend – one above ground and one below.
In the first, members of the Cave Rescue Organisation had to turn detective after a prolonged search of a Kingsdale cave failed to turn up a party of four potholers from South Yorkshire. In the second, a 73-year-old Scottish walker became benighted on Ingleborough while attempting the Three Peaks challenge.
The four cavers were reported overdue about 9pm after failing to emerge from Simpson’s Pot. Members of the CRO carried out a search in an area of the cave where people are known to go wrong. After extensive searches in Simpson’s Pot and the Kingsdale Master Cave system, there was still no sign of the missing potholers.
A spokesperson said: “Another team of searchers declared the lower part of the cave system clear, which left CRO’s duty controller, Dave Gallivan with something of a mystery – if they weren’t down Simpson’s Pot, where were they?
“Kingsdale team spread their search, locating the missing potholers in Turbary Pot at about 1am and helping them to the surface, uninjured.”
Rae Lonsdale of the CRO explained: “There is a green lane, Masongill Fell Lane, which runs from Masongill, near Ingleton, then as the Turbary Road – turbary being the right to cut turf or peat – to Yordas Cave, in Kingsdale.
The Cave Rescue Organisation Land Rover
“Turbary Pot and Simpson’s Pot are in roughly similar positions in two successive enclosures along the Turbary Road. So they went underground in the wrong field!
“The difference was that while Simpson’s Pot descends 112m (368ft) to the Valley Entrance, Turbary Pot is a dead-end – for human traffic – at 40m (131ft) depth.
“If potholers leave their ropes in place, for a return trip, there is no problem – just lost time – but as this group was doing a through trip, pulling the rope down after abseiling down each pitch, they had no means of retreat.”
While the rescue volunteers tried to solve the conundrum of the missing cavers, police informed them about midnight that the walker had gone missing on Ingleborough.
Extra volunteers were drafted in and a search dog joined the team which checked all the major routes off Ingleborough as well as its summit plateau.
Ingleborough, seen from the Turbary Road
A spokesperson said: “He had last been seen by his companions at 5.25pm, just ascending the Swine Tail towards Ingleborough and determined to complete the full walk. On being interviewed, his companions seemed uncertain of what equipment and spare clothing he was carrying.”
Following the successful cave rescue, team members changed from wet gear to fell gear to join their colleagues on the 723m (2,373ft) mountain.
“The missing walker, having aggravated an old knee injury and been benighted during his descent, was found, unhurt, about 200m off the main Three Peaks path near Sulber ‘crossroads’ at about 3am,” said the spokesperson.
“He was accompanied to Borrins Farm, Selside, then met by a CRO Land Rover and returned to his group in Horton in Ribblesdale.”
Late on Sunday evening, a group of cavers reported overdue in Gaping Gill, turned up safely as ten CRO members set off to investigate.
Each of the Saturday incidents involved 20 rescuers from the CRO.
