3 Epic Caving Adventures in the Peak District

Though still a niche sport, caving offers huge variety: on one hand the best of climbing, scrambling, canyoning and abseiling, on the other interest, discovery and learning. For the complete novice or the seasoned caver it offers true adventure, rewards curiosity and is the last frontier in the UK, with explorers discovering new caves year after year.

Every caving day should begin with a big breakfast and end over a pint; what happens in between is up to you. What draws people underground varies, be it mining history, geology, thrill-seeking or being part of a tight team.

With hundreds of caves and mines to explore, from easy show caves to adventurous vertical systems, the Peak District offers endless trip options and plenty of scope to progress. A day or weekend of guided caving makes underground adventure accessible, whatever level of challenge you're after.

Every cave is unique, and the thrill of the new excites us most, but here are three of our favourite Peak District caving adventures that keep us coming back.

Carlswark Cavern

The largest system in the cave-rich dale of Stoney Middleton, Carlswark has beautiful, maze-like passages roofed with fossils, plenty of stalagmites and stalactites, and is popular with novice groups. Its mix of mined and natural passages keeps things interesting, with visible traces of the area's lead mining past and nationally important Gigantoproductus fossils in staggering numbers. Some testing navigation, optional crawls, squeezes and water-filled passages keep the more adventurous happy.

A through trip from the Eyam side to the Stoney Middleton side, including an abseil from the surface, is an excellent introduction to vertical caving, while a round trip to the sump is an adventurous horizontal trip. An excursion via the Dynamite Series to Flower Pot is strictly for the svelte.

Giants Hole

A cave carrying a stream is 'active': water travels underground from a swallet (where a stream disappears) to the resurgence where it comes back out. The largest of the swallets draining Rushup Edge, Giants Hole has everything for the sporting caver with a favourable weather forecast.

Groups of all ages and abilities can enjoy its walking-sized passages and magnificent chambers, while trips beyond Garlands Pot, where the stream enters a 600m narrow canyon, challenge the more adventurous. At over 2km long and 150m deep there's plenty to explore over several visits.

The Round Trip is a British classic. Beautiful throughout, a descent of Garlands Pot leads to a traverse in the roof of the canyon and an abseil upstream of the aptly named Great Relief Passage. From there, short climbs lead to the wet Giants Windpipe, and more abseils and ladder climbs bring you back to Garlands.

P8

P8 (seldom called by its other name, Jackpot) is another active swallet, and exciting from the start. Entered by down-climbing a small waterfall, you're soon on exposed traverses, abseils and ladder climbs above a cascading streamway. With many possible trips in the system, all with thrilling situations, P8 never disappoints and is on every caver's must-do list.

A return trip to the sump is a committing day's caving in fine weather and 'sporting' in high water. Recent digs have found new extensions, while divers continue to push for the elusive connection to the resurgence in the valley floor.

Want to try it? Find out about our Peak District caving courses.