Meregill Hole

The entrance to Meregill Hole catches you off guard - a gaping mouth in the limestone hillside near Carnforth, with barely a sign to mark it. This is a proper Yorkshire cave, the kind that makes you duck and feel the weight of the rock above. It's not some polished tourist cave with handrails and gift shops. You're walking into a genuine pothole, following a stream that disappears underground, and the passage opens into chambers where daylight only reaches so far before everything goes dark.

There's a scramble involved, so you'll want decent boots and a torch. The cave doesn't demand hours - half an hour to an hour of poking around is about right unless you're seriously into speleology. The stream and rock formations are the main show, and there's something rather good about a place that hasn't been sanitised for visitors.

This works well if you're based at one of the nearby campsites like Philpin Farm or The Dalesbridge. The North Yorkshire hill country is worth a proper stay, and Meregill Hole fits nicely into a weekend of walking and caving about. It's not for those wanting an easy stroll - if scrambling in caves doesn't appeal, give it a miss. But if you like wild spaces and getting your hands dirty, you'll find it honest and worth the detour.