Strans Gill Pot

The walk down to Strans Gill Pot is half the appeal - you're hiking through proper Yorkshire moorland near Leyburn, and then suddenly the landscape tips you into a limestone gorge that feels miles from anywhere. The pot itself is a sinkhole where the gill disappears underground, swallowed by the rock like the moor has opened its mouth and decided to keep the stream to itself.

It's not a show cave with electric lights and gift shops. There's no visitor centre, no queue, just you and the geology. The hole drops maybe sixty feet or so, dark and dramatic, and depending on water levels you might see the stream vanishing into blackness or pooling in the bottom. In heavy rain it becomes properly theatrical - water thundering down, mist rising from the gorge. On a dry day it's more contemplative, a bit eerie even.

This works best for walkers who like their Yorkshire Dales gritty and unsanitised. Families with older kids keen on a bit of exploring will find it rewarding, though it's not a five-minute stop - the approach ramble and the scramble down to get a proper look at the pot takes a good couple of hours all in. Photography types should come prepared: the light in the gorge is tricky.

Stablefell Holidays and Campsite sits just four and a half miles away, making it a sensible base for tackling this and the other limestone features scattered through the area. No admission fee that we can find, and no restrictions on when you can visit - though summer's obviously easier walking.