Looking for some of the best caves to visit in the Yorkshire Dales National Park? Jubilee and Victoria Cave are both free to visit and are in a wonderful location on Attermire Scar. The caves are family friendly and easy to access from multiple start points. This 6.8km walk starts in Langcliffe and visits both caves but be sure to keep an eye out for other hidden caves. Get the full route and downloadable OS map here.
Jubilee and Victoria Cave overview
Jubilee and Victoria Cave from Langcliffe route details
Starting in the village of Langcliffe from the parking area, the route starts with some steep uphill walking all the way towards Jubilee Cave. Turn left out of the parking area and head uphill until you see a path through a wooden gate. It is signposted so follow this path uphill following the wall.
The path winds its way to the right before heading higher up the hillside towards some trees in the distance. Eventually, you’ll meet up with the road again but it’s a right turn here and onto a maintained farm track.
Carry on walking and head straight past the farm buildings on your right until you reach a gate. Head straight through the gate and towards the rocky outcrop ahead of you. You’ll need to retrace some of these steps later so remember this gate! Keep an eye out for a ladder stile on the left as just ahead of this is Jubilee Cave, slightly up the hill. The right hand entrance is just in sight and you’ll need to detour off the path to reach it.
How to find Jubilee Cave
Jubilee Cave has a double entrance and the main passage is split into two parallel tunnels separated by a wall. The right hand entrance is easy to walk straight into and goes back around 20 metres or so until you reach a dead end. Look to your right and you’ll see some sunlight creeping through and if you look to your left there’s a little “window” in the rock which allows you to see through into the other passage. The left entrance requires a bit of a duck down to avoid hitting your head on the rocks as the roof is a little lower in there. It’s only small but it’s still a fun place to explore and the photo opportunity from inside the cave looking out onto the countryside is one not to be missed.
One of the things I geek out over with caves is the history behind them and Jubilee is a right corker of a history lesson! In the late 19th century, archaeological excavations took place in the cave and the findings were impressive; not only were artefacts from when the Romans ruled found here but there were also materials from as far back as the Iron Age and Mesolithic era discovered in the cave! It’s crazy to imagine how this landscape was used all those years ago.
How to find Victoria Cave
Once you’ve explored the cave, it’s time to head back the way you came, down the track and back towards that gate I told you to remember. Once you reach the gate, the path heads left up the hillside and through a wooden swinging gate before following a stone wall on your right hand side. After a few minutes, you’ll see a step, well trodden path cutting up the grassy bank to the left. Follow this and you’ll reach Victoria Cave.
Victoria Cave history
Its huge entrance was discovered by chance in 1837 and got its name from the then Queen Victoria. Its discovery is quite a story. A man named Michael Horner discovered it when he crawled inside a small hole in search of his dog. As he squirmed through, he discovered the bones of animals, coins and metal objects. After further excavation years later, archaeologists found the fossilised bones of elephants and hippos as well as more Roman artefacts. This whole area would have once been covered in a tropical sea near the equator!
The entrance we go through today is actually an excavated one and the original entrance first discovered is up to the right of the cave. The main chamber inside is huge but completely natural; it’s just the entrance that has been opened up.
Once you’re inside the chamber, be sure to look up and back behind you to really get a sense of the scale of this place. There’s a sign and a metal bar about half way in the cave advising you not to go further; this is because of the risk of falling rocks.
To leave this cave, head back out and this time look for a path heading down the slope to the left. Follow this path all the way until there is a gap in the wall where you turn right.
Attermire Scar
The section you’ve just walked under is Attermire Scar – also known for lots of hidden caves. One of the most well known is Attermire Cave, the keyhole in the rock race high up on the scar.
I ventured up there once with my dog Ricoh and the views are insane from up here. However, this isn’t a cave you should venture into without a professional so best to admire it from a distance.
The route back to Langcliffe
The way back is relatively straightforward and you just need to follow the path alongside the wall before it cuts right slightly towards the rock face and carries on downhill until you can see the town of Settle in the distance. Be sure to follow the path right when you meet a wall with the option of only going right or left. Left will take you into Settle and right is what you want – back to Langcliffe. You’ll come out exactly where you started, just up from the car park.
Map and Key locations for Victoria and Jubilee Caves
Access the route on the OS Map App here.
Locations
1: Starting location for the walk from the parking area in Langcliffe
2: Jubilee Cave
3: Victoria Cave
4. The base of Attermire Scar
5: Optional trig point
Komoot App
Have you ever tried Komoot? Komoot allows you to access routes planned by others or plan your own which you can then download to your phone to follow while you are out. Komoot is free to join and access and you can find the route for his walk here.
Top Tips for Jubilee and Victoria Cave
- If the parking area is full in Langcliffe there are a couple of other options; there’s a small parking lot at Winskill Stones Nature Reserve which starts higher up and closer to Jubilee Cave or there’s also ample parking in Settle at Greenfoot Car Park although you will have to adapt your route slightly if you choose to park in either of these
- Please be mindful that caves are dangerous places and even though these are open to the public, be sure to adhere to all warning signs and not to cross any safety barriers
- Remember to take a headtorch!
- There are no facilities on route
- There is a trig point that you could make an optional visit to – the best way to do this is after visiting Victoria Cave by following the fence line up for a short while and then using your navigation skills to reach the trig.
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