Eden Sike Cave

Eden Sike Cave is a cave located in Mallerstang, Yorkshire, England.

The main entrance to the cave, where the water from the cave emerges, is too tight for most normal bodied people to enter. However, about 100 ft (30 m) up the fell there is a small shakehole at NGR SD 782 970 and at an altitude of 1,300 ft (400 m). In the bottom of the shakehole is a hole through which can be seen a stream. Downstream is a small passage with a distinct excess of water and a noticeable shortage of air. This passage, although explored, is unsurveyed.

Upstream from the entrance is a passage about 5 ft (1.5 m) high and 2 ft (0.61 m) wide, containing a knee deep stream. After about 100 ft (30 m) the roof lowers and it is necessary to crawl in the water for about 50 ft (15 m) until one finds oneself in a fissure passage along which it is possible to walk sideways. Shortly the passage becomes keyhole shaped and the way on is by traversing out of the water. The relief is short-lived however as it is soon necessary to crawl in a very low passage almost full of water where it is just possible to keep your head above water. Happily this gives access to a larger passage where it is possible to get out of the water and have a rest before tackling the more strenuous passages ahead.

The passage from here takes the form of a slanting fissure with extremely jagged walls, which, apart from demolishing boiler suits in a very short time, makes progress painful and slow as you must squeeze past the projections at various levels.

This passage eventually brings you to a T junction. On the left is a low wet canal leading to a drier passage which lowers gradually until you reach a sump.

If you turn right at the T junction you follow a slanting fissure passage to a fairly large chamber containing a 12 ft (3.7 m). high waterfall. If you follow this passage at stream level it becomes exceedingly tight, however, by keeping in the roof immediately before the chamber you avoid the worst section, and you are also treated to a view down a very small inlet containing some very fine gour pools.

The walls of the final chamber are composed of chert and very brittle rock. It is impossible to climb up the inlet although there appears to be a very small passage there. Nobody has so far attempted to take in scaling poles, due to the unpromising nature of the inlet.