Stump Cross Caverns
Greenhow Hill, near Pateley Bridge · North Yorkshire
Lead miners broke into these caverns looking for ore. Decades later, a caver was said to have found an underground lake and blocked the only way he knew into it.
Photo: Stump Cross Caverns, Simon Frost / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped and darkened for display under the same licence.
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Your visit at a glance
Ticketed, self-guided show cave. Seasonal hours.
Adult £16.50 · Child (4-13) £12 · Concession £14.50 · Family £52.
About 50 minutes underground, plus time at the visitor centre.
On-site car park off the B6265.
65 steps in total, no lift, low ceilings and uneven ground. The operator says there is no wheelchair access on site.
Café, shop and toilets at the visitor centre. No toilets underground.
Welcome in the visitor centre and café. Only guide dogs are allowed underground.
About 7°C underground. Bring warm layers and grippy shoes. Helmets are provided and required.
Prices from the official booking portal. See the operator’s cave FAQs and site accessibility and dog policy. Checked 9 November 2026.
The lake behind the rubble.
In 1922, Christopher Long and his fellow cavers dug their way into new passages and chambers. According to the story told at Stump Cross, Long found something else down there: a lake. When he couldn’t reach an agreement with the owner, he’s said to have filled in the passage that led to it.
The lake belongs to local lore and isn’t a stop on the show cave route. As you pass the narrow openings in the limestone, it’s easy to see why the idea of one more passage has stuck.
Read the caverns’ account ↗Lead miners and Ice Age bones.
Lead miners broke into the caverns in 1860. An 1861 directory records the discovery and describes rooms glittering with stalactites and stalagmites. Later explorers found prehistoric remains, including reindeer and wolverine.
On the public route today, look for the calcite formations the guides call the Wedding Cake and the Sleeping Cat. If you fancy seeing the rock in a different light, check the booking calendar for a UV session.
Yorkshire Dales National Park guide ↗Why 4★?
The lost lake gives Stump Cross a story of its own, and there’s a substantial cave visit to go with it. Travellers on Tripadvisor highlight the UV torches and the freedom to go at their own pace. They also describe the need to duck and wait at narrower points, and some visitors with mobility issues have had to sit out the cave visit. The ticket cost and physical access are the main trade-offs. This is a research-based score.
Start at the visitor centre.
Follow the B6265 between Pateley Bridge and Grassington to the signed Stump Cross Caverns visitor centre, HG3 5JL. Check opening times and ticket slots before setting off, especially if you want the UV session.
Winter hours listed in November 2026: Wednesday to Friday 10am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am-5pm, closed Monday and Tuesday. Check the live calendar for changes.
Carry on to Knaresborough.
If you’re making a wider North Yorkshire day of it, pair Stump Cross with one of these stops in Knaresborough.
Mother Shipton’s Cave & Petrifying Well
Follow the prophetess’s story to the well where mineral-rich water coats objects in stone.
Read the ParaMaps guide →St Robert’s Cave
A medieval hermitage by the River Nidd, with chapel foundations and a grave cut into the rock.
Read the ParaMaps guide →