25th August

Every August Bank Holiday the Craven Potholing Club organise an open day in Gaping Gill which, for a couple of years I have wanted to visit. Well, today I did it. Gaping Gill is one of the most dramatic pot holes in the UK. It has one of the longest waterfalls in the country and one of the biggest chambers. I sat in a chair and was winched down about 350 ft into the blackness, and if I hadn't been wearing my waterproofs the spray from the waterfall would have soaked me. At the bottom of the shaft we were gathered together in groups of four or five peope and were given a guided tour of the chamber. The tour must have lasted for just over an hour and was rivetting. (Sorry about the photos, they are not as good as I would have wanted them to be but give an idea of what it was like.) From there I continued to walk up Ingleborough, one of the great Three Peaks of Yorkshire. I had travelled to the starting point, Clapham, on my motorbike so managed to have a day when did at least three of the things that I enjoy most of all, biking, walking and a bit of adventure. There were lots of bikes on the roads today and the route I took, from Clapham to Hawes and on to Ripon via Leyburn, is a favourite one with bikers. The roads have lots of twists and turns but with good visibility and occasional straight bits. My riding was a bit mixed. Sometimes I felt as though I was moving smoothly and quickly and on other occasions it felt rather lumpy, but the bike ran beautifully and sounds brilliant. I finished the day off with a pork pie and ice cream from the shop in Ripley.