Old Cumbria Gazetteer - Katnot Cave, North Yorkshire


	Katnot Cave, North Yorkshire
	Katnot Cave
	Capnut Cave
locality:-	Gearstones
county:-	North Yorkshire
locality type:-	cave
coordinates:-	SD78007968
1Km square:-	SD7879
10Km square:-	SD77
altitude:-	975 feet
altitude:-	297m
SummaryText:-	Grade II, danger of flooding; permsission from Far Gearstones Farm.
references:-	Brook, D & Davies, G & Long, M H &Sutcliffe, J R: 1975: Northern Caves, vol.4 Whernside and Gragareth: Dalesman Books:: ISBN 0 85206 259 1

evidence:-	descriptive text:- West 1778 (11th edn 1821) placename:- Catknot Hole
source data:-	Guide book, A Guide to the Lakes, by Thomas West, published by William Pennington, Kendal, Cumbria once Westmorland, and in London, 1778 to 1821. goto source Tour to the Caves in the West Riding of Yorkshire, late 18th century Page 270:- "..." "... to a public-house called Gearstones, by the side of the turnpike road, at the bottom of the mountain Cam. Here we refreshed ourselves, and left our horses, while we went about half a mile to the south, to explore another subterranean wonder of nature called Catknot-hole. The entrance into it is at first not above three or four feet high, but almost immediately increases to as many yards. We had not gone out of sight of day before we were obliged to wade up to the mid leg a few yards, through a little pool made by the rill that comes out of this cave. The passage grew narrower, but wide enough to walk along with ease, except in one or two places, where we in danger of daubing our clothes with a red slime. We proceeded above a quarter of a mile, when the road grew wider, but the roof was so low that we could" goto source Page 271:- "not go on with ease and pleasure. Perhaps if we had mustered humility and fortitude enough to have crouched and crawled a little, we might have come to where the roof again would have been as high as we should have desired. In some places there were alleys out of the main street, but not extending to any great distance, so as to admit of passengers. The rocks jutted out, and were pendant in every grotesque and fantastic shape: most of them were covered over with a fine coating of spar, that looked like alabaster; while icicles of various shapes and colors were pendant from the roof - all generated by the fine particles of stone that exist in the water, which transudes through the roof and sides, and leaves them adhering to the rock in their descent to the bottom. The various-coloured reflections, made by the spars and petrifactions that abounded in every part, entertained the eye with the greatest novelty and variety; while, at the same time, the different notes made by the rill in its little cascades, and reverberated from the hollow rocks, amused the ear with a new sort of rude and subterranean music, but well enough suited to our slow and gloomy march. This was the longest subterranean excursion we had yet made; and if we might have formed our own computation of its extent, from the time we were in going and coming, and not from the real admeasurement of our guide, we should have thought it two or three times as long as it was - so much were we deceived in our estimate of a road unlike any we had ever before travelled."

evidence:-	descriptive text:- Otley 1823 (8th edn 1849) placename:- Catknot Hole
source data:-	Guide book, A Concise Description of the English Lakes, the mountains in their vicinity, and the roads by which they may be visited, with remarks on the mineralogy and geology of the district, by Jonathan Otley, published by the author, Keswick, Cumberland now Cumbria, by J Richardson, London, and by Arthur Foster, Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, 1823; published 1823-49, latterly as the Descriptive Guide to the English Lakes. goto source Page 201:- "..." "CATKNOT HOLE is a small cavern about three miles and a half from Gearstones. It is situated at the foot of the Great Colm or Cam. The river Ribble runs past the mouth of this cave; and its romantic cascades and precipices are worthy of observation."

Lakes Guides menu.