Long Drop Cave

Long Drop Cave is a cave on Leck Fell, in Lancashire, England. It leads into Death's Head Hole, and is part of the Three Counties System, an 87km cave system which spans the borders of Cumbria, Lancashire, and North Yorkshire. DescriptionThe entrance is below a small cliff in a shakehole. From the wide overhanging entrance, a short crawl leads onto an 8m dry shaft. At the bottom, an excavated route leads into a narrow stream passage, with a narrow pitch a few metres downstream. Below this, about of narrow passage leads to the top of the third pitch, where the system enlarges dramatically. A 29m pitch passes a ledge, and lands in Fault Chamber, where a vertical geological fault can be seen to have a 150cm throw. A further 8m pitch leads to a final chamber and a stream passage. Upstream, the water emerges from an impenetrable fissure, downstream passes through a low crawl before the going eases, passing under some avens. After the passage becomes a waterlogged tube which is normally sumped. This can be baled from the downstream end, to allow a through trip to Dolphin Passage in Death's Head Hole. In Fault Chamber, an easy climb up the eastern rift reaches a small window, that can be forced to an pitch that drops into an independent streamway - High Stream Passage. Upstream leads to an aven with an inlet entering, and a narrow 20m long passage leading to a second aven. Downstream leads into High Stream Chamber where the water sinks in boulders to emerge from the impenetrable fissure mentioned above. A 22m pitch drops into High Stream Chamber from Humble Inlet. Two passages can be reached from the top. Upstream, of decorated passage ends in a mineralised choke on a fault in the area of Humble Pot. The downstream passage is smaller and wetter, and finishes in a blind 18m pit.

Long Drop Cave is a cave on Leck Fell, in Lancashire, England. It leads into Death's Head Hole, and is part of the Three Counties System, an 87km cave system which spans the borders of Cumbria, Lancashire, and North Yorkshire. DescriptionThe entrance is below a small cliff in a shakehole. From the wide overhanging entrance, a short crawl leads onto an 8m dry shaft. At the bottom, an excavated route leads into a narrow stream passage, with a narrow pitch a few metres downstream. Below this, about of narrow passage leads to the top of the third pitch, where the system enlarges dramatically. A 29m pitch passes a ledge, and lands in Fault Chamber, where a vertical geological fault can be seen to have a 150cm throw. A further 8m pitch leads to a final chamber and a stream passage. Upstream, the water emerges from an impenetrable fissure, downstream passes through a low crawl before the going eases, passing under some avens. After the passage becomes a waterlogged tube which is normally sumped. This can be baled from the downstream end, to allow a through trip to Dolphin Passage in Death's Head Hole. In Fault Chamber, an easy climb up the eastern rift reaches a small window, that can be forced to an pitch that drops into an independent streamway - High Stream Passage. Upstream leads to an aven with an inlet entering, and a narrow 20m long passage leading to a second aven. Downstream leads into High Stream Chamber where the water sinks in boulders to emerge from the impenetrable fissure mentioned above. A 22m pitch drops into High Stream Chamber from Humble Inlet. Two passages can be reached from the top. Upstream, of decorated passage ends in a mineralised choke on a fault in the area of Humble Pot. The downstream passage is smaller and wetter, and finishes in a blind 18m pit.