Manorvale Caves

Location


Grid References: |Manorvale%20Cave%203;54.272464;-0.93479&scale=17 SE 6942 8686 and |Manorvale%20Caves%201%20and%202;54.272652;-0.935475&scale=17 SE 6947 8683.

Altitude: 70 m

Located in a disused council yard in Kirbymoorside on the road which follows a narrow valley towards the local golf club. The west side of the valley has been quarried. All three caves are in Jurassic Corallian limestone.

Manorvale Cave 1 is an obvious entrance in the west cliff face at the south end of the yard.

Manorvale Cave 2 is a few metres to the north of Manorvale Cave 1, the entrance of which is partially blocked with a wall.

Manorvale Cave 3 is on the east side of the valley behind the main building in a narrow strip of land between the building and the cliff.

These caves are in the same band of limestone as, and only two kilometres from, the famous Kirkdale bone cave.

Description
Manorvale Cave 1 soon closes down after about 10 m to a low crawl which becomes too small.

Manorvale Cave 2 is of impressive dimensions once the hole in the wall has been negotiated, and is evidently a fragment of a major phreatic passage. It leads into an unstable rift after 10 m. The entrance area is full of rubbish.

Manorvale Cave 3 descends a rubbish slope into a sizeable passage. Straight on diminishes into a muddy passage over a calcite floor into a small aven after about 30 m. The way on is choked with mud and calcite. A side passage at the bottom of the slope is a low crawl which runs parallel to the main passage before becoming too low after a few metres. Beware of glass on the entrance slope.

Access
None currently required.