Bogg Hall Cave

Location
Grid Reference: SE 7097 8655 Length: 200 m Depth 20 m Altitude: 40 m

Description


Bogg Hall Cave (aka Bogg Hall Rising, aka Spring Head) is the resurgence for Excalibur Pot and offers a short, but fun and sporting trip. The original entrance is a low arch in the river Dove and requires diving through two short sumps (9 m and 9 m) separated by an air-bell. 'Oh My Ears and Whiskers' is the dry entrance which drops into the cave beyond the two sumps.

Standing and stooping height passage with neck deep water leads through a duck to an area of narrow cross-rift passages known as 'The Drain'. This then opens out into wide, stooping height passage with much lower water to end after around 50m at the terminal sump chamber called 'The Font'. Powerful up-welling of water comes from the deep sump pool which has been dived by SCC and CDG to approximately 17 m where a constriction prevents further exploration.

Despite its short length, Bogg Hall is still a serious undertaking with many of the passages having low air space, and the entire entrance series regularly flooding to the roof. Until the discovery of Excalibur Pot it was regarded as the most sporting trip on the North Yorkshire Moors, and it remains an interesting cave to visit.

The end of Excalibur Pot is some 1.5 kilometres away, and it is believed that the Excalibur stream emerging from The Font has been augmented by water sinking in the river bed below Yoadwath Mill at SE 708875, a kilometre to the north.

Access
Bogg Hall Cave is on private land, but as long as it is accessed through the gate off the main road 200 m north from crossroads in Keldholme, permission is not usually required. The Dry entrance is an oil drum with metal cover half way down the hillside (straight down the hillside after the gate, above the rising), and may be hidden under leaves or foliage.

History
Bogg Hall Cave has been a known active rising for many years, and until recently was the only known active river cave in the North Yorkshire Moors. Water flows from the low, wide entrance throughout the year into the River Dove, but the passage sumps after only a few metres. It was not until 1981 that Rob Shackleton and Julian Griffiths of the Cave Diving Group passed Sump 1 for the first time to emerge in an air bell. In October of the same year Richard Wilsdon and Neil Hanan passed Sump 2 and were able to explore some 200 m of passage terminating in the deep sump pool called The Font.

In early 1998 Scarborough Caving Club began work to connect a high aven to the surface in order to create a bypass to the entrance sumps. They reached The Font on 12th February 1998 via the dry entrance, which became known as "Oh My Ears and Whiskers" on account of its location at the foot of a tree.

Around the same time as the dry entrance was dug, several digging attempts were made at the area just beyond The Font and, although some passage was gained, hope was lost and the dig abandoned. In the years that followed The Font was dived by various people and the limit of exploration remains at a depth of around 17 m where the way on becomes too tight.

References and Further Reading

 * Hodgson S. 1970, "North of the Vale of Pickering", Moldywarps Speleological Group Journal No. 3, pp. 23-24
 * Shackleton R.J. & Griffith J. 1981, "Spring Head (Bogg Hall Rising)", Newsletter Cave Diving Group No. 60, pp. 12
 * Griffith J. 1981, "Bog Hall Rising", Northern Sump Index, Cave Diving Group, p. 11
 * Wilsdon R.R.,1982, BCRA Caves & Caving, p. 3 (includes a sketch plan)
 * Hannon N. 1983, "Scunthorpe Club Dive Reveals Bogg Hall Cave", Descent No.53 pp. 10-11 (includes a sketch plan)
 * Wilsdon R.R. & Hannon N. 1983, "Bogg Hall Rising", Newsletter Cave Diving Group No. 66, pp. 10-12 (includes a sketch plan)
 * Monico, P. 1995, Northern Sump Index, Cave Diving Group, p. 17 (includes a sketch plan)
 * Gibbs, J & Stewart, R. 2003, Moorland Caver, J.M.G. Publishing (Eston, Cleveland) ISBN 095460590X