Amazing facts
- Its name comes from the colour of the steep craggy outcrops of limestone rock that rise above the cave entrance.
- The cave was first opened to the public in 1925.
- It is the longest show cave in Britain.
- One cavern has been the scene of an underground wedding.
White Scar Cave lies off the B6255 Ingleton to Hawes road on the lower western slopes of Ingleborough.
It was discovered by Cambridge undergraduate Christopher Long in 1923 when he entered the first cave through a crack in the rock. He stuck candles to the brim of his hat to light the way. One of the first things he saw was a waterfall. About 55 tonnes of water cascade over it every minute when it's in full spate.
The cave was created by the action of carbon dioxide rich water dissolving limestone deposits. It now contains weird and wonderful formations of stalagmites and stalactites. There are literally thousands of stalactites in the 200,000 year old Battlefield Cavern. At more than 100 metres long and up to 30 metres high, it is one of the largest caverns in Britain.
There are two other show caves in the Yorkshire Dales: Ingleborough and Stump Cross Caverns.
