A Night in Priest's Hole Cave
DATE 21.05.2012 | DISTANCE 11KM | HIGHEST POINT 792M
Posted by Matt | Filed under lake district
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I cant be certain where i learnt about priest's hole cave but i think it may have been a feature in a copy of trail magazine a few years ago. LAST YEAR I DID A WALK AROUND DEEPDALE AND NOTICED THE CAVE WAY OFF IN THE DISTANCE OVER THE OTHER SIDE OF DOVE DALE AS A WALKED ALONG HARTSOP ABOVE HOW. sINCE THAT DAY I HAD INTENDED 2012 TO BE THE YEAR THAT I SPEND A NIGHT IN THE CAVE. A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO WE AGREED A RANDOM DATE WHERE WE WERE ALL FREE. INCREDIBLY THAT RANDOM DATE WASN'T DURING THE MONTH LONG RAIN ASSAULT IN APR/MAY WE WILL REMEMBER FOR YEARS TO COME. WE HAD PICKED PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST PERFECT NIGHTS YOU COULD GET!
WE PARKED UP IN THE CAR PARK NEAR BROTHERS WATER. IT WAS ROASTING! FORTUNATELY ON THE WAY UP WE POPPED IN TO PENRITH FOR SUPPLIES THAT INCLUDED SUN BLOCK. (WHICH I LEFT IN THE CAR BUT WENT BACK FOR)
THE ROUTE IDEA WAS TO BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD FILL A FEW HOURS BUT WOULDNT EXHAUST US, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE LARGE PACKS WE WERE CARRYING. THE ROUTE UP DOVE DALE TO THE CAVE SEEMED TOO QUICK SO I DREW UP A ROUTE THAT WOULD HAVE US ASCEND STEEPLY UP HIGH HARTSOP DODD, AROUND TO THE SUMMIT OF DOVE CRAG AND INTO THE CAVE.
OUR PACKS CLEARLY CONSISTED OF TOO MUCH FOOD, JUST ENOUGH WATER, PLENTY OF LIGHTING AND A COUPLE OF GADGETS. PAUL HAD THE WIND UP RADIO, I HAD THE CANDLES AND JET BOIL AND MARK HAD HOT PACKS (THANKS TO RICH).
FINDING THE CAVE IS A LITTLE TRICKY BECAUSE THE TRACK LEADING TO IT ISNT VERY OBVIOUS. FLANKING AROUND TO THE ROCK FACE OF DOVE CRAG AS WE DESCENDED PROBABLY MADE IT EASIER TO SEE THE TRACK COMPARED TO COMING UP FROM DOVE DALE. FORTUNATELY IT SEEMED LIKE WE HAD FLUKED IT FROM THE START AND FOLLOWED WHAT WAS TO BE THE TRACK ROUND TO THE CAVE ENTRANCE. THE TRACK WAS PRETTY STRAIGHT FORWARD BUT REQUIRES A LITTLE MORE CARE IN PLACES ON THE LOOSE GROUND AS IT'S DROPS ARE UNFORGIVING. i'D SAY THE SIZE OF THE CAVE WAS JUST RIGHT FOR US. IT LOOKS PRETTY BIG ON THE OUTSIDE BUT IT'S FLOOR ISNT VERY EVEN AND YOU CAN ONLY REALLY CAMP DOWN COMFORTABLE IN A COUPLE OF PLACES. I SUGGEST NO MORE THAN 4 FOR THIS TRIP IS IDEAL.
THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE NIGHT IT WAS WARM IN THE CAVE. I DIDN'T EVEN FEEL A BREEZE BUT THAT MAY BE BECAUSE OF THE MAN-MADE STONE WALL AT THE ENTRANCE. AS THE SUN WENT DOWN, BATS WERE CLEARLY WANTING TO COME INTO THE CAVE. THEY WOULD SWOOP DOWN TO THE ENTRANCE BUT NEVER CAME IN. WE KEPT THE CANDLES GOING ALL NIGHT AS THEY SEEMED TO BE LASTING A LONG TIME AND IT MAY HAVE WORKED AS A DETERANT FOR THE BATS. AT 4.15AM I GOT UP TO WATCH THE SUN RISE AS THE OTHERS CONTINUED TO SNORE AND AT ABOUT 7.30 WE DESCENDED DOWN THROUGH DOVE DALE TO A PERFECTLY STILL BROTHERS WATER.
THEN WE JUMPED BACK IN THE CAR AND HEADED FOR BLENCATHRA SEE HERE
