Man rescued from cave in Nidderdale

Volunteer rescuers came to the aid of a man who was injured in a cave in Nidderdale yesterday.

The man, believed to be in his late teens, was part of a group of cavers at Goyden Pot, north of Lofthouse.

Goyden Pot, with its extensive network of caves close to ground, is a popular location for the activity, particularly among beginners.

But things went wrong yesterday when a man injured his knee and, despite the efforts of the leaders of the group, was unable to get out.

Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association was alerted at 2.16pm and a team of about 16 volunteer rescuers attended the scene.

Rescuers needed ropes to get to the man. Pic: Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association

They managed to locate the unnamed man and help him out of the caves. He was then taken by ambulance to hospital.

The operation took about four hours, most of which was spent manoeuvring with ropes to get to the right place.

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The association said in a report on the incident:

“Cave rescue requires considerable man-power and we all work against the clock: speed makes hypothermia less likely.

“We often alert our neighbouring teams to live cave incidents in case extra man-power is needed.

“The Cave Rescue Organisation and Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team were advised but later stood down as our own team was sufficient to provide swift medical attention to the injured caver as well as technical rope experts to facilitate the extraction.

“We’d like to thank local cave leaders and teachers who also helped considerably, as well as the casualty who was a true stoic. We wish him a very speedy recovery.”

Treating the casualty. Pic: Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association

How Stean Gorge plans to expand under new management

How Stean Gorge has revealed plans to expand under new management.

The 10,000-year-old gorge in Nidderdale currently provides abseiling, gorge scrambling, caving, canoeing and a high ropes course.

Tony Liddy, 33, and Rebecca Verity, 29 who have taken over control of the site after working there for more than a decade, have revealed a five-year plan to install 11 chalets, including hot tubs and wood burning stoves.

The attraction currently has a 20-pitch campsite. The new chalets will sleep up to 11 people each.

Mr Liddy said there was “huge demand for adventure tourism”, adding:

“We’re transforming the site with these ambitious expansion plans with an eco-friendly build in fitting with the spectacular setting.”

Pre-covid the centre, previously run by Stan and Ann Beer, attracted about 10,000 people each year for outdoor activities.

The new owners said bookings for hen and stag weekends had doubled since the lifting of restrictions.

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There are also plans to revamp the visitor centre, with new interpretation boards containing historical surveys and maps of its cave network.

How Stean Gorge employs 18 full and part-time members of staff with an additional 10 casual instructors. Mr Liddy said:

“We’re very proud to be continuing the values of Stan and Ann, they helped raise How Stean Gorge into a leading visitor attraction, as well as a vital lifeline for local employment and our rural economy. It’s a fantastic legacy, and we are incredibly excited to take that on and build on that hard work.”