MEMBERS of the Yorkshire Dales based Cave Rescue Organisation had a hectic evening and over-night on Saturday.

With the support at various times of members of Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association, Kendal Mountain Rescue Team and the Cave Diving Group, they dealt with several alerts, overdue reports and requests for investigations.

The first, in the early evening, was to seven cavers reported to be stranded by flood-water in Sunset Hole, on the Chapel-le-Dale side of Ingleborough. The seven ‘missing’ people were located between a series of cascades. After CRO members re-rigged some of the pitches, out of the water, the cavers, from West Yorkshire, were able to make their way out of the cave.

As it had been raining for much of the day, CRO controllers had decided not to commit too many resources to the first incident, which was just as well as nine Scottish cavers were reported overdue on exchange trips between County Pot and Wretched Rabbit Entrance, on the Casterton Fell side of Easegill.

They emerged unharmed and were guided to a Land Rover which took them back to their own vehicles.

This call was closely followed by a check for parked cars in Kingsdale, with nothing found, and expressions of concern that a large but unknown number of cavers of mixed ages and from different parts of the country were sharing an open meet in Ireby Fell Cavern, including going beyond a long sump – a section of cave passage which is usually completely flooded. All but two of the cavers were confined in the main cave by flood-water and encouraged or hauled out of the cave by members of CRO and UWFRA, as the flooding subsided. This left two people stranded beyond the sump. They were later dived through the sump by members of the Cave Diving Group and were able to make their own way out. Overall, seventy rescue volunteers participated in this incident.

Persistent concerns, from the North East, that a female caver was missing ‘somewhere in the Yorkshire Dales’, were calmed by the eventual discovery that she was part of the Ireby Fell Cavern group.

Three cavers from Derbyshire were reported overdue in Stream Passage Pot, in Clapham’s Gaping Gill system. Fortunately, perhaps, a CRO response was slightly delayed, because of the other commitments, and the ‘missing’ cavers were found walking down ‘The Nature Trail’ to the car park, in Clapham.

Just for variety, three ‘Three Peaks’ walkers were also reported overdue by relatives, at home. CRO controllers asked staff of the Pen y Ghent Café to do an initial check for the ‘missing’ walkers, in Horton. It seems that, having completed their walk, they had given priority to a celebratory drink in a public house, rather than phoning home, as soon as they finished.

Apart from one case of very mild hypothermia, no-one was injured, in any way, in any of these incidents and the CRO controllers would like to thank all who helped achieve this, whether they went underground, under water or over the stove to keep everyone going.