Step back in time and explore the beauty of our natural show cave which is one of Britain's premier show caves, located in Nidderdale.

Stump Cross Caverns is a wonderful, warm and very welcoming, family-owned business, and the owners (ably assisted by Cave Woman), look after this incredible network of caverns below the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Located in a region of limestone beneath Greenhow Hill, some 1,275 feet above sea level, extending from Wharfedale to Greenhow and the Craven Fault. Lead has been mined in the region since Roman times.

The name was taken from Stump Cross, which in ancient times marked the limit of Knaresborough Forest. Discovered in the 1860s, it has a rich history going back hundreds of millions of years. New passageways have been opened over the years, with remains of prehistoric creatures such as wolverine and reindeer found in the caves!

The area was once covered by a shallow sea filled with underwater plants and animals. The limestone rock you can see today is the remains of billions of shells and debris gradually solidified under pressure - this delicate balance needs constant maintenance, so the conditions are right to preserve these natural wonders.

The area above the caves consists largely of moorland, with the nearest towns being Pateley Bridge and Grassington. A good section of the caves has been open to the public for many years, although the entire system is much more extensive than the show caves, extending more than 4 miles.

The system is located in a region of limestone extending from Wharfedale to Greenhow and the Craven Fault. Lead has been mined in the region since the era of the Roman empire.