Travel & Tourism

Gaping Gill – the record-breaking waterfall you can only see twice a year

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 17th May 2024

There are a lot of incredible waterfalls in the UK – but did you know that the highest unbroken waterfall in England is right here in the north?

Gaping Gill is a record-breaking spot in the Yorkshire Dales, about an hour and a half from Greater Manchester.

Despite the Fell Beck waterfall being a massive 110-metres tall, it’s actually pretty difficult to see.

Unusually, the waterfall is underground in a huge cave system – and even more unusually, it’s only accessible to the public twice a year.

Those lucky enough to visit are lowered down into the massive chamber on a winch by a local pothole club.

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Gaping Gill in the Yorkshire Dales. Credit: Instagram @yorkshire_brew

It’s not for the faint-hearted, or much fun for people who are scared of heights, but once your feet are on the solid ground at the bottom of the cave you’ll be in one of the most awe-inspiring settings in the country.

The Gaping Gill cave chamber is 129m long, 31m high, and 25m wide – so large you can fit an entire cathedral inside it.

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Its cave system is connected to the famous Ingleborough Cave.

The first person to make it all the way inside was Frenchman Edouard Martel in 1895, who used a rope ladder to climb down and kept in touch with those on the surface using a telephone.

The Craven Pothole Club helps people to visit every August and the Bradford Pothole Club every May.

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The rest of the time, all you can see from above ground is the cave’s opening on the slopes of Ingleborough.

Local photographer Tatiana Hepplewhite said after her visit: “Twice a year, England’s highest unbroken waterfall is open to the public.

“The catch? The waterfall, named aptly Gaping Gill, actually falls into the ground.

“Very helpful Bradford and Craven pothole clubs put a winch and take lucky members of the public, such as myself, all 100 meters down. How was it? In one word – awesome!”

The next trip down into the chasm will between the 25 May and 31 May for £20 per person.

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Read more: The jaw-dropping country walk that passes a tower taller than The Shard

Featured image: Instagram, @alfie_moses

Travel & Tourism

Avanti West Coast staff set to strike on major days over festive period

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Avanti West Coast staff are set to strike on some major days over the festive period, it has been announced.

Train managers who are members of the RMT Union will stage industrial action on New Year’s Eve and 2 January 2025 after “overwhelmingly rejecting” the train company’s “inadequate proposals” on rest day working arrangements.

On top of this, strikes will also go ahead on Sundays between 12 January and 25 May too.

According to the union, up to 400 members are involved in the dispute with Avanti, and 83% of those voted against a suggested deal.

Strikes were previously planned for 22, 23, and 29 December as well, but they were suspended last week after a suggested agreement was put to a referendum of RMT members.

Avanti West Coast staff are set to strike on several major days over the festive period / Credit: Avanti West Coast

“Our members have resoundingly rejected Avanti’s latest offers in two referendums,” explained an RMT spokesperson. “Sustained strike action is now the only way to focus management’s minds on reaching a negotiated settlement with the union.”

In case you weren’t familiar, Avanti’s West Coast Main Line operates six routes along the west of the UK, including from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly, as well as services from London to other major cities such as to Blackpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Holyhead, Wrexham, and Liverpool.

Avanti has warned its customers that the strikes will likely cause “significant disruption” on the West Coast Main Line.

The train operator took to X to assure that its plans will be confirmed “as soon as possible”.

“The RMT union has announced strike action affecting Avanti West Coast on 31 December and 2 January, along with all Sundays from 12 January to 25 May 2025,” the statement reads on X.

“We’re looking at how this industrial action will impact our services and we’ll confirm our plans as soon as possible.”

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson also added in response to the industrial action being called yesterday: “We’re disappointed our train managers who are RMT members have voted to decline the very reasonable, revised offer made to them to resolve the rest day working dispute and avoid inconveniencing our customers.

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“We remain open to working with the RMT to resolve the dispute.”

Featured Image – Avanti West Coast

Travel & Tourism

New ‘B Plates’ introduced so drivers can identify themselves as being bad at parking

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

New ‘B Plates’ have been introduced so drivers who are bad at parking can identify themselves for all to see.

Consider yourself good at parking? Well, that’s bold of you to claim… because for a lot of us, we wouldn’t be so confident to say that, and it turns out we’re not alone either, as some new research has revealed that 48% of drivers think they could benefit from more training or assistance with their parking manoeuvres.

The new B plates – with the ‘B’ standing for ‘bad parking’ – are designed to be attached to a vehicle so you can apologise to other motorists for your lack of parking prowess.

On top of the 48% of bad parkers, the research by Scrap Car Comparison found that a further one in six (17%) say they have experienced stress or worry about having to park their car, while a third of drivers (30%) say they spend extra time searching for a parking bay with free spaces either side.

New ‘B Plates’ have been introduced so drivers can identify themselves as being bad at parking / Credit: Supplied

74% of new drivers aged between 17 and 24 say they could benefit from more guidance in lessons.

Overall, one in four motorists (23%) claim that they weren’t taught well enough when it came to parking maneuverers, according to the research.

It’s hoped that the new B Plate stickers will encourage drivers to ‘own’ their parking pitfalls, the company says, as well as seek the additional guidance required to gain more confidence behind the wheel. 

48% of drivers think they could benefit from more training with their parking manoeuvres / Credit: Supplied

“Just like a P plate enables new drivers to ask for patience from other road users, our B plates will give people the chance to hold their hands up, say sorry and ask for forgiveness, if they know their parking leaves a lot to be desired,” explained David Kottaun, who is the Operations Manager at Scrap Car Comparison.

“We hope the plates also serve as encouragement for drivers to seek additional parking guidance to build up their confidence.”

Want to get your hands on one then?

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Scrap Car Comparison are offering a limited number of B plate stickers to interested drivers for free if you fill out the ‘register interest’ on its website here, and then based on interest levels, they will be made more widely available in 2025.

Featured Image – Supplied

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