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Gary Douthwaite<\/p>\nGary Douthwaite<\/p>\n
Matt Ewles says rescue incidents give caving a bad reputation<\/p>\n
After an arduous 30-hour operation to save three men trapped underground highlighted the potential perils of caving, some may question its allure.<\/p>\n
But for cavers in North Yorkshire – regarded among enthusiasts as “Britain’s premier caving area” – the chance to explore ancient tunnels and caverns deep beneath the surface can be “utterly addictive”.<\/p>\n
“It’s a hidden world and it’s a beautiful, stunning world,” says Martin Holroyd, who has been caving for 45 years.<\/p>\n
The retired firefighter says his “passion” for underground exploration has taken him across the globe.<\/p>\n
“I love it. It’s one of the few affordable things where you can go and explore somewhere new.”<\/p>\n
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Handout<\/p>\n
Martin has been caving for 45 years<\/p>\n
For some people, just the thought of caving is enough to trigger claustrophobia, as bodies squeeze through impossibly narrow crevices.<\/p>\n
But for Martin, a self-confessed lover of the outdoors, navigating through tight spaces is a price worth paying.<\/p>\n
“If you want to see the real beauty with the cave you have to go underground. That’s the real exploration.<\/p>\n
“Sometimes, it’s a means to an end. In certain caves, you have to go through a narrow restriction.”<\/p>\n
Some cavers actively seek out smaller caves for the physical challenge, he says.<\/p>\n
“People like to push themselves and you can do the same with caving. If it’s a difficult cave, it’s part of the enjoyment.<\/p>\n
“Some people play golf, some people play football. We all have our hobbies.<\/p>\n
“There are a lot more things that put people at risk than caving.”<\/p>\n
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Handout<\/p>\n
Martin Holroyd enjoys exploring the “beautiful” underground world<\/p>\n
Matt Ewles, from York, said he has found a home in the caving community.<\/p>\n
“It’s a very small, very friendly, very close-knit community,” says the 44-year-old, who was introduced to the activity by his future husband, Gary, 20 years ago.<\/p>\n
“Most of my friends are cavers. You can have a day away from the world with your good friends – no mobile phones – and just focus on that friendship and enjoying that experience of going somewhere amazing and seeing something fantastic.”<\/p>\n
According to the Yorkshire Dales National Park, more than 2,500 caves have been discovered in the Dales.<\/p>\n
“Walking down a passage and thinking ‘I’m the first person in history to ever go there’, you are literally going into the complete unknown,” says Matt.<\/p>\n
“I just find that utterly addictive, where else can you get that?”<\/p>\n
Matt says rescue operations like the one at Dowber Gill Passage can give caving a bad reputation, despite the decision of the three men to go on the expedition being described as “perfectly reasonable” by the rescue leader<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Caving tends to only reach the general public when there’s a rescue. A lot of people get this impression of caving as really dangerous,” he says.<\/p>\n “Caving is an extremely safe sport. The majority of trips go safely and without incident.”<\/p>\n ‘Rescue’s relatively rare’<\/p>\n Jake Stapleton is part of a team of volunteers at the Cave Rescue Organisation who provide the cave and mountain rescue service in the Three Peaks area of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.<\/p>\n