The Lost River - Exploration in Yorkshire's Gaping Gill and Ingleborough Cave by Howard M. Beck

The Lost River
Exploration in Yorkshire's Gaping Gill and Ingleborough Cave

Author: Howard M. Beck

From the cover
HIGH on the flanks of Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales, Fell Beck plunges into the awe-inspiring gulf of Gaping Gill, not to be seen again until it emerges near Ingleborough Cave. In 1837 the quest began to follow the subterranean course of the water and, with careful planning, determination, stubbornness and a degree of luck, cavers finally succeeded. In so doing they created a huge cave system that is now over 22 kilometres long. And the discoveries continue ...

The Lost River reveals the secrets that lie beneath the fells and the search for answers that has influenced generations of cavers. This highly readable story will appeal to everyone, whether a dedicated caver or a member of the public riding the famous Gaping Gill winch.

AN accomplished storyteller and an expert at turning dusty facts into readable prose, Howard Beck has written widely for over five decades, with more than twenty books and numerous articles about the outdoors and cave exploration to his name. He has been a highly respected member of the Craven Pothole Club for almost sixty years and been involved in major cave discoveries in his native Yorkshire and abroad.

As well as full coverage of the history of exploration, with anecdotes and the thrills of discovery all detailed, the book concludes with six appendices (and an index): The Geology Behind Gaping Gill by Tony Waltham, Clubs Involved in Exploration, a list of the 21 entrances to the system with the year they were connected, Further Reading, a Glossary and extensive References.

If Dales' exploration fascinates you, also take a look at the award-winning Adventures Underground, now in an expanded second edition, and Jim Eyre's fascinating (and outrageous) life spent in the region's caves and working with cave rescue, as told in his autobiographies.


Hardback, with ribbon marker; laminated cover
Size: 17.5cm x 24.5cm approx; spine 2.4cm
Pages: 304
Illustrations: 246 photographs, 32 surveys and maps, in colour and b&w
Publication date:
26 September 2026
ISBN: 978-1-8382628-3-9