Dark caves, vaults, tunnels and mines are not everyone’s idea of a great day out. The underworld has had a bad reputation ever since the ancient Greeks called it Hades, the land of the dead.
However, to our Paleolithic ancestors, caves provided security and protection from natural conditions. For those planning a holiday this summer, they provide an exciting alternative to the beach without depending on sunny weather forecasts.
The UK has numerous natural caves, as well as deep underground areas carved by humans. In addition to escaping the summer crowds at above-ground tourist attractions, they also instill a sense of admiration.
The following title reveals millions of years of geology and the hard labor of those who bravely tunneled into the Plutonic depths using primitive tools by the light of smoky tallow candles.
Serious cavers enjoy squeezing through impossibly tight spaces to enter previously unexplored chambers. Although for the casual day tripper there are underground worlds to explore that don’t require too much effort. Some do not require a hard hat or headlamp, while others see visitors going underground via ferrata in caving gear.
Whatever your excitement level, here’s a selection of the 10 best cave, mine and tunnel experiences in the UK.
They range from cafes, souvenir shops and museums to modest operations run by volunteers and open to the public only a limited number of days a year.
None of them are suitable for claustrophobics.
1. Brewery caves, Devon, England
Fossil-free limestone has been mined 60 meters below ground here in Beer (last year voted ‘best English seaside village’ for nostalgia) since Roman times. The remaining spaces, once used to hide contraband, cover an area of over 100 football fields.
Illuminated by bare electric bulbs and with no need to crouch, visitors learn 2,000 years of history, including how a 24-tonne block for Exeter cathedral was lifted by a team of 26 horses. This is a very simple place, but the guides have a wealth of knowledge.
Book a one-hour tour by calling 01297 680 282 (adult £12; child £10). Find more information brewery caves.co.uk.
Plan a trip to Devon with our guide.
2. Standedge Tunnel, West Yorkshire, England
This is the highest, longest and deepest channel tunnel under the Pennines Mountains in the UK. It takes about two hours in a narrow boat to cover the dark, unlit length of more than three miles.
The tunnel’s roof consists mostly of bare rock, occasionally compressing tightly and opening into large caverns. Trains pass through an adjacent tunnel connected by galleries. No boat? No problem. In a unique twist, the Canal & River Trust has also introduced tunnel canoe trips from June to August.
Canal and River Foundation operates tour boats. 30-minute excursions start at Marsden, where there is a café and visitor centre, (£10 per adult; £8 per child). Sometimes there are two hour journeys along the way. Shorter journeys are wheelchair accessible. Alternatively, canoe trips will take place in June, July and August (£100 for two people in a canoe; £55 for single). Find out more at: canalrivertrust.org.uk.
3. Gaping Gill, North Yorkshire, England
Twice a year, pit-digging clubs set up a primitive crane and lower brave adventurers, one by one, 300ft deep into the Gaping Gill, one of the largest natural underground chambers in the UK.
After your one-minute descent, you’re free to wander around before emerging into daylight (there are temporary electric lights). The direction of the waterfall, which usually erupts from the roof of the cave, is (mostly) directed, but waterproofing and warm clothing are a must.
The next crane days are from 9 to 16 August (£20 cash, no pre-bookings). Gaping Gill is a 90-minute walk from Clapham village. Find out more at: cravenpotholeclub.org.
4. Geevor Tin Mine, Cornwall, England
A working mine until 1990, this tin mine still has above-ground infrastructure and is the main attraction, but there is also a small section of a restored historic mine that visitors can enter wearing a hard hat.
The guides, former miners, tell stories of tin and copper mining then and now. If you can’t physically visit this 18th-century mine, you can enjoy a 360-degree Virtual Reality experience. Finish off with a Cornish cream tea.
Adult £20.50, child £11.60. Find out more at: geevor.com.
Plan a trip to Cornwall with our guide.
5. Nenthead Mines, Cumbria, England
This former lead mine is a maze of 30 miles of underground workings 300ft above the Pennines. On a 90-minute guided tour led by volunteers, you will enter a horizontal tunnel in the hillside that once carried a horse-drawn railway and explore approximately 250 meters of underground spaces before ascending a 30-meter staircase.
A notable feature of this Cumbrian mining complex is the centuries-old dry stone walls (rather than wood) lining the galleries and shafts.
Nenthead Mines Preservation Society holds open days in the summer months. A donation (suggested £11 for adult; £5 for child) is requested. Find out more at: nentheadmines.com.
Contact Steve Cousins for a private tour of the more challenging parts of the mines. rockshowman.com (From £165).
6. Wild Wookey, Somerset, England
This hugely popular cave complex beneath Somerset’s Mendip hills and adjacent to Cheddar Pass needs little introduction. Under the guidance of professional cavers, the Wild Wookey experience equips you with overalls, gloves, helmet and headlamp.
The adrenaline-fuelled adventure lasts up to three hours and passes through illuminated show caves. You need to be physically fit to rappel (up to 75ft at one point), hold via via ferrata, and crawl through tight spaces.
Prices start from £72 per person. Find out more at: wildwookey.co.uk and bring wellies (or hiking boots).
Plan a trip to Somerset with our guide.
7. Llechwedd, Gwynedd, Wales
Llechwedd’s former slate mine has been transformed into a world-first underground playground, with trampoline nets in vast caverns where children (and adults) bounce, while the more adventurous indulge in the adrenaline thrill of the underground high ropes course.
This includes via ferrata and rope bridges via 13 zip wires. There is also a Deep Mine tour where you will learn about 16 underground levels and that unfortunately most of the slate now comes from China. Europe’s steepest cable car line will take you above ground.
A three-hour Caverns experience costs £68 per person. Prices for Bounce Below start from £25. Find out more at: zipworld.co.uk.
8. South Bridge Vaults, Edinburgh, Scotland
A 19-arched viaduct became Edinburgh’s first purpose-built shopping street in the 18th century. More than 100 vaults were built under the arches and were used as workshops, taverns and warehouses.
They were soon abandoned due to dampness, before the poor, homeless and criminals moved into secret areas. Today, guided tours of a small part of this man-made region focus on ghosts and tales of witch covens. It may still be damp.
A one-hour tour costs £20. Find out more at: auldreekietours.com.
Plan a trip to Edinburgh with our guide.
9. Cresswell Crags, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, England
Britain is mysteriously devoid of cave art, but in 2003 an important discovery was made in this cave-filled limestone valley.
Church Hole Cave features depictions of wild animals such as bison and ibises that roamed the area 12,000 years ago.
The engravings are difficult to spot without the help of a guide. Archaeologists also found tools made from bone and antler, as well as quartzite and flint tools used during the last Ice Age.
The Art in the Ice Age tour costs £15 for adults and £10 for children. Find out more at: cresswell-crags.org.uk.
10. National Coal Mining Museum, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Equipped with a hard hat, battery pack and lamp, and holding his metal miner’s check (a token to keep track of how many people are underground), a former coal miner is your guide as you descend over 400ft in a mine cage.
On a 90-minute tour covering a third of a mile underground, you see pit supports and mine workings. Above ground there is a cafe, library and museum, with canaries and pit ponies on display, as well as a rare miners’ strike chess set.
A donation of £7.50 is requested for underground tours. The aboveground museum is free. Find out more at: ncm.org.uk.