Back Lane Quarry Cave, Carnforth – circa 1953

Nat . Grid Ref. SD 505696 (also known as Dingle Pot Hole)

Recent explorations in Dunald Mill Cave by Andrew Walsh and the thoughts that there might be further new cave to be “discovered” between there and Back Lane Quarry Cave prompted Jim Newton to delve in the archives and send us these photographs and comments of his involvement with the cave way back in the earl 1950’s.

A. Crabtree, Jim Newton, Licker Foxcroft, Herb Delacy. Alan Muckalt at Back Lane Quarry Cave

“Well done, Andy, It brought it all back to me, seeing your letter. I remember when we found Back Lane Quarry Cave in 1953 .We felt sure we were on our way to Dunald Mill, wading upstream in chest deep water, through 2 ducks to a final sump which stopped us.

With Andy's story of the water dropping over the years there must be a good passage to be found.

The only trouble is, they built a motorway over Back Lane Cave with a 20 foot embankment sloping into the shakehole.

Years after, an attempt was made to get in ⁽¹⁾, using a Tirfor to pull out the rocks. Pity that a police car, stopped on the motorway to check on speeding cars. He was attracted to the sound of crashing boulders. The story goes that they warned the lads off …

I walked round there a year ago & found the entrance blocked with broken crash barriers. Perhaps Andy can do a deal with the Police to get back in?”

Jim Newton’s first recorded trip into the cave according to his diary was in 1953 with members of the now defunct Morecambe Rock & Pot Club which he insists was the first trip into the cave,

but there is a report in the 1951 edition of “British Caver”⁽²⁾ that describes a new cave with very similar characteristics in the same area which would seem to indicate that it was in fact Back Lane Quarry Cave.

Licker Foxcroft inside Back Lane Quarry Cave

Jim Newton and A. Crabtree resting in the cave

⁽¹⁾ RRCPC Journal Vol. 8 1983 pp13-15

⁽²⁾ British Caver Vol. 23 (1952) p14 & 16

Photographs supplied by Jim Newton.

Mel Wilkinson