Ingleborough Estate Nature Trail
ENTRY
from £1.50
WHERE
Lancaster
What it’s like
A gentle 1.3 mile lakeside woodland walk to Ingleborough Cave, with a treasure hunt and a planet trail to keep kids spotting things along the way.
This is a walk before it's anything else: 1.3 miles through lakeside woodland from Clapham village to the entrance of Ingleborough Cave. It is flat enough underfoot and easy enough to follow that you can do it with a buggy, and the site reckons on at least half an hour just for the walk itself, so build in more if you stop to look at everything.
Two things make it worth doing with kids rather than just walking it yourself. The Mimpish Squimbie Family Trail turns the route into a treasure hunt, and the Planet Trail lines up the solar system along the path, which is a good way to get a six or seven-year-old past the point where they start asking how much further. Entry is £1.50 for a child and £3 for an adult, or £8 for a family of four, which is fair enough for a walk with two trails built in.
There's a café at the start, the Old Sawmill, doing coffee and tray bakes and local food, and another shop at the cave end for drinks and ice cream, so you can bookend the walk with a treat at either side. Parking is the one thing to think about before you set off: roadside space is limited, so the Yorkshire Dales car park in Clapham village is the safer bet, and it takes cash or card. There's also a train service to Clapham station and a local bus stop in the village if you'd rather not drive at all.
Wheelchair users are properly thought about here. There are two disabled bays at the entrance, and a bespoke manual wheelchair is available to explore all 0.6 miles of the cave passages, though it does need a pusher to come along with you.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- Good for families with kids old enough to walk 1.3 miles and follow a trail
- Parking
- Limited roadside parking available
- How long to allow
- Allow a minimum of half an hour for the walk
- Food
- The Old Sawmill Café at trail entrance serves coffee, tray bakes, seasonal fresh local food
- Wheelchairs
- Bespoke manual wheelchair available for cave exploration (all 0.6 miles of passages), pusher must accompany user
- Getting there by bus or train
- Clapham station served by Northern rail hourly from Leeds and Lancaster
- Two trails are built into the walk: the Mimpish Squimbie treasure hunt and the Planet Trail through the solar system
- A bespoke manual wheelchair is available for the full 0.6 miles of cave passages, but needs a pusher alongside
- There are two disabled bays right at the entrance
- The site is open daily, so there's no session time to work around
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
£3 for an adult, £1.50 for a child aged 3 to 15, £2.50 for seniors and students. A family ticket for two adults and two children is £8.
How long does the walk take?
Allow at least half an hour for the 1.3 mile walk out to the cave entrance, more if you're stopping for the trails.
Is it suitable for a buggy?
It's a lakeside woodland walk on an easy path, so a buggy should manage it fine.
Do we need to book?
There's no booking mentioned, you can just turn up.
Where do we park?
Roadside parking near the trail is limited, so the Yorkshire Dales National Park car park in Clapham village is the more reliable option and takes cash or card.
Is there anywhere to get food?
The Old Sawmill Café at the trail entrance does coffee, tray bakes and local food, and there's a shop at the cave end for drinks and ice cream.
Can you get there without a car?
Yes, Clapham station has an hourly Northern rail service from Leeds and Lancaster, and the Craven Connection bus stops in the village centre.
Featured in 2 Huddlepin lists
See all Caves, Mines & Underground in Preston · Things to do in Preston
MAKE A DAY OF IT
