Jingling Pot is one of the most popular vertical sinkholes in the West Kingsdale area of Yorkshire. The cavern, known locally as a pothole, is located on the slopes of Whernside, one of Yorkshire's most prominent mountains, and has a depth of approximately 145 feet.
Explorers can descend via direct rappel down the main shaft or traverse a lateral section a few feet below the surface towards the Side Crack. Although divers previously performed an exciting jump across the crack using a rope anchored to a rowan tree on the edge of the sinkhole, this practice is no longer recommended due to deterioration of the tree and loose rocks. The Side Crack leads to a series of shorter vertical drops that join with the main shaft bottom route.
The direct descent and subsequent ascent using single-rope technique offers spectacular views and considerable exposure. The side crack route, meanwhile, provides valuable practice for less experienced cavers in pitch rigging. Both routes using electron ladders are physically demanding but represent a great tribute to tradition.
A distinctive feature of this sinkhole is that the profile around the entrance allows grass to grow, which attracts sheep. The animals tend to move towards the lusher grass on the increasingly steep slopes, resulting in regular falls of animals into the interior. The base of the main shaft is covered with sheep skeletons in various states of decomposition.
At the bottom of the main shaft, a narrow crack progresses northward and descends at a steep angle towards another chamber. At the end of that chamber can be seen the initials of the original group that entered the sinkhole using rope ladders in 1897, members of the Yorkshire Ramblers Club, carved into the rock. The side crack route was not discovered until 1969. The stream that created this sinkhole, Jingling Brook, no longer flows into the cave except under very wet conditions, when the sinkhole receives overflow from the stream.
