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CLAPHAM
| Population: 690 |
Grid Reference: SD745694 |
Co-ordinates:
54.119, -2.392
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Clapham Village
Leaving Ingleton on the main road to
Settle you soon come to the Dales Village of Clapham. This interesting
village is the Yorkshire Dales in minature. Clapham features a pub,
bar, bunkhouse, bed and breakfast accommodation, shops and cafés as
well as nature trails, cycle routes and a National Park Centre.
Because of the
extensive caving activity in the area Clapham is an ideal place to have
the Cave Rescue Organisation's headquaters. The C.R.O. was set up in
the late 1930's following a difficult cave rescue. This organisation
like mountain rescue is voluntary but is called out by the statutory
forces in the event of an emergency. As well as underground rescues the
Cave Rescue Organisation carries out a lot of fell and animal rescues.
The New Inn is
next door to the C.R.O. headquarters and is popular with members of the
C.R.O. as well as other cavers.
Accommodation is
available at the Clapham Bunkhouse. Formally the old reading room, the
bunkhouse also features a bar and café which are open to non-residents.
St. Jame's Church.
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The bar is usually open between late morning and 7pm but late licensing
takes place on some Fridays and Saturdays when the bar is open until
midnight.
The bunkhouse and bar are popular with members of local caving clubs
including the Earby Pothole Club which
meet up here most weekends.
Even when it is closing at 7pm it is still worth a visit for a pint
before continuing on to another pub in the area.
The
original church of St. James (fomally St. Michael's) dates back to
Norman times and was first mentioned in records in 1160. The village
and church were destroyed in a Scottish raid following their victory in
the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. The church was rebuilt following the
raid but today only the tower dates from the 14th century with the
current church being erected during the 19th century.
The church is part of the Diocese of
Bradford and services take place here every Sunday from 11am. |
| Near the church
a cycle and walking route passes through two intruiging small tunnels
which run under the former railway line.
At the top of the village the
Ingleborough Estate Nature Trail leads through woodland and past a lake
to Ingleborough Cave. A small fee is charged to use the trail.
A bridleway also leads from near
here to Clapdale, a farm almost a mile from the village from where a
large number of caves including Gaping Gill can be visited by properly
equipped cavers. Non-cavers have the opportunity to visit Gaping Gill
when the Bradford Pothole Club and the Craven Pothole Club erect a
winch across the entrance shaft during the Spring and August Bank
Holidays.
The two tunnels on
the cycle trail near the church.
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