Dank holiday... 360ft drop into biggest cave
THE sun may have been shining yesterday, but for some it was the thrill of descending 360ft into one of the largest and most famous caves in Britain that won the day.
They were winched down into Gaping Gill in the Yorkshire Dales – with golden rays illuminating their descent after it opened to the public for the week.
Extra excitement was provided by a spectacular waterfall –
Fell Beck which pours over a lip of rock above and crashes hundreds of feet to the floor of the cavern before draining through to Ingleborough Cave.
Meanwhile, sun-seekers opted to bask under the Bank Holiday blue skies above ground, with thousands flocking to the sea, including the South Coast beaches of Brighton and Bournemouth, to make the most of the warm temperatures.
And experts last night said there is more sunshine to come today, particularly in the West where temperatures of 20C are expected.
Jonathan Vautrey, of the Met Office, said: “High pressure is staying with us, so keeping things fairly fine and settled still. But we’ve got this easterly, north-easterly breeze that’s just pushing in as the isobars squeeze together ever so slightly. “So it will be quite breezy across southern coastal areas of England and even further inland as well. That’s just going to feed in some slightly cooler and fresher air. “But generally there will be a lot of dry weather around and a good amount of sunshine still. Cloud pushing through at times might make the sunshine hazy in places.” Mr Vautrey said temperatures will remain in the teens along eastern coastal areas, adding: “But 20C is possible further towards the west for Wales and parts of south west England.
“And Northern Ireland, parts of central Scotland, will see their temperatures rise compared to Sunday and approaching that 20C mark once again. It’s going to stay cloudiest across the very far North of Scotland and temperatures held back here around 12C. The odd spot of drizzle is also possible.
“For Monday evening it will be a fairly lovely end for most of us away from the very far North.”
The rest of the week is forecast to remain largely settled for most of the country due to high pressure. ● Police reported yesterday that two men in their 20s died after being rescued from the water off Torbay on Saturday.
Officers said they were called to assist coastguard teams at around 9am following reports of concern for two people in the water at Oddicombe.
One man was declared dead at the scene and the second died after being taken to hospital.