Holed Up: Best Caves to Camp and Bivvy In
July 17, 2025With the rising popularity of lightweight camping, and the continuous search for ever more unusual and innovative outdoor adventures, ‘cave camping’ (sleeping in caves, quarries and natural rock shelters) is an increasingly sought-after activity. There is something about spending a night in a cave that feels remarkably secure, cosy and yet also connected to the elements. The sensation of being surrounded by rock walls and the cool darkness of the underground will also be a novelty to most people. Of course, that has not always been so. After all, we have been sleeping in caves since the beginning of human history.
Although ‘cave camping’ rolls off the tongue well, ‘cave bivvying’ would be a more accurate term, as the walls of rock replace the walls of a tent. Either way, if you want to try it, here are some of Britain’s best caves to sleep in, where you can find both shelter and wilderness in one place.
1. Priest’s Hole, Lake District
High in the eastern face of Dove Crag, the small rock shelter of Priest’s Hole gazes out across the eastern Lake District. The popularity of this cave as a place to spend the night has steadily risen in the last few decades, since its outstanding views have earned it a place in numerous news articles and even a feature in the BBC series Secret Britain.
How to reach Priest’s Hole, Dove Crag
To reach Priest’s Hole, it is necessary to follow a scrambling route over blocks that diverts from the main footpath to take an ascending traverse of the cliff face. The route is extremely difficult to find in cloud and darkness (I didn’t find the route until my third visit to Dove Crag) and Patterdale Mountain Rescue have received several call outs due to hikers attempting and failing to find the cave. It is imperative that anyone visiting for the first time does so in daylight and adequate weather conditions, and is willing to wild camp or descend back down the valley if unable to find the cave. Care must also be taken on the cliff face, as in 2016 a visitor to Priest’s Hole unfortunately fell to his death.
However, those that do visit the cave are rewarded with spectacular sunrises. The cave sleeps four people, but its popularity means that it will often be full on summer weekends. For a more solitary night, it is wise to visit during the week or in winter.
2. Shelter Stone, Cairngorms
Well-known by mountaineers since at least the 18th century (if not longer), the Shelter Stone is a large boulder at the end of Loch Avon in the heart of the Cairngorms. It is more accurately described as a ‘howff’, a Scottish term for a cave or natural shelter. The verb ‘to howff’ (to spend the night in a shelter or natural refuge) is effectively the Scottish word for cave camping, and the Shelter Stone is a pinnacle example of Scottish howffing culture.
The howff comes complete with a ‘bothy book’ for visitors to sign, and stories of the stone go back for centuries. In addition to unnerving tales of a ghost of Loch Avon haunting the stone, it features in Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain, where Shepherd describes a stream of around a hundred visitors heading to the stone in memory of two boys that died after spending the night there.
How to reach the Shelter Stone
The Shelter Stone is popular not only for its scenic location, but also for its remoteness, enabling a real sense of isolation in the Cairngorm wilderness. Nestled in the shadow of Ben MacDui, Scotland’s second-highest peak, this howff makes an excellent addition to a multi-day bothy trip. It lies in the Loch Avon basin, which can only be reached by either a climb over one of the surrounding mountains, or a long walk down remote Glen Avon.
There are stunning beaches at the top of the loch, from which a narrow path heads towards the huge vertical block of Shelter Stone crag. It crosses a stream, which can be difficult or even impassable in spate. After this, the path climbs and then weaves back left towards the Allt nan Stacan Dubha. Leave the path and head right at the bend to reach the Shelter Stone, a truly enormous fallen boulder, marked by a cairn on the top.
Although there is a report of ‘eighteen armed men’ sleeping underneath the stone in the 18th century, the small gap beneath the boulder is better suited to a maximum of five people. Unlike Priest’s Hole, competition for space is unlikely, given the attractive options of staying in a bothy or camping by the side of Loch Avon nearby.
3. The Caves of Attermire Scar, Yorkshire Dales
While the caves and ‘potholes’ – fissures descending deep into the ground – are prominent characteristics of the Yorkshire Dales, many of these require technical caving skills to access and their wet, vertical nature makes them challenging to camp in. However, the caves of Attermire Scar are now high above the water table and mostly dry (apart from some drips and puddles). Each cave is unique in its character. Jubilee Cave has a series of round, interconnecting tunnels; Victoria Cave has a gaping wide mouth; Attermire Scar has a key-hole shaped entrance part-way up a cliff with a long, horizontal passage going into the hill behind it.
How to get to the caves of Attermire Scar
In all three caves, the best sleeping spots are near the entrances, and both Victoria and Attermire caves become muddy and damp further in. Victoria and Attermire caves provide the best views, due to their height and open entrances. Jubilee provides the best shelter, followed by Attermire, while Victoria provides less shelter due to its large, open entrance. All three caves are important archaeological sites, and have produced a range of deposits from spotted hyena bones to Anglo-Saxon coins. As such, it is important to take extra care not to damage the caves and to leave no trace.
To reach them, start from Settle and follow the Pennine Bridleway, which leads out of town and up Castle Hill. The path will take you past the rugby pitches and then up a lane (Castle Hill). After a while, you'll see a signpost for Langcliffe, and then a path leading through a gate and towards Attermire Scar.
4. Robin Hood’s Cave, Stanage Edge
Robin Hood’s Cave is a nook part-way up the cliff of Stanage Edge, a central location for gritstone climbing in the Peak District. It is said that the legendary outlaw Robin Hood once hid in this cave, at a time when Stanage Edge was significantly less busy than it is today!
How to reach Robin Hood’s Cave
Like Priest’s Hole and Attermire Cave, a scramble down the cliff face is required to reach the cave, which helps to protect it from the many visitors on top of Stanage Edge. The cave has a small ‘balcony’ in front of it and, like many of the other caves in this article, far-reaching views. To get there, follow the footpath along the top of Stanage Edge for about 800 metres, until you spot a natural window made from boulders. The scramble down to the cave starts about 15 metres past here on the left.
5. Millican Dalton’s Cave, Lake District
On the wooded slopes of Castle Crag, a large, abandoned quarry is hidden beneath the canopy of a temperate rainforest. The cave-like quarry was home to the self-titled ‘Professor of Adventure’, Millican Dalton, for almost 50 years. The sheltered part of the quarry has a lower portion, which is larger and contains flat sleeping places in addition to a fireplace, as well as an upper section described by Dalton as ‘the attic’. Surrounded by the twisted boughs of old trees dripping with green ferns, the site makes up for the lack of views with the character of the surrounding rainforest, providing an immersive and tranquil experience.
How to reach Millican Dalton’s Cave
There are various approaches to the cave, but the easiest is a pleasant 3km walk from Rosthwaite. It is well worth nipping up to the top of Castle Crag for the views across Derwent Water towards Keswick.
6. Cauldron Quarry, Rainsborrow Crag
This esoteric camping spot comes complete with an upper and lower tier – in a similar layout to Millican Dalton’s Cave – with both tiers containing levelled out areas for sleeping, and a fireplace. The cave is decorated with Nepalese prayer flags and candles, and despite the large entrance, is very sheltered at the back.
How to reach Cauldron Quarry
Tucked away in the quiet valley of Kentmere on the scree-covered slopes of Rainsborrow Crag, the large cave mouth faces Kentmere Pike, which was quarried in the late 19th century. The majority of the approach follows an easy track along the valley bottom from Kentmere village, although the very last stretch up to the cave involves steep scrambling over loose scree.
7. MacKinnon’s Cave, Isle of Mull
Hidden within the cliffs of the Ardmeanach peninsula on the Isle of Mull is MacKinnon’s Cave, the longest sea cave in the Hebrides. The cave gained popularity after being visited by Dr Samuel Johnson and James Boswell in 1773, who published their tour of the area in a book.
Like many caves that have been visited for a long time, MacKinnon’s Cave is full of folklore. Its name supposedly comes from a Celtic monk, Abbott MacKinnon, who hid in the cave in the 15th century. Another story tells of a piper who walked into the cave with his dog and entered a piping competition with faeries. But the piper never returned, and his dog came back mad and hairless.
How to get to MacKinnon’s Cave
The cave is reached by a footpath and then a slippery scramble over boulders around the peninsula, from the parking at Balmeanach. It can only be reached at low tide, and the sea will block off your escape route, so it’s important to have all the supplies that you need and be prepared for a long night.
8. Chartist Cave, Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons)
Also known as Ogof Fawr (Big Cave) and Tylles Fawr (Big Hole) in Welsh, this cave in Y Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons) only gained its common name in 1839, when Chartist rebels stored weapons in the cave before their march in the nearby town of Newport.
How to get to the Chartist Cave
The cave is situated on the slopes of the hill Mynydd Llangynidr, and while the cave itself is carboniferous limestone, the arch above its entrance is millstone grit. It is possible to sleep inside the large entrance, although the rocky floor means a good sleeping mat is essential! For a more comfortable night, you may choose to camp just outside the entrance and use or explore the cave as a shelter.
How to find your own caves
The caves, quarries and howffs listed above are just a few of the many underground bivvying spots to be found in Britain. The real art is finding your own. With this comes the extra thrill of searching for a spot, and the delight when you find one. The easiest way to do this is to look at an OS map, find some marked quarries and caves, then go out on a hike to find them. You could either do this with the intention of sleeping in them, bringing a tent as back-up, or as a day-hike recce. However, there are plenty of options that aren’t marked on maps at all, and the best way to find these is simply to keep an eye out whenever you are hiking in the hills.
Responsible ‘cave camping’
Sleeping in caves is no different to wild camping in practice. This means it is equally – if not more – important to practice the Countryside Code and the wild camping guideline of ‘leave no trace’. Many caves are especially vulnerable, rare habitats and places rich in archaeological deposits, so extra care must be taken to avoid damaging the cave. As these spaces may be shared with other users, much like a bothy, it is also important to treat other users with respect and friendship. The Bothy Code provides a good example of guidelines to follow.