Lacy's Caves — Attraction in Glassonby

Wow! How magical! A truely hidden gem and a definite must visit. Lacy's Caves are a series of 5 chambers in the red sandstone cliff of River Eden, just north of Little Salkeld in Cumbria. (Grid reference NY564383). The caves are named after Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Lacy.The reason for their creation is unknown, however they were used by Lacy for entertaining guests. Be prepared for some really muddy patches along the way, possibly even wet feet if not wearing suitable footwear as some spots along the way are water logged but do have lengths of wobbly tree branches that have been laid down by other walkers. This is a circular walk where you can carry on up to Long Meg And Her Daughters. We did do a little bit of research before we left and noticed that one of the sites had mentioned that the footpath was closed until 2022 but we had no problems getting through and there were several other walkers out that day too. You can go onto the Eden Rivers Trust website and follow their route plan. The scenery is beautiful and almost gives you a little bit of an Indiana Jones type feeling to the walk. I'd be cautious with little ones whilst in the caves as 1 or 2 spots leading out the caves leads directly onto the edge and they could easily fall off...

Intriguing caves cut into a red sandstone outcrop on the Eden riverbank. They were the idea of local landowner Colonel Samuel Lacy of Salkeld Hall. The 5 separate chambers were created in the 18th century, and used to entertain Lacy's guests. The caves are situated within very pleasant surroundings, with the peace only broken by the sound of the river and the occasional train passing over the nearby viaduct. Force Mill looks idyllic on the opposite side of the river, and the woodland provides plenty of shade. Following the trail above the riverbank eventually leads past some disused mine workings and abandoned buildings, presumably connected to the old Long Meg gypsum mine that operated up until the 1970s. Unfortunately most of the buildings have been trashed by vandals, though they're far enough away they don't spoil the atmosphere of the caves. I walked from Long Meg stone circle and found the caves in about 20 minutes. The paths weren't nearly as bad as some have reported, and I visited in winter when the ground was quite wet in places. There are sheer drops at the caves so go carefully, but they needn't deter sensible visitors. A very unusual place worth seeking out if you're interested in geology and...

Fantastic.. These caves were carved out of red sandstone in the 1800,s by Colonel Lacy who also surrounded them with ornamental gardens and used them to "entertain" in, at least, that's what legend says. I say this. These caves - 5 in all - are fairly confusing. As in you can interweave from cave to cave and get quite disorientated. ALSO the last cave is known as "The Chapel" which has two large coffin height and depth recesses in the wall and is the furthest back and completely pitch black. The drop is sheer around this place although the path is generous enough to feel safe in places. Again one door here leads to an almost certain death if you were to step out too far but others don't. BUT don't let that put you off. The place is well lit. Has ledges, feels very safe and sturdy and is definatly one to see. The walk is a good one and you pass old gypsum mines etc en route. Beware if take children, there are some tricky bits to navigate on the way and as I said there IS a sheer drop around the caves. But overall definatly worth a look. Also if you look hard enough you might just spot a work of art by the world famous Banksy. No I'm not kidding. It was done...