Victoria Cave, Nr Settle

This is the view from Victoria Cave near Settle, North Yorkshire, England. The cave was ‘found’ to the modern era in 1837, with its discovery quickly leading to a series of excavations by Victorian ‘antiquarians’. These excavations pointed to a different and warmer climate some 130000 years ago with bones belonging to rhinos, elephants, hippos and hyenas being found, presumably with the latter animal dragging the other bones in. An ice age set in and glaciers are believed to have covered the area from 120,000 years ago to around 10,000BC. Victoria Cave also has the distinction of being the earliest site for human habitation in the Yorkshire Dales with an 11,000 year old antler harpoon point found among a pile of reindeer bones. Roman / Romano British folks also made it here too, with various finds including brooches and coins.