A concert in a Derbyshire cave had to be abandoned when a concert-goer got lost en route and ended up falling into the cavern, managing to hold on to a tree on the way down.
The man got into “extreme difficulties” trying to find the show in Peak Cavern in Castleton, known locally as the Devil’s Arse. He had to be hauled to safety in a “rescue nappy”, curtailing a concert by comedy singer-songwriter John Shuttleworth.
Edale mountain rescue was called to help Derbyshire constabulary rescue the man on Thursday night, who was dangling 100ft (30m) above the cavern shortly before 9pm.
He later told rescuers he had been following his satnav while walking from his accommodation and somehow ended up on a footpath above the cavern.
“He came into extreme difficulties and slipped, just managing to catch a tree to arrest his fall, inches from a 100ft drop to the cavern floor,” Edale mountain rescue said in a Facebook post. “Unfortunately the concert had to be cancelled, and people had to be evacuated from the area due to the danger of rocks being dislodged on to the concert goers below.”
The rescuers rigged up a rope rescue system and lowered a volunteer down to reach the man, where he was secured in what Mountain Rescue called a “rescue nappy”.
“The gentleman had suffered a cut and some bruising above one of his eyes, other than that he seemed fit and well. The team hauled both the rescuer and the gentleman back up to the crag top, where he was handed over to a Hart [Hazardous Area Rescue Team] paramedic for further assessment. The gentleman did not need further hospital treatment and was given a lift back to his accommodation by a team member,” Edale mountain rescue said.
After his concert was abandoned, Shuttleworth said he was glad the culprit responsible was safe: “The man who was clinging to the cliff – an incident which ended tonight’s show prematurely – is safe and now in an ambulance (so I have been told). We wish him well, and to my lovely Peak Cavern audience – thank you for evacuating so swiftly, and see you soon for the 2nd half!” he tweeted.
Devil’s Arse is one of four show caves in Derbyshire that are open to visitors and regularly hosts concerts and other events. It has largest cave entrance in the British Isles – 100m long, 20m high and 35m wide –and contains the remains of a rope makers village within. It received its colloquial name because of the flatulent-sounding noises from inside the cave when flood water is draining away.
