Creswell Crags is dotted with caves, fissures and rock shelters, many of which harboured secrets from our Prehistoric past. Archaeologists have been excavating these caves since the 19th Century, discovering bone, antler, and stone tools that date back thousands of years. Thanks to funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Collections Fund, we have reunited some of these artefacts with the caves, creating digital scans and models for you to explore from afar. This digital scanning has also allowed us to create a virtual tour of Church Hole cave, home of some of Britain’s only Ice Age art.
Robin Hood Cave
Virtually visit the largest cave at Creswell Crags and see where animals and people sheltered during the last Ice Age. Have a closer look at the 3D scans of actual remains of animals that were found at Creswell Crags in the environment in which they were discovered.
Press the play button below to start your journey. You will begin at the top of the lake which will help you to locate the position of the cave within the gorge. Press the circular marker named ‘Robin Hood’s Cave’ to begin your journey, and follow these dots into the cave. Make sure you look all around the cave, and discover all the artefacts that have been relocated within it!
Book a place on one of our Life in the Ice Age or Witch Marks Tours to explore Robin Hood Cave in person with one of our fantastic guides who will tell you all about life in the caves over the last 120,000 years.
Church Hole is a world-famous cave, containing examples of some of the oldest verified cave art in the UK. This includes engravings of bison, reindeer and birds, as well as some abstract symbols which are still the subject of much debate amongst archaeologists. You can click on parts of the cave where the engravings are located, and see if you can spot them for yourself – it’s not as easy as you might think, which is why archaeologists didn’t discover the art until 2003!
Press the play button below to start your journey. You will begin at the top of the lake which will help you to locate the position of the cave within the Crags. Press the circular marker named ‘Church Hole Cave’ to begin, and follow the dots into the cave. These will allow you to travel deep into the cave to see the main engravings discovered inside.
Our Art in the Ice Age Tour of Church Hole Cave runs from Spring to Autumn and explores the importance of art, culture and social interactions during the Ice Age.
