Journey to the center of the earth at the Stump Cross Caverns

Most of us learned about caves in elementary school geography class, and maybe you went to see some as a kid. Now, you can do that online with the help of Apollo 3D.

You don’t need to be an avid spelunker to enjoy the beauty of the Stump Cross Caverns! Even the most claustrophobic folks can dive deep into this magnificent cave system located in New Yorkshire, England (not literally though, of course).

The caves formed around half a million years ago but were only discovered in the mid-19th century. The first true exploration happened in the early 1920s, just over one hundred years ago. Today, they’re still a source of wonder and have become an international tourist attraction.

Can’t make it to the U.K.? Apollo 3D has you covered. We sat down with Mark Shepherd, CEO of Apollo 3D, a digital marketing agency based in Leeds, to chat about why they wanted to digitally capture this awe-inspiring natural wonder.

What inspired the 3D capture of this space?

Stump Cross Caverns in North Yorkshire, England, attracts over 60,000 people per year to marvel at the cave system. Apollo 3D worked with the owners to capture some of the oldest publicly accessible cave systems in the UK. The team was inspired by the possibility of granting virtual access to many people who would be physically unable to visit the caves in person. To access the caverns, you need to descend 70 steep steps, and it’s simply impossible for some people to tackle that.

What are the “must-sees” you want visitors to explore and why?

Many unique formations have been captured in the tour, such as ‘The Reindeer’ and ‘The Wedding Cake’.   The entirety of the cave system has been recognized as a special area of scientific interest.

What’s the one thing you want visitors to take away after exploring your 3D tour?

Understanding the depth and scale of a space that’s hundreds of thousands of years old. By creating an experience that can be shared both in person and online, we’re able to connect with families and people of all ages. Also, guests can understand that it’s possible to scan almost anything!

What are the benefits of Matterport digital twins?

The Matterport digital twin has not only enabled thousands of virtual visits, but it’s also allowed the owners to calculate and plan the cabling needs for a new cave lighting system.

Do you have any plans to capture more 3D experiences?

We've recently 3D captured a very special area of the cave system that required specialist equipment to be lowered a few hundred feet into the cavern. An experienced team of cave rescuers helped two of the Apollo 3D team members enter an area that hasn’t been accessible for many years. In fact, more people have been to the moon than this ‘secret’ cave (called ‘The Keep’) with its pristine white bed of stalactites. The Apollo team even took an ultraviolet lighting system with them to capture the caves in a very unique way.

Anything else you would like to add?

We’d love for guests to look at the snapshot of ‘The Secret Keep’ and other pictures we took during the scanning.