We can hardly believe how long it has been since our last adventure. We finished our three visits to Haworth on 21 October and posted on 28 October – last year! What on earth have we been up to?
Deciding which “I” to choose was our first task. We had already chosen the rough area, but there were so many places of interest that we had to just select one and go there.
Otherwise, this would have been another mammoth visit, vlog and blog.
In the end, Ingleton won, and we managed it in only one trip.
Ingleton is in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, just outside the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The village is where the River Doe and the River Twiss meet to form the source of the River Greta, which in turn is a tributary of the River Lune.
With all of that water it is hardly surprising that there can be found here a number of very beautiful waterfalls, all cascading through gorgeous if treacherous country.
Open all year around, though restricted times during the winter months, the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail follows a well-defined path that runs as close to the rivers as safely as possible. Saying that, the paths are strewn with stones and boulders and totally impossible for wheelchair or pushchair access. They’re blummin hard work for the able-bodied too!
Oh yes, and there are steps. Lots and LOTS of steps.
Much of the path climbs Uphill, with even up bits on the down parts. It really is a strenuous walk, but oh, it is worth it.
We paid £7 each, which included free car parking. We don’t believe you can park without paying to walk the trail. The dog came for free.
There is currently a small café at the car park and also public toilets. The toilets weren’t the best we’ve experienced on our travels. The lock didn’t work on the cubical Diane used. But they’re free and they’re adequate.
It looked as though there was some work going on when we were there. Hopefully, they’re making the car park bigger or slightly more defined. Cars were left a bit randomly beyond the clearly marked bays and they could probably have got more in with better organisation.
About halfway around the trail there is a van selling ice creams, and just a little further along there are some more toilets on what’s known as Beezley Farm.
There are no “public” bins around the trail, so you have to take your litter home with you. Any bins that we saw had a notice on them telling us that unless we bought the product from the café, then we’re not to use them for our own use. Very friendly! Perhaps they have to pay a fine these days if they use more than their own designated bin space.
The village also has a number of shops, pubs and food places, and signs encourage you to spend the rest of your time, and your money, there.
We took a picnic, which we ate in the car, taking just drinks and snacks for the three of us in a small rucksack. And yes, we did take our litter home with us.
The circular waterfalls trails is about 4½ miles long, although we walked closer to 5 miles, as mentioned, much of it uphill.
The paths really can be very dangerous and slippery in wet weather and visitors are discouraged from getting too close to the edge. In extreme weather conditions, the trail is even closed, so do check the website ahead of your visit, especially if travelling a long way.
Dogs are more than welcome, but they must be kept on a short lead when crossing the farmland, or under very strict control. We saw a lot of dogs on our visit, and a lot of families too. Children are not to be left unsupervised.
The views and the waterfalls are stunning, and it certainly is worth the few hours of your time to see it all.
The trail can take between 2½ and 4½ hours. It took us the full 4½, but that’s mainly due to taking and re-taking photographs, shooting and re-shooting video, and having a semi-invalid (Diane!) in our party.
Going around clockwise we follow first the River Twiss and we come back along the River Doe. Pecca Falls is the first major waterfall, going first over Manor Bridge and coming back over Pecca Bridge. Here there are 5 main falls that drop 30m over sandstone and slate.
Hollybush Spat is next, where the trail climbs steeply. At Thornton Force, the river “plunges 14m over a cliff of limestone”, according to the downloadable information leaflet. A lot of people chose to rest a while here, having a paddle in the cool, clear water.
The trail crosses Twistleton Farm and Beezley Farm, then just before the Beezley Falls is the second set of toilets. Triple Spout is also here, where 3 side-by-side waterfalls can be viewed.
It was at about this time that Diane felt as though she had had enough,. She didn’t even want an ice-cream, which is most unusual.
BUT … at least it was all downhill from here – or at least most of it was – although there were still lots and LOTS of steps.
After the Rival Falls, a bridge over the Baxenghyll Gorge offers yet more stunning views. Looking back on the way down is the final and very lovely Snow Falls.
The direction signs leading away from the trail aren’t very clear and several groups emerged in several different places around the village – probably another ploy to get us to visit the shops and pubs there.
Unfortunately, by the time we got back to the village, all of the shops were shut.
Back at the car we felt exhilarated to have completed the short but tough trek.
If you have time, and if you don’t have dogs, the longest show cave in Britain, White Scar Cave, is worth a visit. Dogs may be taken to the site, so long as they are well-behaved, but they are not permitted inside.
If you do have dogs, only a few short miles down the road, towards Skipton, is Ingleborough Cave, where dogs are apparently welcome.
The district of Craven is also home to two of the famous Yorkshire Peaks – Ingleborough and Whernside. The famous Ribblehead Viaduct is also nearby.
According to MapMyWalk, we walked for nearly 5 hours altogether, more than 20,500 steps, and we burnt around 740 calories.
Before you go …
If you have enjoyed the blog and like to watch the videos, please subscribe to our YouTube channel, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. Thank you!
the alphabet adventurers 
Awww fab pics ..Me n Paul were up there not long ago …loved the walk …😊😊xx
LikeLike
It’s a beautiful walk. xx
LikeLike