Waterfalls

In 1967, on a week-long school trip to Ingleton, we did the Ingleton Waterfalls Walk. (This website gives you a very good idea of it). It was summer and I remember it as being beautiful, though a steep scramble and a bit scary in places. My particular favourite was Thornton Force.

From the starting point near the centre of Ingleton, you walk up the River Twiss and down the River Doe – or vice versa if you prefer. Forty years on, they have improved the path considerably. It’s four and a half miles and they class it as “strenuous” because it goes up, then down, then up - - But in general, you don’t get great scenery without a bit of up and down.

The easy thing about it is that it follows a well-made path: you would have to be trying really, really hard if you were to get lost. In the summer I expect it gets crowded, though I think it’s big enough to absorb a good number of people. On a misty Sunday morning in February, though, there weren’t many walkers and the ones we met were very friendly.

On the way, you pass about a dozen waterfalls, each of which has the “wow” factor in a different way. Of course, the winter rains had helped and all the falls were at their most spectacular. Lots of wildlife, too – John tells me when he did the walk a while ago he saw an otter with cubs.

Here’s Beezley Falls Triple Spout: (don’t waterfalls have good names?)

There’s a visitor centre and very pleasant café. The walk costs £4 each – the area is well maintained and I thought it was well worth it. I could do that walk every week for a year and never tire of it – if I lived nearer, I probably would!

I shan’t be leaving it another forty years before I return.