5 of the best and most impressive
of Lakeland's many cascades
Waterfalls, Lakeland's natural attraction
Photograph copyright Eric Worsley
OK, so the weather in July was a bit wet. In the Lake District
this is not a bad thing. In fact, in many ways the region's natural beauty has
been shaped by rain.
Lakes need to be topped up, rivers maintained in good flow,
and, of course, without a reasonable amount of rain the Lake District's waterfalls
would be less of a raging torrent and more a pathetic trickle.
The Lake District has more waterfalls than any other part
of England. Many of them are remote hillside falls, accessible only to those
who are prepared to get out or their cars and onto the high fells. But there
are some spectacular falls that are easily accessible to most able bodied people,
and a couple that can be viewed by just about anyone.
Here are five of the most spectacular, and easiest to reach
falls.
Lodore Falls
One of the the most spectacular, and certainly the noisiest
of all Lakeland's waterfalls, Lodore Falls are situated behind the Lodore Falls
Hotel, on the edge of Derwentwater. They are easy to access as in Victorian
times the owners of the falls built a wide carriageway to take visitors from
the hotel to the falls. Those who could not afford the carriage ride simply
walked along the wide track to a viewing area that is still open today.
You can access the falls by either parking in Kettlewell Car
Park (National Trust) and following the well signed footpath to the falls, a
woodland walk of approx. 1/2 mile, or you can take the boat from Keswick and
alight at Lodore and follow the path from the Lake shore, past the hotel and
up to the falls.
Stickle Ghyll
Photograph copyright Eric Worsley
Not so much one single waterfall, but a series of cascades
set in the shadow of the Langdale Pikes, the lower reaches of Stickle Ghyll
are easy to access for most moderately fit, able bodied people. Simply park
at the car park opposite the entrance to The New Dungeon Ghyll hotel, and walk
up the access road and through the small gate between the hotel and cottages.
It is then a short trek up the fellside, along a maintained rocky path, with
the lower cascades to your right. Those without any walking equipment should
not go farther than the bridge, but for the better equipped it is possible to
follow the water course all the way up the fell to it's source at Stickle Tarn.
Skelwith Force
What Skelwith Force lacks in height, (it is just 25 feet high)
it more than makes up for in noise and volume. Created by a narrowing of the
rivers that drain the Langdale Valley, and all the fells surrounding it, Skelwith
Force is also the most accessible of Lakeland's waterfalls. If you park close
to the Skelwith Bridge Inn and follow the course of the river upstream along
a well made footpath you will soon come to the falls. The only word of warning
would be to beware of the rocks as they tend to be very slippery, however, you
don't need to get too close to enjoy Skelwith Force in all it's glory.
Stock Beck Park and Falls
A beautiful woodland park and waterfalls on the edge of Ambleside,
Stock Beck Park and Falls is also accessible to most people. In Victorian times
the park was a major tourist attraction, and visitors had to pay to enter. One
of the old turnstiles used by the owners can still be seen today, rusting peacefully
as modern visitors use a different entrance.
The waymarked paths lead the visitor on a circular walk around
the park, the highlight of which are the falls. At the top of the cascade is
a bridge from which the views of the park and town beyond are only spoiled by
the rich foliage of the trees.
Aira Force
Photographs copyright (left to right) Andrew
Lugsen, Dave Willis, Dave Willis
Not the biggest, but possibly the most popular and certainly
the most famous of Lakeland's waterfalls, Aira Force is, like Stickle Ghyll,
more a series of cascades than simply one large drop. The good news is that
access is very good, and unlike the other falls, there is more than one direction
of approach.
The paths around the falls were laid out many years ago and
those at the bottom of the cascades are well maintained, making access very
easy. However, if you follow the course of the river upstream to where the series
of cascades starts you will find that the paths get rockier, and in icy weather
can be very slippy. The main falls are not particularly high, but after wet
weather they are truly spectacular. Because they drain pasture land they are
also less likely to dry up than falls that drain rocky areas.
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