Yorkshire has some of the most beautiful and dramatic landscape that the UK has to offer, with some greatly impressive waterfalls to boot.
View all our waterfall walks here
A waterfall is a crowd-pleaser, and certainly one to consider if you’re organising a group walk with a variety of people who may not be that bothered about walking – rather than dragging them up Whernside.
Probably the best known waterfall walk in Yorkshire is the Ingleton Falls walk – this fantastic trail takes you past several waterfalls, including the impressive Thornton Force.
Thornton Force, as with all waterfalls, are best experienced after a good deal of rain, to build up the swell and create a more dramatic waterfall – making after rainfall the best time to go, so be prepared to get wet.
Mud will be everywhere, and will get everywhere – it will likely be slippy, and the going more challenging.
Ultimately, if you do choose to do a waterfall walk during this period, then you should make sure you take care in the conditions and don’t take unnecessary risks – particularly trying to cross rivers on stepping stones, or at low points.
If you go during a dry spell, preferably in the summer, you will find that the waterfall is less impressive but that weather can make the overall experience more enjoyable.
With some waterfalls, you will be able to find a perfect spot for a picnic, in full view of the waterfall.
You’ll find most of Yorkshire’s waterfalls in North Yorkshire, along with a large share of it’s overall natural beauty and rural appeal.
However, you can find waterfall’s in other parts of Yorkshire, such as Goit Stock waterfall near Harden, Bradford.
So, if you want to go on a waterfall walk, you may well need to travel – as the geographic spread of them is not quite as even as the local reservoir.
North Yorkshire, not only boasts the most waterfalls in Yorkshire, it also has some of the best.
Hardraw Force is 100ft high, and is believed to be the tallest single-drop waterfall in England.
Aysgarth Falls – one of the better known waterfalls in Yorkshire, is less about the height of the drop and more about the spread of the falls. This is a triple set of falls that are spread out over a mile, making walking to see them and back a nice little walk in itself.
For anyone walking to Malham Cove, a great route in this area takes you past 2 waterfalls – Gordale Scar and Janet’s Foss. Not forgetting the heavy rainfall in brought on us by Storm Desmond in 2015 which brought the Malham Cove waterfall back to life.
It would certainly be a worthwhile endeavour for someone who loves the outdoor to try and see all the waterfalls in Yorkshire. With the variation stretching from powerful forces of water, to gentle tumbling trickles down multiple flights.
Waterfall’s are a photographers favourite, and a quick look at some of the images you can produce shows exactly why. The beauty that can be captured in the picture of a waterfall is unlike most other things in nature – as well as being much more predictable.
Here’s a summary of all the waterfalls in Yorkshire:
Abbey Force
Acroy Gill Force
Arten Gill Falls
Ash Force
Ashfold Side Beck Falls
Aysgarth Falls
Aysgill Force
Bainbridge
Baxenghyll Gorge
Baysdale Beck Tributary Falls
Beezley Falls
Beldon Beck
Black Arc
Black Foss
Blake Beck Force
Blea Gill
Blea Hill Beck Falls
Blow Gill
Bordley Beck
Botcher Gill Falls
Brants Head Gill
Bronte Falls
Brow Gill Beck
Buckden Gill
Burnet Force
Caseker Gill Falls
Cat Leap Waterfall
Catrake Force
Catrigg Force
Cauldron (The) Waterfall
Cautley Spout
Clapham Beck Falls
Cliff Beck Falls Aka Scarr House Falls
Cliff Force
Cliff Wood Falls
Clough Force
Coal Force
Cosh Beck – Lower
Cosh Beck – Upper
Cote Gill Waterfall
Cotter Force
Cow Dub
Crackpot Falls Aka Haverdale Beck Falls
Cray & Crook Gill Falls
Currack Force
Dean Beck Falls
Deep Gill Force
Denthead Falls
Disher Force
Dockra Bridge Falls
Dowber Gill
Ease Gill Falls (See Also Cow Dub)
Easegill Force
East Gill Force
Falling Foss
Folly Dolly Falls
Force Gill Waterfall
Foss Gill
Gaping Gill
Gayle
Ghaistrill’s Strid
Goit Stock Falls
Golden Grove
Gordale Scar
Graining Scar
Great Force
Great Fryup Dale Falls
Green’s Clough
Gunnerside Gill
Hagg Beck
Hard Level Force
Hardcastle Crags
Hardraw Force & Hardraw Beck Falls
Harmby Falls
Haverdale Beck Falls (Aka Crackpot Falls)
Hawes
Hayburn Wyke Falls
Hebblethwaite Gill Falls
Hellgill Force
Heugh Gill
High Ash Scar Gill
High Force (See Also Jenny Whalley Force)
High Park Scar
Hindlethwaite Gill
Hoggarths Leap
Holly Bush Spout
Horton Gill Force
Howe Stean Falls
Hud’s Force
Hull Pot
Hunt Pot
Ibbeth Peril
Ivelet Force
Janet’s Foss
Jenny Whalley Force (See Also High Force)
Keld Hole
Keld Scar
Kildale Beck (Aka Old Meggison)
Kisdon Force
Laykin (Hatters Sike) Falls
Linton Falls
Little Hud’s Force
Lockingarth Falls
Low Ash Scar Gill
Low Row Houses
Lumb Falls
Malham Force
Mallyan Spout
March Haigh Reservoir Falls
Marsett Beck
Mathew Bridge Force
Mel Beck Falls
Mill Gill Force (Upper Mill Gill Falls And Whitfield Force)
Mill Scar Lash
Mossdale Falls
Nelly Ayre Foss
Nelly Force
Nidd Falls
North Landing Waterfall
Orgate Force
Oxnop Gill
Park Scar
Pecca Falls
Posforth Gill Waterfall
Rainby Force
Redmire Force
Richmond
Rigg Mill Beck
Rival Falls
Scale Haw Falls
Scaleber Force
Scaling Beck Falls
Scarr House Falls Aka Cliff Beck Falls
Scow Force
Seavy Sike Force
Sleets Gill Beck
Snow Falls
Stainforth Force
Startling Fall
Stonesdale Beck
Strid (The)
Swinner Gill Falls
Thomasson Foss
Thornton Force
Thwaite
Tounge Gill
Upper River Rye Falls
Upper Wharfe – Langstrothdale
Ure Force
Wain Wath Force
Walk Mill Foss
Water Ling Falls
Waterfall Gill
Waterfall Rock
Wensley
West Burton Falls (Caudron Falls)
Wharfe Gill Sike
Whitfield Gill Force (See Also Mill Gill Force)
Widdale
Yew Cogar Cave
Yew Scar Force