Few visitors to Yorkshire would pass through the county without being struck by the huge number of waterfalls the region is home to, particularly in the Yorkshire Dales. A happy accident of geology means many of the majestic valleys here are underpinned by limestone, a porous rock that’s easily scoured by water, forming spectacular caves, underground rivers and, best of all for wild swimmers, steps or drops over which torrents of water cascade following heavy rain. If you fancy taking the plunge in a cool waterfall pool, Sarah Banks, author of Wild Swimming Walks Yorkshire picks five of her favourites (and suggests how to make a day of it by weaving your dips into a walk).
CRAY GILL
For a sublime ramble wind your way through Upper Wharfedale, passing the hidden valley of Cray Gill. Here, small streams from the limestone and peat uplands tumble over rocks and limestone ledges to create an abundance of sparkling cascades, waterfalls and cataracts laced with enticing plunge pools. These peaceful upper reaches of Wharfedale, curving west towards lovely Langstrothdale, reward hikers with breathtaking scenery and tranquility. Starting and ending in Buckden, there’s a historic pub along the way and the sun-trap terrace of a Georgian coaching inn to slake your thirst at the finish.
NELLY AYRE FOSS
Picture-postcard Goathland, where this waterfall walk starts and ends, has been celebrated for its natural beauty for centuries. First gaining a reputation among the Victorians as a mini spa town it’s tucked away in the eastern fringes of the North York Moors National Park, cosseted by undulating moorland scenery interlaced with streams, becks and rills. Mallyan Spout, the highest and best-known waterfall in the North York Moors, pours over a steep-sided 20m drop into West Beck, on the outskirts of town. The rest of this wild swim-walk entails a remote hike across open moor, taking in two other delightful swim spots along the way – shimmering Goathland tarn and the secluded waterfall of Nelly Ayre Foss.
BARDALE
Leading out from the northern shoreline of Semer Water, a sublime hike wends its way along the eastern fringes of the lake to explore more of remote Raydale, and the tiny valley of Bardale, with its delightful waterfalls and expansive fell views. Semer Water is one of only three natural lakes in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the other two being Malham Tarn and Sunbiggin Tarn. It was formed by glacial action and, as a rare feature of the Dales landscape, it is not surprising that legends have proliferated around it. The most common is that the lake conceals a drowned town beneath its silvery surface, the folk tale bolstered somewhat by archaeological evidence of an Iron Age settlement.
RICHMOND FOSS
Delve into the name of the River Swale – it comes from ‘liable to deluge’ – and you get a hint at its fast-flowing nature. Be warned that it swells swiftly and treacherously if there is heavy rain further up the valley. As it curves beneath the castle at Richmond, the Swale plunges over a series of slabs on the riverbed, leaping from one waterfall to the next to create Richmond Falls, or Richmond Foss, as it is known locally. The start and end point of a walk which encompasses some serene stretches of river – including riverside meadows and beaches that slope gently into tranquil pools and, further along, secluded, wooded shores – the foss offers a dramatic – and accessible – swimming hole with myriad pools to splash in. Leaving these until the end of your walk means you can enjoy a refreshing finale to your day.
RIVELIN PLUNGE POOL
Two green oases lie to the west of Sheffield: the Rivelin Valley, a picturesque wooded vale where the city meets the Peak District National Park, and the Wyming Brook Nature Reserve, a bewitching cluster of tinkling streams, waterfalls, mossy crags and lofty pines. An exhilarating hike combines both of them, heading out from the nature reserve into the countryside past dipping pools along the River Rivelin (the most celebrated of which being the Rivelin Plunge Pool, where a fan waterfall cascades into a cavernous, peaty pool) and returning via the fast flowing waterfalls and river pools of Wyming Brook. Particularly beautiful in early summer, when the woods resonate with birdsong, the delicate woodland flora is at its best and the meadows are speckled with wild flowers, this is a walk to literally put a spring in your step.
Taken from Wild Swimming Walks Yorkshire: 28 waterfall, river and coastal days out in the Dales and Moors by Sarah Banks
