Captain's Log

How Much?

‘HOW MUCH?’ The Kapitan wasn’t impressed when I told him it would cost him £11 (2025) for each of us to enter the Ingleton Waterfall Trail. It’s a good job he’s got deep pockets. He wasn’t impressed either when I parked in the central carpark in Ingleton, rather than at the trail head. It cost him £3.90 for the privilege when we could have parked for free at the trail head. Life is a learning experience though...especially so for the Kapitan. The weather forecast predicted showers with the worst of them arriving in the afternoon. I’d suggested to the Kapitan and the Cabin Boy that we should walk the 4 mile Ingleton Waterfall Trail walk before the downpour started. It spotted with rain on the drive across from Hawes, but it seemed to clear up a little as we arrived in Ingleton. 

An advantage of parking in the centre of Ingleton was that we walked through the centre of the village to get to the trail head. On the way I noticed a milestone next to the road that said ‘La Chapelle Des Marais 500 miles.’ It seems Ingleton is twinned with the Loire coastal  village of Chapelle Des Marais. I can’t find a reason as to why it is twinned, but I guess it must be a nice working holiday for Ingleton’s town mayor on a cultural exchange. St Mary’s church looked rather splendid with a fine display of crocheted poppies on display for Remembrance Day. We crossed a road bridge and could see a very impressive viaduct further downstream. The railway viaduct is 24m high and has 11 arches. It was closed for use in 1954. 

Ingleton Waterfall Trail

The huge trail head carpark was empty when we arrived. The place must be crowded during the summer months though. In the ticket office, the man behind the counter engaged the Kapitan in conversation as we waited to go through the turnstiles. Various information and instructions were relayed to us. After a couple of minutes of this I felt like interjecting myself and telling him my car was ticking down on a 4 hour carpark timer.
‘....don’t fall in, and most of all, don’t fall out with each other’ he laughed. At last the patter had come to an end and we edged our way through the turnstile.    

The Cabin Boy and Kapitan looked a bit disappointed after the first 200 metres or so since we’d not come across any waterfalls yet. There were numbered posts placed along the trail. We’d picked up a paper trail map at the ticket office, but relating the numbers on the posts to those on the map meant we were nearly halfway around after only 10 minutes. I could see that the Kapitan was ruminating on how much this had cost him. The Cabin Boy didn't look impressed either. The map was still of some use though since it indicated the positions of the major waterfalls.    

Initially we followed the River Twiss upstream. We came across a Money Tree with so many coins embedded in it that it looked to be made of metal rather than wood. I could see the Kapitan eyeing it up to see if he could pull any out to recompense him for the entrance fee. 

Pecca Falls And Hollybush Spout

The Kapitan and Cabin Boy cheered up once we reached Pecca Falls, a tremendous five waterfall cascade that dropped 30m over limestone and slate. A footbridge crossed the river close to the waterfall giving us an amazing viewpoint. It was well worth the Kapitan paying £33 for us  just to see this one waterfall. Unfortunately, due to the weather prospects I’d only brought my compact camera. I took so many pictures that the battery level dropped a notch. I cursed myself for not bringing my spare battery. The trail guide says that the plunge pools ‘...are reputed to be as deep as the falls themselves.’ I didn’t fancy finding out for sure. We climbed the trail near to the waterfall. The trail guide said Hollybush Spout was here, but it wasn’t really clear where Hollybush Spout finished and Pecca Falls started. The trail pulled away from the white water and noise to higher ground. We ended up high above the River Twiss. 

Thornton Force

There were now open  views to the high surrounding hills. The limestone pavements and scars on Gragareth looked particularly impressive. Further upstream, the tremendous Thornton Force gradually came into view. This waterfall had half the drop of the Pecca waterfall, but it was wider and seemed to have a massive amount  of water coming over it. It was spectacular. It felt like we were approaching a volatile giant as we got closer.  There was a well built viewing/picnic area, although there was so much spray that it was too damp to sit down. Thornton Force was distinctive in that it felt more open; it wasn’t enclosed in vegetation and surrounding rocks like the other waterfalls. We climbed stone steps and joined the river at the top of the waterfall. There were some lovely cascades leading into Thornton Force. It wasn’t a place that you should go for a paddle though. We’d lost the vegetation now and there was a much more open feel to the trail. 

Twiss To The Doe

Raven Ray footbridge took us across the River Twiss and we found a bench on which to have a break and a coffee. This was the halfway point of the walk. We’d now walk across country to the River Doe and then follow it back to Ingleton. We walked along a farm track below Twisleton Scar End. This brought back memories. In my twenties, I’d once ascended through the scars above me and walked the long ridge to the summit of Whernside. It seemed a long time had passed since my last visit. Some cows in a field adjacent to the farm track took an interest in us and one trotted across with such pace, that for one moment, I thought she might jump over the wall and land in my arms. Fortunately she slowed up and merely gave me a very close and personal hard stare. The frequent Ingleton Waterfall Trails signs kept us on course and so there was no chance of losing our way. The trail went through Falls Park, a holiday home and camping site, where there was a café and some toilets.  Their website describes it as a ‘...tranquil and sustainable retreat…’ It didn’t seem tranquil today with all the noisy activity in the quarry just across the river. We escaped the noise as we dropped down to the River Doe. 

Beezley Falls

Perhaps Beezley Falls were the most impressive yet. The trail seemed to get within touchable distance of the waterfalls. The trail guide said that the waterfall descends over Triple Spout, ‘...three beautiful waterfalls side by side.’ As far as I could see, there was so much water coming down that the three waterfalls had merged into two. A massive volume of white water tumbled down the River Doe directly towards the path. Fortunately, it bounced its way 90 degrees away from us. On the drop down to the river, we’d read a notice saying that if this path got flooded, then we should take a higher alternative route. Given how close the raging torrent was to the path, I reckon it didn’t need much more water coming down for the path to be flooded. 

Rival Falls

The trail undulated from Beezley Falls and descended to Rival Falls. These were smaller falls but still very pretty. The trail guide said that the River Doe plunges into a pool known locally as the Black Hole, which is reputed to be over 80 feet deep.  The trail was very well made allowing us to get up very close to all of these waterfalls, but with a feeling of complete safety. We continued down the trail. 

Baxenghyll Gorge

The path undulated along the river until the rocks narrowed into a very small passage. This was Baxenghyll Gorge. It seemed amazing that all that water we’d seen in the waterfalls above could squeeze down such a narrow space.  A footbridge allowed us to stand directly above the gorge and watch the white water find its way down this narrow crack in the landscape. We continued our rollercoaster path downstream. 

Snow Falls

We came across some small waterfalls that tumbled down the gorge side and across the path to join the river. These must be a permanent fixture since it was possible to see where limestone had been deposited by the water onto the gorge’s bank forming their own little limestone spillways.     

We then came to the last of the big waterfalls, Snow Falls. This was a spectacular waterfall, but debatably not as spectacular as the other waterfalls. It is all relative though. Take Snow Falls away from Ingleton and I’d still have walked a long way to see it. We crossed the River Doe on a footbridge and went through a one-way door. This was the way the landowners ensured people didn’t access the falls without paying. 

Return

The gorge widened and the woodland became more sparse. Views along the valley started to open up. We could see St Mary’s church and the viaduct further downstream. More evidence of old quarry works appeared alongside the trail. As we approached the streets of Ingleton, the heavens opened up, just in time to give us a good soaking before we reached the car. Rather than following the Ingleton Waterfall Trail back to the trail head we diverted through the village back to our carpark. 

Was the Ingleton Waterfall Trail worth £11? Absolutely, especially since the Kapitan was paying. This has to be the best series of waterfalls and cascades in England. I can only think of the waterfalls in the Brecon Beacons giving it a run for its money (see Brecons Waterfalls Walk). I asked the Team which was their favourite part of the walk…  
Nun - Beezley Falls
Kapitan - Thornton Force
Cabin Boy - Pecca Falls
Ted - Getting in the car, at the end.
Each to his/her own.