Ingleton Waterfalls

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Route: Ingleton, Swilla Glen, Pecca Falls, Hollybush Spout, Thornton Force, Ravenray Bridge, Twisleton Lane, Beezley Farm, Beezley Falls, Rival Falls, Baxenghyll Gorge, Snow Falls, Mealbank Quarry, Ingleton

Date: 06/11/2016
From: Ingleton

Parking: Free parking in Ingleton
Start Point: Ingleton
Region: Yorkshire Dales

Route length: 4.3 miles (6.9 km)
Time taken: 02:24
Average speed: 2.2 mph
Ascent: 385m
Descent: 330m

Points of interest: Pecca Falls, Hollybush Spout, Thornton Force, Beezley Falls, Rival Falls, Baxenghyll Gorge, Snow Falls

This has long been on the 'to do' list but at a modest 4 miles - it doesn't really lend itself to an epic day out. We had intended to make the long drive up to Swaledale to investigate the charms of Gunnerside but an autumnal forecast made us think twice. We had tried this walk many years ago but it was so busy we couldn't even get parked and ended up in Dentdale instead. We were back for another stab.

The fine viaduct that spans the valley

Benches in Ingleton

Sara makes her way down through the village

The River Doe flowing through Ingleton

The waterfalls trail is a private enterprise, requiring an entrance fee (£6 per adult at the time of writing) to be paid to access the trail. It even has its own website, you can find it here. While a short stroll, the trail is packed with interest and without a doubt one of the most scenic days out in the Yorkshire Dales. If done clockwise, the trail follows the River Twiss up to Thornton Force before returning along the deep gorge of the River Doe and should take around 3 hours.

We parked in the village of Ingleton, using the road that leads into the village. There is parking at the National Park car park and the trail itself has a fairly large car park (unbeknown to us at the time). Suited for a cold and drizzly day, we paid our fees and set out along the trail.

Entering the trail

The trail immediately enters Swilla Glen where the path hugs the base of a large outcrop of rock. Here you can find the money tree, a fallen log festooned with small coins. Adding you own is supposed to bring good luck - a tradition thought to date back hundreds of years. It used to be believed that divine spirits lived in trees, and they were often decorated with sweets and gifts - as is still done today at Christmas.

The River Twiss at Swilla Glen

Swilla Glen

The trail is well maintained along its length

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The money tree

The path wends through the woods of Swilla Glen, crossing Manor Bridge to reach a viewpoint looking along the River Twiss. At the head is the lower fall of Pecca Falls - impressive at this distance, more so up close.

The River Twiss at Manor Bridge

Manor Bridge

Pecca Falls

Pecca Falls

The footbridge at Pecca Falls sits adjacent to the largest of the five falls that make up Pecca Falls. The fall plunges the River Twiss over 30m with each fall having a deep plunge pool. While the lower fall is perhaps the highest and most dramatic, climbing the steps reveals a perfect view of Pecca Twin Falls, the middle of the set of five.

Pecca Falls

Pecca Falls

Pecca Middle Falls

Another set of steps leads to Hollybush Spout, an additional waterfall passing through a rocky cleft. From Hollybush Spout, the woods diminish and the path stretches out into more open ground, heading for Thornton Force.

Hollybush Spout

Hollybush Spout with a long exposure

Cuckoo Island on the River Twiss

Thornton Force

Thornton Force is perhaps the highlight of the trail - an impressive 10m fall over a limestone shelf. This is a textbook case of geological unconformity, where the Great Scar Limestone overlays much older Ordovician Ingleton slates and is a direct result of the Craven Fault which dominates the scenery of the western dales and is chiefly responsible for the formation of Malham Cove.

Thornton Force

The artist Joseph Turner visited Ingleton when making a brief tour of the Craven Dales in 1808 and then again in 1816 during his grand tour. Both times Turner made numerous sketches of the Ingleton area, including views of the town, as well as sketches and watercolours of the waterfalls, intended for Whitaker's York history series. Unfortunately, most of his ideas remained unrealised due to the untimely death of Whitaker before the project was barely one quarter completed.

Despite the spray and the un-ending drizzle, Thornton Force provides the perfect opportunity to practice some long exposures and the results are pretty pleasing.

Thornton Force

Thornton Force

The trail climbs up alongside Thornton Force to Ravenray Footbridge before joining Twistleton Lane, an ancient Roman Road. In the summer there is often an Ice Cream Van waiting to serve legions of hot and thirsty tourists, rather than invading Italians.

The River Twiss above Thornton Force

Looking towards Keld Head Scar

Twisleton Lane

Twisleton Lane marks the high point of the walk and has fabulous views of Ingleborough, one of Yorkshire's famed three peaks. Ingleborough remains in view until you reach the woods at Beezleys Farm which also acts as an intermediate ticketing office for anyone trying to stray onto the trail from surrounding rights of way.

Ingleborough makes an appearance

A hazy rainbow over Twisleton Scars

The waterfalls come thick and fast once you're into the oak woodland on the River Doe. The first is Beezley falls quickly followed by Rival Falls and the deep Baxenghyll Gorge. It's a remarkable sequence.

The autumnal oak woods

Beezley Falls

The River Doe turns an abrupt corner

The River Doe

Rival Falls

Rival Falls

Baxenghyll Gorge

The footbridge above Baxenghyll Gorge

The excitement starts to diminish a bit after Baxenghyll Gorge but the woodland is splendid. There is one final waterfall on the trail, Snow Falls. It's a little bit distant but is another lovely waterfall nonetheless.

Snow Falls

A closeup of Snow Falls

From Snow Falls, the trail continues through Twisleton Glen to the final footbridge over the River Doe. The valley is home to a series of old quarries and lime kilns and you can see the remains of a number of them. A short stroll through Ingleton itself will lead you back to any of the car parks that you've used.

The River Doe

Mealbank Quarry

Remains of the quarry buildings

In summary; a short, easy walk - perfect for a family day out whatever the weather. What this walk lacks in distance it certainly makes up for in scenery and is well worth the entrance price. Highly recommended.

Higher Shelf Stones & Bleaklow

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Route: Doctor's Gate, Old Woman, Devil's Dyke, Hern Clough, Over Exposed Crash Site, Higher Shelf Stones, Hern Stones, Wain Stones, Bleaklow Head, Far Moss, Wildboar Grain, Torside Castle, Glossop Low, Cock Hill, Blakemoor Plantation, Moorside

Date: 04/10/2015
From: Old Glossop

Parking: Shepley Street
Start Point: Doctor's Gate
Region: Peak District Dark Peak

Route length: 10.5 miles (16.9 km)
Time taken: 04:27
Average speed: 2.4 mph
Ascent: 551m
Descent: 572m

Summits: Higher Shelf Stones (621m), Bleaklow Head (633m)

Other points of interest: Doctor's Gate, B-29 crash site, Torside Castle

Bleaklow's reputation seems to precede it; the clue is all in the name. Read any route description and you'll see fearsome reports of bogs and wilderness and general tales of foreboding. This, however, generally acts as an encouragement to one like myself and, having recently got to grips with Kinder Scout, it was the turn of its marginally shorter neighbour.

I should probably point out at the start, we had a fine day weather-wise with clear blue skies for the majority of the day; something of a rarity around these parts. A grey murky day may have been an entirely different proposition.

Our chosen circuit started in Old Glossop, a small village on the edge of the Peak District and, as the name suggests, the original heart of the current town of Glossop. There is ample unrestricted parking along Shepley Street, adjacent to a large factory. The end of Shepley Street also marks the beginning of Doctor's Gate, the route up Shelf Brook to the summit of the Snake Pass some two and a half miles away.

At the foot of Doctor's Gate - Bleaklow is ahead on the horizon

Coldharbour Moor

The route is clear and easy to follow to Old Woman

Why Doctor's Gate? A local legend suggests that the name comes from a local doctor who was under the power of the Devil. To get his freedom he had to race against the Devil on horseback and win. The doctor lost the race because the Devil used black magic, though the doctor discovered he was free from the Devil's powers as long as he stayed on the other side of the river

The valley of Shelf Brook

In the depths of Shelf Brook - Higher Shelf Stones appears on the horizon

Is Doctor' Gate a Roman Road? Apparently not, despite what many websites will tell you. It was originally thought that Doctor's Gate linked the Roman fort at Melandra to Brough however, upon inspection the valley would appear too narrow and too vulnerable from being attacked from above to accommodate a Roman legion marching 4 - 6 men wide. It is now known that the Roman route travelled much further south. It is likely that Doctor's Gate is little more than a packhorse route across the moorland.

Low Shelf Stones

White Clough

Climbing higher - looking across the Higher Shelf Stones

The view down Doctor's Gate

We marched along Doctor's Gate (excuse the pun) which rises slowly into an ever-changing landscape that feels wilder and more remote the further you venture in, despite being less than 1km from the A57. The path is a joy to follow and presents little difficulty; something that might not be expected of Bleaklow. Higher Shelf Stones looms overhead for much of the climb.

All is well, despite my expression and grasp on the GPS

Upon reaching the summit of the A57 Snake Pass, the route joins the Pennine Way which follows the Devil's Dike (perhaps also named of the aforementioned legend?) up onto Bleaklow. Again, it's a very steady climb, slowly gaining elevation as you follow the route of the Pennine Way. We were lucky that it had been considerably dry in the preceding week so there were no bogs to trouble us.

A beam of sunshine over the Snake Pass

Bleaklow marker post

The Pennine Way stretches ahead

Looking back along Devil's Dike

Hern Clough

Close to Hern's Clough, a small path leaves the Pennine Way and makes its way towards Higher Shelf Stones, one of the high points of Bleaklow. While Higher Shelf Stones is a worthwhile place to visit in its own right, it was the wreckage of a WW2-era bomber that had captured my attention.

Leaving the Pennine Way

Layers of moorland

The first of a vast area of wreckage

Strewn across an unexpectedly large expanse of the hillside is the wreck of an American B-29 bomber, the famed aircraft that delivered the decisive blow against the Japanese at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This particular aircraft had a role to play during the American development of 'the bomb' as it was converted into a camera ship to film the effects of testing at Bikini Atoll. This led to its equivocal name 'Over Exposed'.

Wreckage of  'Over Exposed'

Wreckage of 'Over Exposed'

A small, ad-hoc memorial in the centre of the wreckage

The circumstances of the aircraft's demise follow a depressingly similar pattern that can be shared among numerous wrecks in the Peak District; a combination of poor weather and navigational error proving fatal to the 13 crew on board. A vast amount of wreckage remains strewn across the moor including large discernible pieces such as the nose wheel, wing spars and all four engines. It's a quietly moving place with a small memorial dedicated to the crew.

One of the four huge engines

Two more engines and the memorial stone

Engraving on the memorial stone

The full wreckage site

After wandering around the site for a bit we made our way over to the Higher Shelf Stones trig pillar which stands a short distance up the hill to the west. The location commands a grand view of Doctor's Gate, a worthy place for a quick bite to eat in the sunshine.

The summit of Higher Shelf Stones is a short distance from the crash site

The view to Lower Shelf Stones

Higher Shelf Stones' summit

High Shelf Stones

We returned to the Pennine Way via the modestly sized Hern Stones and followed it to Bleaklow Head - the highest part of the moorland (supposedly). I'm reliably informed that the actual summit is close to Wain Stones where any one of the peaty mounds could claim the crown. There was only one thing for it - a good poke around.

Hern Stones

Back on the Pennine Way

The stones at Wain Stones

It is believed that the summit is in here somewhere

A cairn can be found close by

The large cairn at Bleaklow Head

Satisfied we had indeed found the top, we returned to Bleaklow Head via the massive cairn to continue along the Pennine Way which descends into the depths of Wildboar Grain, a stream that drains Bleaklow's northwestern slopes and feeds Torside Reservoir. After crossing said stream, we left the Pennine Way, heading cross-country towards Torside Castle while utilising a path obviously used by the local huntsmen. Glossop Low (the hill we were aiming for) must be a popular location for grouse shooting given the number of butts that are lined up on the hillside, including one called 'The Pulpit' a veritable fortress of stone overlooking Wildboar Grain. The odds are most definitely stacked up against Mr. grouse.

The Pennine Way alongside Wildboar Grain

Wildboar Grain

Wildboar Grain

Wildboar Grain and The Pulpit

Our route to Glossop Low took us past Torside Castle, an impressive mound on the slopes of Harrop Moss. It was once thought that this was an ancient castle (hence the name) but, subsequent studies have now deemed it to be no more than a natural feature. It is an isolated site with no apparent strategic importance.

Torside Castle

Glorious open moorland

We had another short stop atop Glossop Low, in amongst the remains of a pair of buildings, old shooting huts perhaps? Away to the southwest is Cock Hill (snigger) and its elaborately painted trig pillar. Cock Hill is home to a rather large (though now disused) quarry and the unnatural undulations are a result of this turbulent history. While totally man-made, they are impressive and form the centrepiece of some nice photos.

Bricks-cum-cairn on Glossop Low

The view across to Bleaklow Head

A curious feature - perhaps an old shooting butt?

Grouse butts on Glossop Low

Trig pillar on Cock Hill

Old quarry spoil

The overgrown quarry road

The view east towards Bleaklow

Cock Hill

A walled lane leads down past the precise edges of the Blakemore Plantation in a straight line back towards the factories of Shepley Street and the car. Bleaklow wasn't half as bleak as I was expecting (though we did have a fine day to explore it) and I wouldn't hesitate to return. A part of me wants to experience it on a miserable day to see what its true colours are and, coming into winter, I don't think that will be too far away.