Waterfalls in Yorkshire
Limestone and gritstone stacked on top of each other, and a great deal of rain: the Dales produce more waterfalls per mile than anywhere in England, including the country’s highest unbroken single drop.
Published 18 August 2026
Yorkshire’s waterfalls come from the Yoredale series: alternating bands of limestone, shale and sandstone laid down in cycles. Rivers cut through the soft shale and stall at the hard beds, which produces the characteristic stepped falls of Wensleydale and the deep gorges around Ingleton. Almost all of the best ones are within the Yorkshire Dales national park.
The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
The most complete waterfall walk in England: a circular of roughly 4.5 miles through two river gorges, taking in Pecca Falls, Thornton Force, Beezley Falls and Snow Falls. It is privately run, there is an admission charge and a car park, and the path is properly built with steps and handrails throughout.
Thornton Force is the set piece, a clean 14-metre drop over a limestone lip, with one of the most famous unconformities in British geology directly beneath it, where near-vertical Ordovician slates meet horizontal Carboniferous limestone across a 300-million-year gap. Geology students have been brought here for over a century.
Aysgarth Falls
A triple flight on the River Ure near Aysgarth in Wensleydale, Upper, Middle and Lower Falls, spread over about a mile of wooded gorge with a National Park visitor centre and separate viewing points for each. The Upper Falls are steps from the car park; the Lower Falls need a walk.
It is the most accessible major waterfall in the Dales, which is why it is also the busiest. Turner painted it; the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves quarterstaff fight was filmed at the Middle Falls.
Hardraw Force
England’s highest unbroken single-drop waterfall, at 30 metres, in a wooded ravine behind the Green Dragon Inn at Hardraw near Hawes. Access is through the pub, which charges a small fee, a wholly unusual arrangement and part of the appeal. It is a short, flat walk from there.
This is the fall that complicates the "England’s tallest" claims made for High Force in Teesdale: High Force has far more water, Hardraw has the longer unbroken drop.
The rest
| Waterfall | Where | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Janet’s Foss | Malham | Easy walk from the village; the pool below is a classic wild swim |
| Gordale Scar | Malham | A ravine with falls inside it; a scramble to go further |
| Catrigg Force | Stainforth | Short walk from the village, and usually empty |
| Thornton Force | Ingleton | On the Waterfalls Trail |
| West Burton Falls | West Burton | Beside the village green, and free |
West Burton is the local secret, a substantial fall a few steps from a village green in Bishopdale, with no admission charge and rarely a crowd. Janet’s Foss and Gordale Scar combine into one of the best short circulars in the Dales, from Malham.
Charges
Yorkshire is unusual in how many of its best waterfalls sit on private land with admission fees: Ingleton, Hardraw, and parking at Aysgarth. This surprises visitors expecting open access. The free ones worth knowing are West Burton, Catrigg Force and Janet’s Foss.
Where to stay
We list 14 sites across the Yorkshire Dales catchment and 44 across Yorkshire as a whole. Hawes, Settle and Malham are the practical bases for the waterfall country.
Glamping in the Yorkshire Dales
Across the Dales, best-rated first.
See all 14 sites (8 more not shown here).
Common questions
- What is the highest waterfall in Yorkshire?
- Hardraw Force near Hawes, at 30 metres, also England’s highest unbroken single-drop waterfall. Access is through the Green Dragon Inn.
- How long is the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail?
- About 4.5 miles circular through two gorges. Allow three hours. There are a great many steps.
- Are Yorkshire waterfalls free to visit?
- Some are. Ingleton and Hardraw charge admission and Aysgarth charges for parking. West Burton Falls, Catrigg Force and Janet’s Foss are free.
- Can you swim at Janet’s Foss?
- The pool below the fall is a long-established wild swimming spot near Malham. It is cold year-round and busy in summer.
Keep reading
- Waterfalls & wild waterThe Best Waterfalls in the UKThe UK’s best waterfalls, region by region, from Sgwd yr Eira in Wales to High Force in Teesdale, Hardraw in the Dales and the Falls of Glomach in the Highlands.
- Waterfalls & wild waterHigh Force and the North Pennine WaterfallsA guide to High Force, Low Force and Cauldron Snout in Upper Teesdale, how tall they really are, how to reach them, and where to stay in the North Pennines.
- Long-distance trailsThe Cleveland Way: Moors to CoastA guide to the Cleveland Way National Trail, 109 miles from Helmsley across the North York Moors and down the Yorkshire coast to Filey, with stages and stays.
- Waterfalls & wild waterThe Best Waterfalls in WalesWales’s best waterfalls, the Four Waterfalls Walk in Waterfall Country, Henrhyd, Pistyll Rhaeadr, Aber Falls and Swallow Falls, with walks, access and stays nearby.