Ingleton Waterfalls Trail

The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail follows the gorges of the River Twiss and the River Doe round the edge of Ingleton, and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority says it has been impressing visitors for over a hundred years. The operator, Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, runs it privately and charges an entry fee on the day, takes payment by card only at the ticket office, and publishes its own opening and last-entry times, which shorten through the winter months. The operator adds that Natural England has designated much of the trail a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its geology and its plants.

The operator sets the route out as a one-way clockwise circuit. It starts up the Twiss through Swilla Glen, a deep glen cut into carboniferous limestone, then reaches Pecca Falls, which the operator describes as five main waterfalls dropping 30m over sandstone and slate. A steep series of steps at Hollybush Spout leads onto open moor and to Thornton Force, where the river plunges 14m over limestone laid down, in the operator’s account, 330 million years ago in a sub-tropical sea; it says the fall inspired Turner. Twisleton Lane, described as an old Roman road, then gives views of Ingleborough before the path drops to Beezley Falls and follows the Doe through Rival Falls and Baxenghyll Gorge back toward the village. Falls Park, roughly halfway round, has a refreshment kiosk and toilets.

The National Park Authority gives the trail as 4.3 miles, or 7km, and 2 to 4 hours; the operator’s own pages say 4.3 and 4.5 miles in different places, so treat the figure as approximate. Parking at the Broadwood car park is limited and free for ticket holders. The trail suits families with children old enough for a long staircase and walkers wanting a day of waterfalls from the village without a hill, and the authority notes responsible dog owners are welcome, on a lead on certain sections and across farmland. Wheelchairs and pushchairs are ruled out by the authority because of the number of steps, and the trail is the wrong choice for anyone unwilling to pay an entry charge for a walk. Walkers who would rather spend the day on a hill than at a ticket office should take Ingleborough itself.