Yorkshire Dales Waterfalls - Aysgill, Cotter and Aysgarth
Starting at the bridge in the hamlet of Gayle
just outside of Hawes, take the footpath behind the cottages until you reach a
field. From here, you go through the gate and follow the track through the
fields that will bring you to a set of steps that take you straight down the
path to Aysgill waterfall. There’s only really one footpath, so you shouldn’t be
able to go wrong.
Cotter Force is a small waterfall on
Cotterdale Beck, a minor tributary of the River Ure. Cotter is about a 2 ½ mile
walk from the centre of Hawes, but if you drive to the waterfall, there is roadside
parking there. The footpath to the waterfall has been updated so that it is
accessible for both wheelchairs and pushchairs. It’s not long into the walk before
you can see the waterfall come into view.
When we visited the other week, it was
a Saturday, but we didn’t pass a single other person; I was surprised it was so
quiet because the waterfall is spectacular! There is a bench at the end
of the walk where you can sit and admire the view or climb further out
along the rocks to get a closer look.
The sixth (!) and final waterfall of our trip
was a quick stop off at Aysgarth. (I’ve written a post about visiting Aysgarth
Falls from a few years back if you’d like to read it here).
Hawes
Hawes is a market town in North Yorkshire and
is at the heart of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales. Market day is on a
Tuesday and dates back to 1307. We spent the second day of our trip in Hawes.
Just a short walk up the road from Hawes is the little hamlet of Gayle, where there is a water-powered mill, Gayle Mill,
built in 1784. Unfortunately, the mill was closed when we visited, but it’s a
lovely place to wander round and the start of a walk to Aysgill Force which
will be in the next post.
Hawes is a major producer of Wensleydale
cheese and home of the Wensleydale Creamery. The admission cost into the
factory was reduced because, due to Covid, there weren’t any cheese-making demonstrations or tasting allowed to take place. Instead, we watched a video
that showed how Wensleydale is made in a relatively simple process and got to
look inside the factory. There is a café and restaurant on site, so we stopped
here for a tea and scone and made sure to buy some Wensleydale cheese to take
home. The weather had come out lovely, and so we were able to sit outside
surrounded by the views of the Dales.
Stainforth Force
Stainforth Force was another waterfall on the
River Ribble that we found during our trip to the Yorkshire Dales. We parked in the
village of Stainforth near Settle and followed the signposts leading to the water, only about a five-minute walk away.
During October and November, salmon can be seen leaping up the falls, but unfortunately, we were slightly too early to see this. I did manage to capture a yellow wagtail, though.
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