Britain’s best waterfalls

Discover enchanting falls, cascades and plunge pools on a walk or day out with our round-up of Britain’s most spectacular waterfalls.

By countryfile

Published: Monday, 06 February 2023 at 12:00 am

Waterfalls never fail to add a bit of magic to a walk in the countryside, no matter what time of year it is.

In the spring and summer months they are a place to cool down, and in the autumn and winter, especially after heavy rainfall, their power is totally invigorating.

Our guide explores some of Britain most impressive waterfalls, from the tallest and the most powerful waterfalls in the UK to some of the most enchanting – discover Aira Force, Steall Falls, Pistyll Rhaeadr and more.

Looking for more fabulous British landscapes? Check out our guides to mountains, rivers and forests.

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Look out for the delightful dipper, bobbing and scuttling across the tumbling waters of the Jesmond Dene in Newcastle/Credit: Getty
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Discover a waterfall near you

Aira Force, Cumbria

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Aira Force falls through a valley on the edge of Ullswater/Credit: Getty

Probably the most popular waterfall in the Lake District, Aira Force is part of a circular National Trust trail. You can walk over a bridge that arches over the top of the falls for a stunning photo opportunity.

High Force, County Durham

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High Force waterfall on a summer’s day/Credit: Getty

High Force is an easily accessible and enchanting waterfall not far from Raby Castle. Known as England’s largest waterfall, the scene makes for pleasant viewing, especially with the nearby picnic area and seasonal gift shop.

Gaping Gill, Yorkshire

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Gaping Gill is found on the southern slopes of Ingleborough/Credit: Getty

Gaping Gill is spectacular not just because it’s the highest unbroken waterfall in England, but also because it plunges into a deep pothole. Twice a year, the Bradford and Craven Pothole Club allow tourists to venture down into the cavern.

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Steall Falls, Highland

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Steall Falls tumbling into Glen Nevis/Credit: Getty

The magnificent An Steall (also known as Steall Falls or The White Spout) is Britain’s second highest waterfall. It plummets 120m from the slopes of An Gearanach into the River Nevis and is spectacular in its scale and force.

A two-mile walk climbs on a rocky, rollercoaster path through Glen Nevis to reach the epic Steall Falls. The combination of tumbling river water, soaring mountain views and hillside woodland makes this a true microcosm of the Scottish Highlands.

Aysgill Force and Hardraw Force, North Yorkshire

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Hardraw Force is England’s highest single-drop waterfall/Credit: Getty

An abundance of falls, chutes and cataracts together make Upper Wensleydale the epitome of Yorkshire’s beguiling waterfall country. And at its heart is delightful Hawes, a miniature town, major market centre and locus for countless rambles to magical falls amid the cocooning hills – including Aysgill Force and Hardraw Force.

Pistyll Rhaeadr, Powys

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Pistyll Rhaeadr can be found on the edge of the village of Llanrhaeadr-my-Mochant in Mid Wales/Credit: Getty

Spray from Pistyll Rhaeadr nurtures mosses and ferns. Around them, protected from sheep in a walled enclosure, beeches, birches, oaks and pines thrive. From a distance, the wooded gorge and falls resemble an almost Tyrolean scene, which is usually a fecund refuge for squirrels, woodpeckers and finches sheltering from the Berwyns’ icy blasts.

Stanley Ghyll Force, Cumbria

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After toppling through a wooded gorge, Stanley Ghyll Beck flows into Eskdale, described by Alfred Wainwright as “one of the loveliest of Lakeland’s valleys”/Credit: Getty

Plunging 20m into the surprising seclusion of a deep gorge in Eskdale, Stanley Ghyll Force feels miles from the tourist trappings and rambling hikers found in much of the Lake District.

The landscape and flora of the woodland makes this place feel typically English yet somehow tropical at the same time, adding to the enchantment of the gorge, of which the waterfall is the main attraction.

Glenariff Waterfall, County Antrim

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Boardwalks lead through the reserve from one waterfall to the next/Credit: Getty

The Rivers Glenariff and Inver have cut right through this spectacular steep-sided gorge – the Queen of the Glens. These Northern Irish rivers can be lively and dramatic as they tumble over boulders and a series of three impressive waterfalls. But then they become suddenly calm and tranquil, flowing lazily through oak and beech woodland, sunlight streaming through the fresh new leaves.

Hareshaw Linn, Northumberland

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The damp, deep gorge leading to Hareshaw Linn has the atmosphere of an ancient rainforest/Credit: Getty

As you head out of Bellingham, you would find it hard to believe that, 150-odd years ago, this was an industrial landscape filled with the sounds of roaring furnaces and rattling mine trucks. Around you are spoil heaps from coke ovens and a quarry, as well as abandoned mineshafts, but nature has reclaimed this landscape and transformed it into a magical site, all tinkling water and twittering birds.

Grey Mare’s Tail, Dumfries and Galloway

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Part of the Grey Mare’s Tail, a 200 foot waterfall in the Moffat hills/Credit: Getty

The Grey Mare’s Tail Nature Reserve lies on the eastern edge of Dumfries and Galloway, near the boundary with the Scottish Borders. Nearby Moffat, 10 miles to the west, was the first ‘Walkers are Welcome’ town in Scotland and makes the perfect base for year-round exploration of the peaks and valleys of the Southern Uplands.

The Grey Mare’s Tail falls are iconic, especially for the ice climbers who come to scale them when the cascades freeze (the last time, in 2010, temperatures reached -22°C). To have a go yourself you need Mountain Instructor accreditation, but the hillside path makes a good vantage point for watching the climber’s daring deeds.

Kinder Waterfall, Derbyshire

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Kinder Downfall: on a windy day, water is blown back upwards/Credit: Getty

Sandwiched between Manchester and Sheffield in the Peak District National Park, the bleak but beautiful upland plateau of Kinder Scout is a landscape of wind-swept crags, perfect for hikers and scramblers alike.

The rugged waterfall of Kinder Downfall is one of Kinder’s highlights. When strong westerlies blow, the waters are forced upwards back onto the plateau.

Eas a’ Chual Aluinn, Highland

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Eas a’ Chual Aluinn has a drop of 200 metres, making it the highest single drop waterfall in the UK/Credit: Getty

It seems strange to think that Britain has a waterfall three times as high as Niagara Falls. The stream of Eas a’ Chual Aluinn plunges 200 metres over a cliffside and is a truly remarkable sight.

Catrigg Force, Yorkshire

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Catrigg Force was a favourite spot of the composer Edward Elgar/Credit: Getty

Certainly not up there with the largest or most spectacular waterfalls, Catrigg Force offers something different. The waterfall is in a rather secluded location just north of Stainforth village and is part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.  It is perfect if you just want to relax and enjoy nature at it’s finest.

Jesmond Dene, Tyne and Wear

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Jesmond Dene in Newcastle Upon Tyne/Credit: Getty

Tumbling down from the north of Newcastle, the Ouseburn river rises most magnificently as it passes through Jesmond Dene on its six-mile journey from Callerton to the city centre.

The Ouseburn is a glacial stream that cut south to the Tyne as the last ice age melted away (‘dene’ is a regional term for a ravine). Here, there is an astonishingly rural, peaceful rhythm for somewhere so close to the city.

Microclimates sprout up here and there; dense, mature rhododendrons and rhubarb-like gunnera transform damp groves into an experience of walking through a gloomy jungle. Meanwhile, mosses and ferns take advantage of every crack and cranny.

Waterfall Country, Powys

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Sgwd Clun-Gwyn is one of several falls found in the valley/Credit: Getty

“I cannot call to mind a single valley that… comprises so much beautiful and picturesque scenery and so many interesting and special features.” With these words, Victorian naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace was describing neither the Amazon nor the Far East that he explored on his intrepid travels, but somewhere much closer to home: the Vale of Neath on the southern slopes of the Brecon Beacons.

There are several walks through Waterfall Country, including the 5.5-mile Four Waterfalls Walk.

Aber Falls, Gwynedd

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The woodland around Aber Falls is a good habitat for birds, which are more easily spotted in the winter months/Credit: Getty

Cascading through oak, birch and hazel woodlands below a scree-strewn hillside is Aber Falls. The river boasts one of the steepest gradients from source to sea in England and Wales and the 120ft-high falls are at their most impressive after heavy rains.

Falls of Clyde, New Lanark

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Visit the Falls of Clyde in early autumn as the leaves begin to blush/Credit: Getty

This achingly beautiful wild haven in southern Scotland is famous for its spectacular salmon leap waterfalls and scenic woodland walks along the river. Over 100 bird species have been recorded, including ravens, dippers and kingfishers along with bats, otters and badgers.

Water-break-its-neck, Powys

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The Victorians planted trees on the moorland to create a picturesque forest around Water-break-its-neck, which was a popular destination for tourists at the time/Credit: Getty

It can sometimes be challenging, with a young family, to find walking trails manageable for little legs. Thankfully there is an ideal place in the Radnor Forest in Mid Wales. There are three short trails in the wood, each waymarked with coloured signs. All three routes are worth walking – here we follow the Water-break-its-neck Trail (blue waymarkers).

Nant Bochlwyd, Conwy

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The slopes of the Glyderau mountains that surround Nant Bochlwyd are dotted with Alpine plants species, including the Snowdon lily, purple saxifrage and mountain sorrel//Credit: Geograph

Almost 200m above the magical Llyn Idwal National Nature Reserve are the mercury waters of Llyn Bochlwyd. For many, this small, isolated lake offers a welcome stopping point en route to the vertiginous heights of Tryfan – one of Snowdonia’s most prized summits.

But the pool has another secret – Nant Bochlwyd – an unruly cascade that spills from its outflow between two huge rocky buttresses that conjure visions of Tolkien’s Gates of Argonath, or The Pillars of Kings.

Bracklinn Falls, Stirlingshire

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The Keltie Water rushes over a series of rocky drops at Bracklinn Falls/Credit: Getty

Popular since the onset of tourism in Victorian times, Bracklinn Falls sits near the holiday-feel town of Callendar – a gateway to the Highlands under the shapely peak of Ben Ledi.

Leading through mixed woodland, below notched crags, the short walk to the falls is an ideal length for all the family.

In the woods, you stand a good chance of spotting red squirrels, especially if you are quiet. The tufty-eared creatures are a delight to watch and, if you’re lucky, you’ll see them scarpering through trees at lightning speed and on to impossibly thin branches in search of pinecones. These stripped cones often litter the forest floor. You will also hear the thrum of woodpeckers and perhaps spy a roe deer.

After a heavy rainfall, the falls are an impressive sight as the Keltie Water churns white through a series of drops within the short, but dramatic, gorge to spill into a pool. The name Bracklinn is derived from the Gaelic breac, meaning trout, and linn, a pool of water.

Canonteign Falls, Devon

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Canonteign Falls, Devon/Credit: Getty

Canonteign Falls in the leafy Teign Valley, four miles east of Becky Falls, is home to England’s highest man-made waterfall – Lady Exmouth Falls – which stands at a mighty 70m high and offers some of Devon’s prettiest panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.

In 1890, under the direction of Lady Exmouth, miners rerouted a stream over the edge of a cliff to create the lofty falls, which now cascade through a leafy woodland. The original natural waterfall, Clampitt Falls, can be found further down the valley.

Falls of Bruar, Perthshire

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The Falls of Bruar on the southern boundary of the Cairngorms National Park/Credit: Getty

The Bruar Water, just north of Blair Atholl, oozes from the soggy plateaux and moors of the great Atholl Deer Forest and flows gently down the empty miles of Glen Bruar before changing character completely.

As the ground falls away, the waters become increasingly agitated and turbulent, before crashing and thundering down a deep gorge. At the foot of the gorge the water roars over a series of falls and cascades, before surging through a natural arch in the rock and into the pools below.

Falls of Measach, Highland

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The Falls of Measach drop through the narrow Corrieshalloch Gorge/Credit: Getty

View the thrilling Falls of Measach from a number of spectacular viewpoints on this short walk through Corrieshalloch Gorge National Nature Reserve near Ullapool.

You are guaranteed to be awestruck with your first sight of the vertigo-inducing Corrieshalloch Gorge and the Falls of Measach.

One of the most spectacular of its type in Britain, Corrieshalloch provides striking evidence of how glacial meltwater can create deep gorges. A Victorian-era suspension bridge spans the gap above the 200-foot-deep chasm, where you can gaze at the long, crashing waterfall.

In winter, when the River Droma that flows through the ravine is in spate, the experience is electric.