Ingleton Waterfalls Trail (Thornton Force, First Pecca Falls, Twin Pecca Falls, Holly Bush Spout, Beezley Falls, Triple Spout, Rival Falls, Baxenghyll Gorge, Snow Falls)

Ingleton / Yorkshire Dales, England, UK (Great Britain)

About Ingleton Waterfalls Trail (Thornton Force, First Pecca Falls, Twin Pecca Falls, Holly Bush Spout, Beezley Falls, Triple Spout, Rival Falls, Baxenghyll Gorge, Snow Falls)


Hiking Distance: 4.5 miles loop
Suggested Time: 4 hours

Date first visited: 2014-08-17
Date last visited: 2014-08-17

Waterfall Latitude: 54.17291
Waterfall Longitude: -2.46874

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail was probably one of the more publicized waterfall excursions that we’ve done for our UK trip.

The entire 4.5-mile loop trail, which took us almost four hours to do encompassed waterfalls from two converging rivers – the River Twiss and the River Doe.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_090_08172014 - Thornton Force - one of the many waterfalls on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Thornton Force – one of the many waterfalls on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail

Both rivers were running in full spate thanks to the unstable weather we had been experiencing during our trip.

Prior to our arrival to the UK, there were also storms that battered the area resulting from the remnants of Hurricane Bertha.

So all of the waterfalls we encountered were gushing with a brownish color that was typical of rivers in flood.

However, that also meant that we had to be very careful about getting too close to the rivers given their fast flow.

Speaking of the waterfalls, in addition to Thornton Force (which seemed to be the most famous of the waterfalls in this excursion; see photo above), we also encountered numerous others.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_185_08172014 - Context of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail running by the River Doe at the Rival Falls
Context of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail running by the River Doe at the Rival Falls

These included the First Pecca Falls, the Twin Pecca Falls, and the Holly Bush Spout, all of which were on the River Twiss with Thornton Force being the uppermost one.

When we decided to continue beyond Thornton Force and complete the loop, that was when we encountered the River Doe, where we saw Beezley Falls, Triple Spout, Rival Falls, Baxenghyll Gorge Waterfalls, and Snow Falls.

Unsurprisingly, Thornton Force was the most impressive of the lot as the River Twiss plunged some 14m before curving its way further downstream towards the remaining waterfalls on the River Twiss.

The rest of the waterfalls were shorter and exhibited more cascading characteristics.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_147_08172014 - Context of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail as we were traversing between both the River Twiss and the River Doe at the very top end of the excursion
Context of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail as we were traversing between both the River Twiss and the River Doe at the very top end of the excursion

By the end of the excursion, all of us were pretty waterfall saturated as a result of the quantity of waterfalls we had encountered.

The Price of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail

Given the notoriety of the Thornton Force, we technically could have just gone to that waterfall and back.

Doing so would have probably cut the overall hike in half.

However, because the admission price (covering both parking and access), we tried to make our money’s worth in doing the entire waterfalls challenge.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_230_08172014 - Approaching the kiosk at the entrance to the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail car park, where we started and ended our hike in the town of Ingleton
Approaching the kiosk at the entrance to the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail car park, where we started and ended our hike in the town of Ingleton

We wound up paying a hefty 6 pounds per adult and 3 pounds for any children under 16 years (including our three-year-old).

If we had a larger family, we could have paid 14 pounds for a family of 2 adults and 3 children.

Throughout the hike, we encountered numerous reminders to pay for access.

That hinted to us that there probably was a way to access this hike without getting fleeced at the main car park.

Trail Description of the Ingleton Waterfalls Experience – The River Twiss

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_019_08172014 - Julie crossing over one of the footbridges traversing the River Twiss along the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Julie crossing over one of the footbridges traversing the River Twiss along the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail

In any case, I’ll now go through how we did the hike, which was in a clockwise manner.

Beginning from the spacious car park for the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, we headed to the lot’s north end where we quickly got onto the narrow dirt trail as it immediately started skirting the River Twiss.

The trail was well-maintained as there were planks and steps to reduce the amount of muddy spots (though they were still there thanks to the rains).

After about 35 minutes of hiking beneath tree cover alongside the river, we reached a bridge spanning the River Twiss where we got our first look at the First Pecca Falls.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_034_08172014 - Looking upstream from the footbridge over the River Twiss at the First Pecca Falls
Looking upstream from the footbridge over the River Twiss at the First Pecca Falls

This twisting cascade tended to be concealed by foliage so we never really got a totally clean and satisfying look at the falls.

This was despite standing in the middle of the river on the bridge.

The trail then climbed alongside the First Pecca Falls as it would go beyond the top and then in front of the Pecca Twin Falls some fifteen minutes later.

This waterfall was attractive in that it had a pair of segmented falls with a slightly hidden upper tier.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_060_08172014 - Looking right at the Pecca Twin Falls along the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Looking right at the Pecca Twin Falls along the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail

Shortly after the trail continued above this waterfall, we then encountered the Holly Bush Spout, which was a short waterfall spilling into an oval plunge pool.

Beyond this waterfall, the trail then climbed above the cover of the trees into the windy and exposed moors.

Some 10 minutes past the Holly Bush Spout, we got our first glimpse of Thornton Force.

While we were able to get full contextual views of the Thornton Force from a distance from an overlook with some benches, we’d ultimately get to the closer lookout where we could better appreciate the waterfall itself.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_067_08172014 - Looking down at the Holly Bush Spout on the River Twiss section of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Looking down at the Holly Bush Spout on the River Twiss section of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail

From the closer perspective, I thought it appeared smaller than it did from a distance.

Nevertheless, there was an interpretive sign here as well as danger signs warning not to go behind this waterfall (apparently some people managed to do that in the past).

Clearly with the River Twiss in flood, we didn’t entertain that thought.

At this point, the trail would continue climbing steeply up steps beyond the top of the Thornton Force and further into the moors of Raven Ray and Kingsdale.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_074_08172014 - Context of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail with the Thornton Force on the River Twiss
Context of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail with the Thornton Force on the River Twiss

This was where we could have turned back and be content with the River Twiss Waterfalls, but we ultimately decided to keep going to make the steep price we paid a little more worth the money.

By this point, the river appeared to flow more gently while the sun made an appearance while illuminating the green hills surrounding the area.

We even saw some kind of series of cascades reminding me of a necklace cascade (something we saw at the Roski Slap in Krka National Park in Croatia).

For the next hour, we hiked through a mix of rain and sporadic sun as we could see downhill towards the town of Ingleton way in the distance fronted by cow and sheep pastures.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_139_08172014 - Panorama of pastures looking towards Ingleton
Panorama of pastures looking towards Ingleton

There was even a refreshments truck on one of the farm roads that doubled as part of the larger loop trail we were on.

Trail Description of the Ingleton Waterfalls Experience – The River Doe

After crossing through a couple of farms and descending towards the River Doe, that was when we passed by a structure with toilets, a closed cafe, and a closed ticket window.

That ticket window made me realize that this might have been an alternate entrance for the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail.

Then, the waterfalling resumed as the hike was now mostly downhill as we were passing by waterfalls on the River Doe one-by-one.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_168_08172014 - Descending into the River Doe section of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail as we were about to hike the second half of the loop
Descending into the River Doe section of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail as we were about to hike the second half of the loop

Interestingly, the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail alongside the River Doe seemed even more developed in that much of the walking surface was actually paved!

But the trail remained narrow and pretty exposed to dropoffs where there weren’t handrails.

So we still couldn’t let our guard down in terms of trail safety.

Plus, there were some parts of the trail that climbed, which took a bit out of us since we expected to only be going downhill.

In any case, there was a net elevation loss overall so the climbing stretches weren’t terribly long.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_170_08172014 - Beazley Falls was the uppermost of the waterfalls that we encountered on the River Doe section of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Beazley Falls was the uppermost of the waterfalls that we encountered on the River Doe section of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail

The first waterfall we encountered along the River Doe was the short but twisting Beezley Falls.

We then looked at the Triple Spout looking more like a wide singular spout thanks to the river being in full spate.

Then, the trail descended more steps alongside Rival Falls before the trail descended towards a junction signposted for the Baxenghyll Gorge (some 10 minutes from Beezley Falls).

This gorge was really a narrow slit where the River Doe cut deeply into the rock revealing a thunderous cascade below the bridge spanning the gorge.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_194_08172014 - Looking down at a multi-tiered waterfall where the River Doe squeezed its way through the narrow Baxenghyll Gorge beneath an off-shoot of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Looking down at a multi-tiered waterfall where the River Doe squeezed its way through the narrow Baxenghyll Gorge beneath an off-shoot of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail

The trail didn’t continue on the other side of the gorge so we backtracked up to the main trail along the River Doe.

Finally, after another 15 minutes of hiking downstream of the gorge, we encountered the last of the waterfalls on this excursion called Snow Falls.

This was a short and stocky multi-tiered cascade, but there was a lot of overgrowth surrounding the falls.

Thus, the subpar viewing experience made Snow Falls a pretty anticlimactic end to the Ingleton Waterfall series we had encountered.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_203_08172014 - Snow Falls on the River Doe was the last of the waterfalls that we encountered on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Snow Falls on the River Doe was the last of the waterfalls that we encountered on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail

After Snow Falls, the trail went through a fairly extensive stretch (around 20 minutes or so) of dry hiking with a few interesting stone structures (ruins?).

During that stretch, we noticed some more panoramas before we eventually arrived at the small town of Ingleton.

We continued seeing numerous signs asking if we had paid yet, which really made us wonder why the owners or authorities were so anxious to collect money from hikers.

Anyways, after walking through the village, we’d eventually make it back to the car park.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_226_08172014 - Towards the end of our loop hike along the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, we re-entered the town of Ingleton and had to walk through it to return to the car park
Towards the end of our loop hike along the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, we re-entered the town of Ingleton and had to walk through it to return to the car park

Apparently the lady working the parking booth was relieved to see us as she was probably anxious to get home.

It was about 6:15pm when we got back, which was nearly 4 hours after we had started the hike.

Authorities

The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail resides in Ingleton in North Yorkshire County, England. It is administered by the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_002_08172014 - Julie getting started on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail loop hike on the River Twiss side
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_007_08172014 - Julie continuing to follow the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail which skirted alongside the River Twiss
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_009_08172014 - The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail along the River Twiss hugged this cliff as we headed in the upstream direction in the first half of the loop hike
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_012_08172014 - The narrow but developed Ingleton Waterfalls Trail running alongside the River Twiss
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_017_08172014 - Julie going through a forested part of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail when it momentarily veered inland from the River Twiss
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_018_08172014 - Context of another section where Julie had to get by a part of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail squeezed between some cliffs and the River Twiss
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_020_08172014 - Looking downstream from the footbridge traversing the River Twiss on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_022_08172014 - Julie passing by some interestingly-shaped mushrooms alongside the River Twiss on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_023_08172014 - Purple flowers blooming high up on the hills above and across the River Twiss as seen from the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_029_08172014 - Julie on the bridge across the River Twiss before the First Pecca Falls
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_052_08172014 - Looking down across the First Pecca Falls with hint of a rainbow just as the sun momentarily came out
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_053_08172014 - Context of Julie checking out the upper tiers of the First Pecca Falls
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_070_08172014 - Looking down at the Holly Bush Spout, which was just upstream of the Pecca Twin Falls
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_072_08172014 - After the Holly Bush Spout, the trail climbed above the tree cover and we were now exposed to the elements on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_081_08172014 - Approaching the Thornton Force, which happened to have a faint rainbow at its base
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_088_08172014 - Context of Thornton Force with a few downstream cascades in full spate
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_103_08172014 - Looking back down at the stairs we had to climb to get above Thornton Force
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_106_08172014 - Looking back at the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail from the top of Thornton Force on the River Twiss side
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_107_08172014 - Julie ascending towards the top of the steps above the Thornton Force on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail loop hike on the River Twiss side
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_109_08172014 - While in the Ravens Ray section of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail above Thornton Force, I noticed this series of small cascades resembling some kind of Necklace Cascade (which we also encountered before at Roski Slap in Krka National Park in Croatia)
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_111_08172014 - Continuing ahead on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail well uphill from Thornton Force as we were approaching the calmer and flatter parts of the hike and the River Twiss itself
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_113_08172014 - A few more steps leading up to the apex of the climb above the Thornton Force near the head of the River Twiss side of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_116_08172014 - Julie heading further upstream along a calmer part of the River Twiss before the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail crosses it and veers across pastures towards the River Doe
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_117_08172014 - The sun briefly made an appearance as we continued beyond Thornton Force and headed to the River Doe. Shown here was some rolling pastures looking across a calm part of the River Twiss
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_119_08172014 - Some incoming bad weather as Julie descended towards a bridge over a calm part of the River Twiss
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_120_08172014 - The bridge crossing over the River Twiss as we were headed towards Kingsdale
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_123_08172014 - Looking downstream towards some incoming bad weather from the bridge traversing the River Twiss near Kingsdale
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_131_08172014 - Contextual view looking back towards the pastures in the distance as the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail veered across the rolling hills en route to the River Doe drainage
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_134_08172014 - Julie walking along some stone fences while on the part of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail loop hike where we went between the River Twiss and the River Doe
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_135_08172014 - Julie approaching a refreshment truck somewhere at the half-way point of the long loop of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_137_08172014 - Looking back down the hill towards pastures and unstable weather from around the half-way part of the long loop of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_141_08172014 - Continuing to hike along the rolling hills part of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail between the River Twiss and the River Doe
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_147_08172014 - By this point of the hike, Tahia needed to warm up so we let her walk with Julie instead of sitting in my child carrier
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_155_08172014 - Julie and Tahia walking through some farms as we made our way towards the River Doe along the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_156_08172014 - Julie and Tahia continuing along the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail loop hike as we passed behind some farms en route to the River Doe
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_157_08172014 - Julie and Tahia bypassing a gate on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail loop hike as we continued to get closer to the River Doe
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_162_08172014 - Julie and Tahia descending towards the valley containing the River Doe and the second half of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_165_08172014 - Julie and Tahia continuing their descent into the second half of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail loop hike on the River Doe side
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_166_08172014 - A restroom facility just before the trail was about to start following the River Doe. There was also a ticket window here, but it was closed during our Ingleton Waterfalls Trail adventure
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_176_08172014 - I wasn't sure if this was the Triple Spout for it was somewhere just downstream of Beezley Falls, but we were now alongside the River Doe part of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_179_08172014 - Julie about to climb some steps alongside the River Doe part of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, but it was a very brief climb. Most of the time, it was going downhill
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_188_08172014 - The undulating Ingleton Waterfalls Trail on the River Doe side
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_190_08172014 - The bridge spanning the Baxenghyll Gorge, which was a dead-end, but it allowed us to check out the depths of the gorge from the top as well as a waterfall squeezed into its narrow confines
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_198_08172014 - Julie approaching another one of the few climbing stretches on the return hike along the River Doe in the second half of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail loop hike
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_219_08172014 - Descending past some ruins or structures as we were completing the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail heading back towards Ingleton
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_220_08172014 - Julie at the road's end as we were re-entering Ingleton
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_223_08172014 - Passing through the town of Ingleton on the way back to the car park for the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_225_08172014 - Looking towards some kind of church or cathedral as we were walking through the town of Ingleton on our way back to the car park for the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail


To reach the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail from Kendal, we took the A6 motorway 6 miles south towards the A65 road (just past the M6 motorway junction).

Then we continued on the A65 road for 11.3 miles towards a signposted turnoff to our left leading to the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail car park.

This turnoff was about less than a mile west of the town center of Ingleton.

After about 0.8 miles on the narrow rural road to the car park, that was when we were greeted by a lady collecting the fees at a gate.

Ingleton_Waterfalls_Trail_001_08172014 - Looking back from the north end of the spacious car park for the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Looking back from the north end of the spacious car park for the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail

Beyond the gate, we were able to park in any of the spots in this spacious car park.

We opted to park towards the north end since we only anticipated doing Thornton Force and not the entire 4.5-mile loop before we changed our minds.

All in all, this drive took us rougly 40 minutes, where most of the time spent was following the caravan of cars in traffic on the A65.

The A65 was a two-lane road with very limited opportunities for passing slower vehicles, especially if pullouts (or laybys were not used by the slower drivers).

As for some geographical context, Kendal was 87 miles (over 2 hours drive) west of York, 73 miles (90 minutes drive) north of Manchester, 236 miles (4.5 hours drive) north of Bath, and 271 miles (over 5 hours drive or 3-4 hours by train) northwest of London.

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Right to left sweep starting from the falls seen from the bridge over the River Twiss, then ending with a downstream view


Top down sweep of the Pecca Twin Falls ending downstream as the River Twiss continues dropping over more tiers


Right to left sweep of the River Twiss falling over Thornton Force in full spate


Upstream to downstream sweep of Beezley Falls on the River Doe


Top down sweep of both the Triple Spout and Rival Falls on the River Doe (though I really don't know when one ends and the next one begins)


Upstream to downstream sweep of the River Doe being funneled into the narrow Baxenghyll Gorge over cascades as seen from the bridge spanning the gorge itself

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Tagged with: ingleton, yorkshire dales, national park, north yorkshire, england, uk, united kingdom, waterfall, thornton force, carnforth, holly bush spout, pecca falls, baxenghyll, beezley falls, triple spout, snow falls, rival falls, river twiss, river doe



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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