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Two of the most picturesque waterfalls in the Yorkshire Dales - Catrigg Force, set in a secluded woody copse and Stainforth Force, a series of small cascades and one larger drop.
Today's walk is a circular walk visiting Catrigg Force and Stainforth Force from this car park in Stainforth, a village in the Yorkshire Dales. The walk is 7.4 kilometres or 6.6 miles long and takes approximately two and a quarter hours.
There are a couple of signs on the toilet block in the car park in Stainforth. One shows the car park charges, and the other gives you some information on Stainforth itself.
Let's have a look now at where we're walking today. We initially cross the stepping stones in Stainforth to then head up Goat Scar Lane to reveal views of Pen-y-ghent and Ingleborough from the top. A short detour takes us to Catrigg Force, a waterfall set within a wooded gorge.
After a walk through fields and lanes, we cross the river Ribble by a weir and then head upstream along its banks to eventually reach Stainforth Force. This is another stunning waterfall, well known for its salmon jumping at certain times of the year.
Back in the car park, head away from the toilets, pass through the entrance and turn right along the road. As the road bends around to the right here, turn left following the Halton Gill and Arncliffe sign.
Shortly on the right-hand side, you'll reach a grass space. Here, take the path down the right-hand side of the grass by the wall...where stepping stones across Stainforth Beck are revealed. Head across the stepping stones.
If the stepping stones are icy, very wet, or you just don't fancy crossing them, you can avoid them. Where we just turned left along the road, if you turn right and then first left, you end up back at this same point.
Head straight on now up the hill, which is Goat Scar Lane. It’s tarmacked to start with and then quickly becomes cobbled and a little rougher underfoot. Looking behind, you can see Smearsett Scar on the horizon in the direction of the lane.
Keep climbing up this walled track, stopping from time to time to admire the ever-expanding vista behind. Across to the left, you can see Fountains Fell appearing along with Pen-y-ghent and along the lane to Smearsett Scar on the horizon.
If you stop again a little further up, Pen-y-ghent is becoming a little more obvious now. This is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks.
Further around to the left, Ingleborough, another one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, comes into view. At the end of the lane, we reach a wooden gate that we will pass through once we have visited Catrigg Force. Before following the signpost that indicates the way down to Catrigg Force, take time to look around again; you see Fountains Fell and Pen-y-ghent a bit clearer now.
Then around to Ingleborough with its flat top in the distance, then Smearsett Scar is a little bit hidden by the tree. Pass through the gate and head down the side of the wall.
After a short distance, the path splits. We will take the left path shortly to have a look down to the bottom of the force, but for now, just head straight on so we can look at the top. Take great care around the top of the force because it's unfenced and is a sheer, steep drop.
Turn around now and head back along the path, this time taking the right-hand fork and pass through the gate. Head along this path.
Turn right down some steps towards the waterfall. This hidden waterfall set its own wooded amphitheatre, almost feels enchanted like it should belong in a Brothers Grimm fairy tale.
Catrigg Force was also said to be a favourite place to visit of the composer Edward Elgar, he of Land of Hope and Glory fame, which is played each year at the Last Night of the Proms, amongst other performances.
After admiring the falls and taking all your photos, turn around now to head back up the steps and then turn left to head back along to the gate. Pass back through the gate and head up by the side of the wall.
Head back through the gate, and then immediately left through the larger wood gate to start heading up the track. Pass through the next gate. Then after a few yards, turn right off the gravel track to head across the field.
This is the highest point of today's walk at about 330 metres high and affords fantastic views all around, from Smearsett Scar and the flat-topped Ingleborough and around to Pen-y-ghent and to the right of that Fountains Fell.
Keep on now along this track. You then reach a signpost at Upper Winskill. Here we follow the footpath to Langcliffe and Stainforth sign that heads across initially over the cattle grid and then down the walled lane.
The wall bends around to the right, and then after a few more yards, there's a footpath sign for Langcliffe and a wall stile on your left. Head over the stile and head directly away from the wall across the field.
Pass through this next gate and turn right to head down the side of the wall. Just before we leave the wall and head down, ahead now you can see Langcliffe and the fields and tracks that we walk across for about the next kilometre before we reach the river Ribble.
Head down the grassy path and through the gate in the wall.
Head away from the gate. The walled track that we are shortly about to follow can be clearly seen in the distance, now straight ahead. Before that, though, follow the path down and around to the left.
Pass through the gap in the wall and continue along the path which keeps by the side of the wall. Looking back now, you can see around to Stainforth Scar.
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Head down to and pass through this next gate to head along the walled track. Take time to look back and look around.
If you have any thoughts about this walk that you'd like to share with us or find out any issues with any footpaths used, please share that with us in the comments below. After a while, as you approach a small building, there's a footpath sign on the left and a gate on the right.
Pass through this gate to head down the path between the fence and the wall. Looking around, you can see back to Stainforth Scar or just admire the wonderful dales scenery.
On our website, the route of today's Cattrigg and Stainforth waterfalls walk is set out on an Ordnance Survey map along with a GPS download for your phone or GPS device. The link for this walk on our walks4all.com website is down in the description below.
On reaching the gate, pass through it and turn left along the lane and then, on meeting the main road, turn right to head along the pavement and over the bridge. Over the bridge is part of the Settle to Carlisle railway line.
Head back to the pavement and, taking great care, cross the road and head down Locks Barn Lane. As the lane starts to flatten, you get your first view of the weir over to the right hand side.
A few yards further on, head down a little path and then turn right to head over the footbridge to cross the River Ribble. The weir itself was originally built to supply water to a mill just a bit further downstream. Stainforth Scar can be seen over the weir.
Once over the footbridge, follow the path around to the right and a few yards further take the path off to the right again, which keeps by the side of the river. Keep walking along the path to pass through the wooden gate, following the footpath sign Stainforth Foss, one and a half miles.
This riverside path forms part of the Ribble Way, which is a route from Longton at the mouth of the River Ribble to the west of Preston that runs for approximately 70 miles to the river’s source at Gavel Gap, which is a few kilometres north-east of the Ribblehead Viaduct in the Yorkshire Dales.
Pass through the next gate and over a small stone stile. Pass over the next stile. If you are new to hiking or just want ideas for walking gear to wear on the walk or what to take on the walk, check out our recommendations in the description below.
Over to the right, you can see across and through to Stainforth Scar. Pass over the next stone stile in the wall, which wasn't the easiest one to pass over with one hand and a camera.
And make your way across the stones to cross the water. Pass over the next stone stile. Head now across the field. The actual footpath is just slightly to the left here, I’m just keeping by the fence, just have a look at the Stainforth woodland sign.
From the sign, keep straight on and then take the right-hand path that keeps closer to the river. Just a little farther on, you reach Stainforth Force. It can get quite busy here on Sunny weekends in the summer. But this being mid-October, these people are probably here just for one thing: to watch the salmon jumping upstream, climbing the waterfalls.
According to the Wildlife Trust, early morning and evenings during October and November are the best, and a period of rain after a dry spell will provide the perfect conditions for the salmon to leap.
Earlier this morning, whilst waiting for the low mist to disappear, I popped down to Stainforth Force whilst it was a bit quieter. The falls are very impressive after heavy rain, and the Packhorse bridge in the background makes for an excellent photograph.
Carry on now, heading slightly uphill away from the falls. Stainforth Packhorse Bridge was built in 1675 and was on the main Packhorse Road from Lancaster to York. The National Trust now owns it.
For a short diversion here, there is actually a café and tea room up to the left through the gate at Knight Stainforth Hall, caravan and camping park.
After having one last look at the bridge, we are going to pass through the gate and turn right along the road. Once over the bridge, continue along the road and head up the hill.
Upon meeting the main road, turn right along the pavement, then cross over the road when safe to do, heading back into Stainforth with St Peter's Church visible behind the sign. Keep on now along the pavement to turn left back across into the car park.
If you want something to eat and drink after the walk, then head out to the car park again to restart the walk.
This time, instead of turning left, follow the road around to the right and just over the bridge, you'll find the Craven Heifer. It serves food and drink, and there's a covered beer garden at the back and a few real fires inside.
If you find the pub closed as it is today, there are many pubs and cafes back in nearby Settle, and the Helworth Bridge Inn, which usually has up to eight real ales on the bar, is just over a mile further up the road at Helwith Bridge, that also serves food.
Just before ending today's work, we've put together a short fly-through created using the Ordnance Survey app, the link for which is in the description below, to show you where you've been and to give the area more perspective. From the car park, we headed over the stepping stones and then up the walled lane, before turning left to drop down to visit Catterick Force.
We then returned to the gate and headed across the field to a Windskill. We continue down the lane, turning left across a field before dropping down to join another walled track.
We turned right off this lane and then down and over the Settle to Carlisle railway line, before dropping down to the River Ribble. After crossing the Ribble, by the weir, we turned right and headed upstream along the riverside path.
We eventually reached Stainforth Force Waterfall and then crossed back over the Ribble using the old packhorse bridge before climbing up the road, turning right and heading back into Stainforth. That ends our walk for today.
