Take the plunge
Powerful. Dramatic. Beautiful. The natural wonder of our isle’s waterfalls and the countryside surrounding them never fails to impress. Paul Miles looks at these liquid assets 
Hareshaw Linn, Northumberland
GRID REF: NY842854
FALL FACTS: The Victorians built a bandstand near this graceful waterfall, perhaps so they could serenade its beauty. On a small tributary of the Tyne, it is still a popular attraction within the Northumberland National Park. Until the 1840s, the valley was noisy with iron smelting. Today, there’s just the sound of the falls, birds and scampering red squirrels. The flora – lush ferns, liverworts and mosses that thrive in the damp spray – has led to the area being designated an SSSI.
PLUNGING THERE: The 5km/3-mile waymarked path starts from Bellingham. In total, it’s a 6½km/4-mile detour from the 432km/268-mile Pennine Way to reach the falls. As Wainwright says: ‘Pennine Wayfarers who still retain a spark of romance and poetry in their souls and an appreciation of beauty after all they have suffered are recommended to make the extra effort to see the Linn; for others whose higher feelings have been shrivelled by their day-after-day agonies, it would be a waste of valuable time.’
FURTHER INFO: www.northumberlandnational park.org.uk
Fairy Pools, Highland
GRID REF: NG424258
FALL FACTS: Water falls gently through a series of pools so gin clear that, on a sunny day, it’s difficult to resist a dip. Keep an eye out for an underwater arch in the blueness. With the Cuillin Hills looming mysteriously in the background, this picturesque, babbling cascade is a magical place for a picnic.
PLUNGING THERE: From the roadside parking in Glen Brittle, you can do a fairly level 8km/ 5-mile circular walk that starts by following the stream up past the Fairy Pools and continues towards the peak of Sgurr an Fheadain. It then turns to cross the lower slopes of Bruach na Frithe, with an excellent view of Coire na Creiche behind you, before heading back to the car park or Sligachan Hotel. The walk can be quite boggy at times.
FURTHER INFO: www.walkhighlands.co.uk/skye/fairypools.shtml
Aber Falls, Gwynedd
GRID REF: TSH668700
FALL FACTS: A steep-sided wooded valley leads to this horsetail falls (one that touches the rock all the way) in the foothills of the Carneddau mountains. The falls are within the Coedydd Aber National Nature Reserve. The last red squirrel to be seen here was in 1978 – a fact you’ll learn in the (unmanned) information centre – but you may be lucky enough to spot peregrines nesting in the cliffs or tree pipits in the woods.
PLUNGING THERE: The 3km/2-mile path from the road to the falls is well maintained and suitable for wheelchairs and buggies, but there are steep sections. On the way, you pass an excavated Iron Age roundhouse and standing stones. There are various options if you want to make a longer circular hike, and the 96km/60-mile North Wales Path passes Aber Falls on its partly coastal section between Prestatyn and Bangor.
FURTHER INFO: www.abergwyngregyn.co.uk
Three Shires Head, Cheshire
GRID REF: SK009685
FALL FACTS: The River Dane flows through a series of fern-edged rock pools and small waterfalls under a graceful, high-arched packhorse bridge, across which horses once carried loads of silk and coal between Hollinsclough, Flash and Macclesfield. Four packhorse routes meet here, at a point where the three shires of Cheshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire converge. Ponies drank at the ‘Panniers Pool’ below the bridge. Today the bridge is a favourite lunch spot for walkers.
PLUNGING THERE: The Three Shires Head (or Three Shire Heads on OS maps) is a good mile from any road. You can stride across the moors from the Cat & Fiddle pub on the A537. Take the obvious path by the pub that descends through Danebower Hollow before crossing an A-road. You can then turn the walk into an 11km/7-mile circuit by following a route that takes in gentle hills, a country house and Cumberland Cottage bunkhouse. The 66km/41-mile waymarked route, the Dane Valley Way, passes Three Shires Head.
FURTHER INFO: www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/three-shire-heads-walk-i3463.html
St Nectan’s Kieve, Cornwall
GRID REF: SX078885
FALL FACTS: When you visit this pretty waterfall in a narrow gorge – an SSSI on account of its mosses and liverworts – you can understand why many consider it to have spiritual power. The story goes that the early Celtic saint Nectan lived above the waterfall on the site of what is now a private home. The 18m/60ft falls gush through holes in the rocks, all surrounded by glorious greenery reminiscent of a rainforest. The waterfall is on private land and open only during the summer season, with admission charged.
PLUNGING THERE: A hike to St Nectan’s Glen is an interesting and picturesque 5km/3-mile detour from the spectacular 8km/5-mile stretch of the South West Coast Path between Boscastle and Tintagel. At Rocky Valley, follow the stream inland, cross the road at the hamlet of Trethevy and continue upstream along the newly repaired path to St Nectan’s Glen waterfall and the Hermitage tea room.
FURTHER INFO: www.visitboscastleandtintagel.com
Gaping Gill, Yorkshire
GRID REF: SD751727
FALL FACTS: On the slopes of Ingleborough, a beck disappears into the limestone plateau, falling for 100m/330ft through a massive pothole: Gaping Gill. Twice a year members of the public have the chance to be winched down into the vast floodlit cavern to admire the spectacle. Arrive by midday to be sure of a chance to make the descent. Bradford Pothole Club runs the next winch days, from 25 to 31 May. Otherwise, nearby Thornton Force is a wonderful waterfall above ground.
PLUNGING THERE: It’s a pleasant 4km/2½-mile walk from Clapham, through the Ingleborough Estate Nature Trail, passing Ingleborough Cave and on to Gaping Gill. Winching starts at 8am. Thornton Force is a further 13km/8-mile walk from the 723m/2,372ft summit of Ingleborough and is one of the waterfalls on the 8km/4½-mile Ingleton Waterfalls Trail.
FURTHER INFO: www.bpc-cave.org.uk/gaping_gill.htm
The Spring 2013 issue of Walk Magazine features five more amazing waterfall walks– click here to order a copy or why not join the Ramblers to receive it free four times a year?
Image credits Hareshaw Linn: UncleBucko. Aber Falls: Terry Hickingbotham. Gaping Gill: David Oxtaby.
