23/07/2019

High Force Waterfall walk, best route from Bowlees in Teesdale via Low Force


On this walk to High Force you will also see Low Force Waterfalls first which are also very impressive and worth seeing


A short walk to High Force waterfall via Low Force from Bowlees

The best way to see High Force Waterfall and Low Force waterfall in my humble opinion is a short  4 mile circular walk from Bowless Visitor Centre. Most first-time visitors to High Force park in the costly car park which is close to High Force and then pay into the Raby Estate to walk to High Force to see it from the bottom. The best (and cheapest) way for me is to park at Bowlees Visitor Centre (donation car park) and do this short walk. You get to see much more of the area, including Low Force and also get the better views of High Force from up above. 


Walk distance: 4 mile circular
Walk time: 2.5 hours (inc stop at High Force)
Walk difficulty: Easy

Map of the High Force waterfall walk from Bowlees


This is the best way to see High Force Waterfall and Low Force waterfall in my humble opinion on this short walk. It starts from Bowlees Visitor Centre, then is 2 miles from there via Low Force Waterfall and the River Tees to High Force Waterfall. You then just retrace your steps. 

As you can see the distance on this route is 4 miles exactly and there isn't much up or downhill so perfect for a leisurely stroll!





Photos of this stunning walk to High Force Waterfall along the River Tees



The foot bridge over the river Tees is a nice little start to the walk upon leaving Bowlees Visitor centre 



Low Force in all it's glory

Looking up the River Tees over the cascading water

Low Force waterfall best view short walk map Teesdale England Highest waterfall
This is the best view to be had of High Force Waterfall in my opinion, form above rather than form below!


Looking over the edge of High Force - not a place to lose your footing :-)

Chilling just at the top of High Force Waterfall before turning around and retracing our steps




Alternative and longer 7 mile High Force circular walk from Bowlees Visitor Centre


[Click to enlarge map] If you have a bit more time on your hands and want to extend the walk above to 7 miles then starting at the same place (Bowlees) you can again head up to High Force via Low Force - but keep on the Pennine Way a bit longer after High Force and then track the River Tees until the crossing - where you can then come back to the north of the River Tees.



High Force Waterfall from below

Here's another photo of High Force Waterfall from ground level. This wasn't taken on the walking routes above, but on a previous visit. To see High Force from this level you actually need to pay in to the Raby Estate a couple of quid. To be honest I much prefer the views of High Force further up this blog post and you can do a much longer walk too, without having to pay! I'm not a believer in paying to see natural wonders like this.


Bowlees Visitor Centre & Gibsons Cave Waterfall

Bowlees visitor centre and car parking
The tiny village of Bowlees and it's Visitor Centre is the perfect place to start your walk to High Force. The car park is big and only a couple of quid donation, and the Visitor Centre, which is a converted church, is nicely converted and stocks a good selection of hot/cold food & drink (and cake!). You'll also find plenty of information in here to help you explore the area. Finding it is easy and as you drive along the B6277 Bowlees and the car park is clearly sign-posted and you will see it from the road.


Whilst you park at Bowlees Visitor Centre - it's also worth a walk to the waterfall at Gibsons Cave. On the map at the top of this page this waterfall is marked by the pink star and is maybe 5-10 mins walk form the car park in a northerly direction on a well marked footpath which takes you right to this view :-)


As ever I hope you have enjoyed this little write up and photos and it inspires you to want to visit the area and give the route a go.  If you have any questions about this route - just post a comment and I'll try and answer. 


Blog Post by Stuart Hodgson, 'The Hiking Photographer'


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1 comment

  1. Very useful information, particularly the incline, thank you

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking an interest in my blog, all comments and questions are welcome! Best, Stuart

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