When we moved to the North Pennines AONB in the north of England I knew nothing of the area. My husband has some knowledge thanks to growing up locally and being involved with groups like the Scouts but again, probably hadn't been back to explore in over 20 years. Since we picked up the keys for the house he had been suggested we head over to High Force but we simply hadn't gotten round to it.
On New Years Day we woke up and there had been an extreme amount of rain overnight. Our fields were slightly flooded and the stream that runs through the property was swollen above its banks. This gave us the prompt to head over to the waterfall as we knew it would be insane given all the extra water and we were not disappointed.
I thought I would share some of the information about it if you are planning to take a trip there whilst visiting the area (I highly recommend it!!). I've picked these questions based on what people are searching online, if you want to know anything else just let me know and I will add it to the blog post :-)
What is High Force?
High Force Waterfall is the highest waterfall in England and is considered one of the most spectacular. It stands an impressive 21 meters high (70 ft) and has origins that date back over 300million years! High Force is formed from the River Tees, a river stretched 85miles from its origins on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, through to the North Sea, between Hartlepool and Redcar.
Where is High Force Waterfall?
High Force Waterfall is found in the Forest-in Teesdale, in the Upper Teesdale region of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the North of England.
How do I get to High Force Waterfall?
The address for your sat nav is
Forest-in-Teesdale, County Durham DL12 0XH, UK
The following maps are from Google Maps.
Be aware that phone reception (and especially data) is very poor in the Teesdale valley - at least for both of our network providers! - so ensure to set up your satnav routes prior to leaving your accommodation.
Is there a carpark at the High Force Waterfall?
Yes, there is a large carpark situated next to the High Force Hotel. It is a paid carpark, which cost £3 for 3 hours (its £6 for 6 hours and they do have all day parking too but your need to enquire about this within the hotel).
According to the website there do also have a limited number of motorhome spots available too but they must be prebooked in advance and they charge £12/night.
Do I have to pay for High Force Waterfall?
In order to access the maintained walking route from the High Force Hotel you need to purchase tickets. These were very reasonable at £2.50 adults (16+ years), £1 kids (5-15 years) and under 5s were free.
There are a number of walking routes you can take to the top of the falls without paying this fee but the views were well worth the small amount for access in my opinion.
Raby estates do also offer an annual pass which gives access to a number of their attractions (including High Force) and 10% off at the hotel. The details can be found here.
How long does it take to walk to High Force Waterfall?
There are several walking routes that allow you to see High Force waterfall. The maintained route, the one that is ticketed, from the carpark took us around 20 minutes (we had a 3 year old and im pregnant so we were not very speedy!). Details of the other routes that can allow you to view the falls can be found here. It is possible to use public footpaths to access the top of the falls and you can get very close to the top of the falls by doing this.
What else is there to do at High Force Waterfall?
There are a bunch of other activities on offer by Raby Estates to link in with your trip. We didn't do any research before headed over but the helpful ticket officer at the entrance informed us of a circular Magical Waterfall Woodland Talk which we followed after we had taken the trail down to the waterfall. This was a. lovely way to spend an hour, with plenty of woodland carvings for our small human to look at and play on. Additionally, we went just after the Christmas break and a reindeer adventure trail had been laid out for little ones to find Rudolph and the other reindeer on the walk which was also thoroughly enjoyed by our 3 year old. The route was fun, although there are a large number of stairs up from the waterfall to access it which would preclude its accessibility for some people. It was well maintained and brought you back to the main road/car park by the ticket house. We plodded round whilst I was 5 months pregnant with our 3 year old in tow without any issues.
Other activities that Raby Estates offer in the area on their website include:
- Kayaking
- Shooting
- Fishing
- Walking
- Photography/Star-gazing events (this is something that I've seen advertised in a few places, as we are in one of the darkest areas in England the star-gazing really is phenomenal and I have seen several companies offering out of hours trips up to the waterfall at night which I imagine would be out of this world! We have yet to see it but at times it is also apparently possible to view the Northern Lights too!
I do not know the details of these activities personally but you can find all the information here.
Can I get food at High Force Waterfall?
The carpark is situated next to High Force Hotel. The hotel itself is open 10am-3pm (BST) daily and has a bar which serves coffee and cake as well as a restaurant which (whilst we haven't sampled the food yet) looks to be reasonably priced given they have the monopoly on the tourists there with a decent selection of both veggie and vegan fairs on offer. I would recommend checking ahead for availability within peak times to avoid disappointment however as High Force can get reasonably busy. The car parks also have a variety of picnic benches available if you prefer to BYO food.
Can I swim at High Force Waterfall?
My husband is an avid wild-swimmer and as such we understand the appeal for finding wild swimming spots. High Force however is not a safe place for wild swimming. The sheer power of the waterfall is immense and it is a very dangerous place to swim and this is not permitted.
Is High Force Waterfall dog friendly?
Both the paid for maintained trail and the High Force Hotel are dog friendly. It is asked that four-legged visitors are kept on a lead during your visit to protect sensitive plants and wildlife (as well as for your dogs safety). The hotel charges a £10 pet fee but apparently will provide some treats for your pup on arrival!
For more info on High Force and to plan your journey check out there website here.