Introduction
I’ve designed my waterfall guides to be as short and easy to use as possible while still giving you the information you need to plan your visit.
I know that when you’re looking for a waterfall to visit, you don’t necessarily want to read through a huge amount of information before deciding whether it’s for you. That’s why I’ve tried to make the guides easy to quickly scan, with the most useful information clearly set out at the start.
Here’s a quick explanation of what you’ll find in the guides and how to use them.
Start With The Key Information
The key information section is the best place to start if you want to quickly work out whether a waterfall is suitable for you.
It gives you the main details about the waterfall and the walk in one place, so you can get a quick overview before deciding whether you want to read on.
Waterfall Height I will list the waterfall height if there is an officially recorded height available.
Waterfall Type Lists the type of waterfall(s) included in the guide.
Starting Point – Details exactly where to start the route from. For the majority of guides, this will be from the parking location which is detailed below.
Parking – Where I parked when I visited and any useful information about the parking, such as whether it’s free or paid, the size of the car park or anything else you might need to know.
Public Transport – Whether buses are available and approximately how far the walk is from the nearest bus stop.
Walk– This will detail the distance for the full walk.
Time– How long it takes to reach the waterfall(s) and how much time to allow for the whole walk, including allowing time to take photos.
Difficulty – How difficult I found the walk, using ‘easy’, ‘moderate’, or ‘hard’. Further details about the route can be found in the walk section below.
Accessibility – Whether the route is suitable for wheelchair users.
Family Friendly – Whether the route is suitable for children. Please always check the full walk details as everyone is different and you should decide for yourself whether the route is suitable for your family.
Dogs– Whether the route is suitable for dogs. Please check the route and swimming sections for any safety information for dogs as some waterfalls have algae present.
Swimming– Whether the water is deep enough for swimming. Full details on whether it seems safe to swim at each waterfall is in the swimming section within the main article.
Toilets– Whether there are any toilets on the route or near the parking. Full details will be in the facilities and nearby attractions section below.
The exact information included can vary slightly between guides because every waterfall is different, but the key information is there to help you make a quick decision.
If the distance, difficulty and terrain sound suitable, you can then go back to the start of the guide and work your way through each section to get a better idea of what the visit will actually be like.
Once you’ve chosen your waterfall, my What to Pack for a Waterfall Walk guide covers the things I recommend taking with you.
The Introduction
At the beginning of each guide, I’ll give you a short introduction to the waterfall and what you can expect from your visit.
This gives you a little more context about the waterfall itself before getting into the practical details of the walk.
Quick Verdict
The Quick Verdict gives you my overall opinion of the waterfall and the visit in a few short points.
It’s designed for anyone who wants to get a really quick idea of whether a waterfall is worth adding to their plans without reading the whole guide first.
I’ll summarise the things I think are most useful to know, such as what I liked about the waterfall, what the walk is like and anything that might affect your decision to visit.
You can use this alongside the key information section to get a quick overview. If both look good to you, you can then read through the rest of the guide for the full details.
Parking
The guide will tell you where I parked when I visited and how to get from the parking area to the start of the walk.
I’ll include any useful information I’ve found about the parking, such as whether it’s free or paid, how busy it was when I visited or anything else I think you should know before you arrive.
Parking arrangements can change, so it’s always worth checking before you set off.
I will also detail any public transport information that is known at the time of writing the article.
The Route
The route section takes you through the walk step by step, from leaving the car park to reaching the waterfall.
I’ve included photographs along the way to help you recognise where you are and where you need to go next.
I’ll also point out anything that I think is worth knowing about the route, such as steep sections, muddy ground, rocks, steps or places where it might be easy to take the wrong path.
The Photographs
The photographs aren’t just there to show you what the waterfall looks like.
I use them throughout the route to help you recognise different points along the way. Hopefully, when you’re actually there, you can look at a photograph in the guide and think, “Yes, this is the bit I’m looking for.”
I also include photographs of the waterfall and different viewpoints where appropriate, so you can get a good idea of what you’ll see when you arrive.
The Waterfall
Once you reach the waterfall, I’ll show you what you can expect to see and explain anything else worth knowing about the waterfall or the surrounding area.
Where there are different viewpoints or ways to see the waterfall, I’ll include these where appropriate.
Remember that waterfalls can look very different depending on recent rainfall and the time of year. The photographs in my guides show what the waterfall looked like when I visited, but yours may look very different.
Swimming
Some of the waterfalls I visit may be suitable for swimming, while others definitely aren’t.
Where swimming is relevant to a waterfall, I’ll include information about what I found when I visited and whether swimming is something I would consider there.
This isn’t intended to tell you whether you should swim. Conditions around waterfalls can change considerably, and there can be serious risks around fast-flowing water, slippery rocks, currents and deep water.
If you’re interested in swimming at waterfalls, I’ve got a separate Wild Swimming guide with more information on this.
Interesting Facts and Wildlife
This section is for the things that make the waterfall and the surrounding area a little more interesting.
I’ll include any interesting facts I’ve found about the waterfall, its history or the surrounding area, as well as wildlife you might spot during your visit.
You won’t necessarily find a huge list in every guide. I’ll only include things that I think are genuinely interesting or useful to know about that particular waterfall.
Facilities and Nearby Attractions
This section gives you a quick idea of what else is available around the waterfall.
I’ll mention facilities such as toilets, cafés or other useful amenities where relevant, as well as attractions nearby that you might want to combine with your visit.
This can be particularly useful if you’re travelling a distance to visit the waterfall and want to make more of a day of it.
Best Time to Visit
This section gives you my thoughts on when might be the best time to visit that particular waterfall and I always state what month I visited the waterfall(s).
Some waterfalls are best seen after rainfall when they’re flowing strongly, while others may be particularly nice to visit at different times of year.
I’ll also mention anything else that could affect your visit, such as seasonal conditions or how the waterfall looked when I visited.
Responsible Waterfall Visiting and Safety
I include the same responsible visiting and safety information in every guide because I think it’s important to remind people how to enjoy waterfalls safely and respectfully.
This covers things such as staying on appropriate paths, taking care around slippery rocks and fast-flowing water, respecting the environment and leaving the area as you found it.
The exact conditions will vary from waterfall to waterfall, so make sure you also read any specific warnings or advice I’ve included in the individual guide.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to read every waterfall guide from beginning to end before deciding whether you want to visit.
Start with the Key Information and Quick Verdict to quickly work out whether the waterfall and the walk sound like they’re for you.
If they do, go back to the beginning and work your way through the guide. The route photographs will help you follow the walk, while the sections after the waterfall give you extra information about swimming, wildlife, facilities, the best time to visit and staying safe.
The guides are designed to give you the information I would want to know before visiting a waterfall for the first time, without making you wade through pages of unnecessary information.
Hopefully they help you decide where you want to go, what to expect when you get there and, most importantly, enjoy exploring some of the UK’s waterfalls.
Not sure how I find the waterfalls I cover? I’ve put together a separate guide explaining How to Find Waterfalls in the UK and some of the methods I use when searching for new places to explore.
