Kisdon Force is a series of waterfalls on the River Swale in Swaledale, England. The falls are situated within the Yorkshire Dales National Park in the county of North Yorkshire, 500 metres downstream from the small hamlet of Keld at grid reference NY898010 .
Kisdon Force is one of several waterfalls on the Swale in the Keld area: the others are East Gill Force, Catrake Force and Wain Wath Force. All occur where the river cuts a gorge through the Carboniferous Limestone between the hills of Kisdon and Rogan's Seat. The falls in this area are termed "forces" after the Norse word fors or foss, which means "waterfall". Both upper and lower Kisdon Force can be negotiated by canoeists, although a high degree of skill and experience is needed. The upper falls are rated Grade IV whilst the lower falls are rated more difficult at Grade V. [1]
The falls drop 10 metres (33 ft) [2] over two cascades and are surrounded by Kisdon Force Woods, a Site of Special Scientific Interest covering an area of 38 hectares, which consists of mixed broad-leaved woodland with ash, wych elm and rowan dominating. In the spring, primroses grow profusely in the area. [3] The falls can be easily visited by a riverside path from Keld. However, care should be taken since the stones around the falls are often wet and slippery. Visitor numbers to the falls are swollen by walkers along the Pennine Way, a long-distance footpath that passes the falls.
The Yorkshire Dales are an upland area of the Pennines in England. Most of the area is in the county of North Yorkshire, but it extends into Cumbria and a small part of Lancashire. It was historically entirely within Yorkshire. The majority of the Dales are part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, created in 1954. The exception is the area around Nidderdale, which forms the separate Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England, with a small section in Scotland. The trail stretches for 268 miles (431 km) from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Park and ends at Kirk Yetholm, just inside the Scottish border. The path runs along the Pennine hills, sometimes described as the "backbone of England". Although not the United Kingdom's longest National Trail, it is according to The Ramblers, "one of Britain's best known and toughest".
Wensleydale is a valley in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Dales, which are part of the Pennines. The dale is named after the village of Wensley, formerly the valley's market town. The principal river of the valley is the Ure, which is the source of the alternative name Yoredale. The majority of the dale is within the Yorkshire Dales National Park; the part below East Witton is within the national landscape of Nidderdale.
Richmondshire was a local government district of North Yorkshire, England, from 1974 to 2023. It covered a large northern area of the Yorkshire Dales including Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, Wensleydale and Coverdale, with the prominent Scot's Dyke and Scotch Corner along the centre. Teesdale lay to the north. With a total area of 1,319 km2, it was larger than seven of the English ceremonial counties.
The River Swale in Yorkshire, England, is a major tributary of the River Ure, which becomes the River Ouse, that empties into the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. The river gives its name to Swaledale, the valley through which it flows.
Swaledale is a valley in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Dales, which are part of the Pennines, and within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is named after the River Swale, which runs through it. Swaledale is the most northerly of the major dales.
Keld is a village in the English county of North Yorkshire. It is in Swaledale, and the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The name derives from the Viking word Kelda meaning a spring and the village was once called Appletre Kelde – the spring near the apple trees.
Kisdon, also called Kisdon Hill, is a fell situated in upper Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in North Yorkshire, England.
East Gill Force is a waterfall in Swaledale, 330 yards (300 m) east of the hamlet of Keld, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, North Yorkshire, England. The falls are located on East Gill at grid reference NY896012, just before its confluence with the River Swale at the point where the Pennine Way and the Coast to Coast Walk intersect. The falls are a popular spot for visitors, not just long-distance walkers but also families and picnickers because of the proximity of the road. East Gill Force has two main torrents: the upper falls have an impressive 15-foot (4.5 m) drop whilst the lower section is a series of stepped cascades that fall 9.8 feet (3 m) as East Gill enters the River Swale.
Grinton is a small village and civil parish in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England. Close to Reeth and Fremington, it lies 9 miles (15 km) west of Richmond on the B6270 road.
Wain Wath Force is a waterfall on the River Swale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, North Yorkshire, England. The falls are at grid reference NY883015, 0.6 miles (1 km) upstream from the hamlet of Keld which has three other waterfalls in its vicinity. The names of waterfalls in the north of England often contain "force" after the Old Norse word foss, which means "waterfall".
West Stonesdale is a hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England. The secluded village is near Keld to the south, Tan Hill to the north and is both 10 miles (16 km) from Grinton and Askrigg. The small valley that cuts south from Tan Hill to West Stonesdale is also known as West Stonesdale and carries Stonesdale Beck 4 miles (7 km) south to the River Swale. A road heads north from the B6270 through West Stonesdale to Tan Hill. Where the road diverges from the B6270 is the site of Currack Force, a waterfall on Stonesdale Beck which drops 23 feet (7 m) before entering the Swale.
The River Twiss is a river in the county of Yorkshire, England. The source of the river is Kingsdale Beck which rises at Kingsdale Head at the confluence of Back Gill and Long Gill in the Yorkshire Dales. Beneath Keld Head, it changes its name to the River Twiss. It has two notable waterfalls, Thornton Force and Pecca Falls, and its course follows part of the Ingleton Waterfalls Walk, then through Swilla Glen to Thornton in Lonsdale and down to Ingleton, where it meets the River Doe to form the River Greta.
Catrake Force is a waterfall on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, England. It is not visible from the road but is accessible via a campsite in Keld. It comprises a series of four steps, each its own small waterfall, and each with a very different character – the largest single drop being about 20 feet (6.1 m).
Birkdale is a dale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, in North Yorkshire, England. It lies at the far western end of Swaledale, close to the border with Cumbria. The dale is one of the smallest of the Yorkshire Dales. The hamlet of Birkdale is in the lower part of the dale, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Keld. The area forms part of the civil parish of Muker.
Gunnerside Gill is a small valley in the Yorkshire Dales, England, which branches off Swaledale into moorland to the north of Gunnerside.
The Church of St Andrew, Grinton, is the parish church for the village of Grinton in North Yorkshire, England. The grade I listed structure has also been called The Cathedral of the Dales, and as the only parish church in Upper Swaledale, it was at the end of the Swaledale Corpse Way, where those who had died in the upper valley, were brought for burial. Grinton never developed past village status, but its noted crossing point of the River Swale afforded it more importance than other settlements.
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is an Anglican church in the Upper Swaledale village of Muker, in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of four churches in the ecclesiastical Parish of Swaledale with Arkengarthdale. The church was constructed in 1580, but previous to this, a chapel-of-ease had stood on the site which came under the Church of St Andrew in Grinton. Until the consecration of St Mary's, baptisms, weddings and funerals, had to be conducted at the church in Grinton. The Church of St Mary the Virgin, is noted for being a rare example of a house of worship being built during the Elizabethan era.
Arn Gill is a ravine or gully containing a beck of the same name, near the village of Muker in Swaledale, North Yorkshire, England. The ravine and beck run steeply downhill from the stream's source in Arn Gill Head, and the beck disgorges into the River Swale below.