River Twiss

River Twiss
River Twiss and Ingleton Viaduct
Location
Country	England
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Kingsdale Beck, Keld Head
• coordinates	54°11′3″N2°28′4″W / 54.18417°N 2.46778°W / 54.18417; -2.46778 (Source of River Twiss)
• elevation	264 metres (866 ft)
Mouth
• location	River Doe
• coordinates	54°9′11″N2°28′15″W / 54.15306°N 2.47083°W / 54.15306; -2.47083 (Mouth of River Twiss)
• elevation	118 metres (387 ft)
Length	4.17 kilometres (2.59 mi)

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, the river 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, ^[1] then through Swilla Glen to Thornton in Lonsdale and down to Ingleton, where it meets the River Doe to form the River Greta.

The English landscape artist J. M. W. Turner was a frequent visitor to the area, and his sketch of Thornton Force in 1816 is currently part of the Tate collection. ^[2]

Course

From the caves below Keld Head, water flows and combines with Kingsdale Beck to form the River Twiss. It flows south over Thornton Force and Pecca Falls and through woodland to join the River Doe at Ingleton. ^[3]

Waterfalls

The drop of Thornton Force is about 14 metres (46 ft). Pecca Falls has three drops totalling 30 metres (98 ft) that fall into their own deep pools. ^[4]

Geology

In its upper part, the river flows through a valley carved into horizontal beds of Carboniferous Great Scar limestone. At Thornton Force, it crosses a notable unconformity into the underlying, steeply inclined Ordovician greywackes. The unconformity is clearly visible in the face of the waterfall. The Ordovician strata influence the character of the steep and narrow Swilla Glen and its waterfalls until, just north of Ingleton, the river crosses the Craven Fault and onto Carboniferous Limestone once again. ^[4]

Crossings

• Ravenray Bridge (foot)
• Pecca Bridge (foot)
• Manor Bridge (foot)
• Unnamed Road, Ingleton

Gallery

River Twiss Images

• 
  River Twiss, Raven Ray footbridge. To the north the limestone slopes of Keld Head Scars rise to the summit of Gragareth
• 
  Manor Bridge over River Twiss
• 
  Cuckoo Island in the River Twiss
• 
  River Twiss seen from the road bridge in Ingleton
• 
  Pecca Falls, River Twiss, near Ingleton
• 
  Thornton Force, River Twiss, Ingleton

Sources

Ordnance Survey Open Data https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-government/tools-support/open-data-support

References

1. "Ingleton Waterfalls Walk". Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
2. "Landscape" . Retrieved 20 August 2011.
3. "River course" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
4. "Waterfalls". Archived from the original on 9 July 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2011.