Back in May I visited High Force Waterfall. (The biggest
waterfall in England) It was one of the most breath-taking nature spots I’ve
been to. So when my brother suggested we go for the day I obviously jumped at
the chance. He’d never been before so it was an excuse for me to show him
around. Just call me the Geordie Tour Guide.
It’s great going back somewhere. Sure I love the excitement
of exploring a new place, but when you revisit somewhere it’s because you’ve
found something in that place. Something spoke to you and you just know you
have to go back. Plus no two days are ever the same. Changes in the seasons,
weather, and even your mood on the day, and the company you keep can all affect
your overall experience. Plus I actually have a proper camera now so I can take
some better quality photos. (Hallelujah)
We took the route along to the top of the waterfall first.
This time there were cows grazing in the fields. They were very curious let’s
say and it was all but impossible to get by them. I’ll talk more about that
later though.
I loved how the sun was shining and you could see all the autumn colours of the trees. Autumn is one of my favourite seasons and the
ever-changing hues of the leaves is one of the reasons why.
You'll definitely hear the waterfall before you see it. You are walking along a little path and there's steep hills on one side and the plummet into the water on the other. Thick trees cover the way, but there's gaps in which you can see the flowing stream below.
You can actually walk out onto a ledge to get the best view of the falls. It's scary and amazing and something to be savored, despite me wanting to get it over and done with as fast as possible so I don't slip and fall off the edge.
If you carry on walking past the waterfall you can see the rocky verges. We took the shorter route, but there are lots of walks around and near the falls all depending on how many miles you want to walk. We had a reluctant dog with us so the shorter route seemed best.
I noticed a lot more views on the way back this time too. I don't know if it's because the weather was better or because I was just taking my time and enjoying it as I'd already been before, but the country backdrops were just stunning. There was a house too, I definitely don't remember seeing a house. I guess you do notice different things on a revisit.
When it was time to go back along the field where the cows were, we had a bit of an ordeal. We were just walking along and then out of nowhere we heard a woman shout, she was near the water with her family. We then realised she was saying the cows were charging. We bolted into the water with the dog in tow (she doesn't really like to go in too far) whilst the cows decided to try and follow us in. My God I've never been so frightened. We were knee-deep, soaking pants, shoes filled with water and a dog all but traumatised.
Thankfully some women passing by shooed them off. (If I had known it would be that easy I would have done that myself.) If they didn't show up I don't know what would have happened. Our legs were shaking, honestly I think I've developed a fear of cows now.
After a good ten minutes we were able to laugh about it. It's now a funny story to tell people. (Cowgate) We headed along to the bottom of the falls, boots squelching, legs soaked, hearts racing (still) to get a peek of the waterfall from below.
We only went so far, we had spent a lot of time walking already and as soon as we glimpsed the waterfall, we didn't feel like going any further. My camera died too and to be honest we both just wanted to get back to the car to take our sodden socks off.
It was an experience that's for sure, part of it I hope to never repeat. High Force is one of those places you could keep going back to. There's still plenty more land left undiscovered (to me anyways) and no doubt I'll be back in another few months to have another look around.
You can access the waterfalls from 10am-5pm and it costs £1.50 per adult.
Have any of you visited High Force before?
