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The 5 best waterfalls of the North York Moors

PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG

By Josh Harrison |

The North York Moors National Park

The beautiful North York Moors National Park isn't too far away from where I live and I spend plenty of time there whenever I get chance. One of my favourite area's is around Goathland and Little Beck. With numerous waterfalls in the area to explore, it's a great place to spend a day chasing waterfalls. Below is some more information on what I consider to be the five best waterfalls to visit in terms of how photogenic they are, and there relative accessability. Most are around the Goathland area but there are a number of other waterfalls around the region and you can find more information on those in some of my other blogs.

Thomason Foss Waterfall

Goathland & Beck Hole

Thomason Foss Waterfall (Beck Hole Waterfall) is one of the easier waterfalls to get to. Located between Goathland and Beck Hole, it is situated in a small ravine and you will often see Wagtails and Dippers along this stretch of river and maybe even Adders if you’re lucky. The path has some steep sections, steps and rocky parts as well as plenty of muddy areas but once you reach the falls there is plenty of space to set up with your camera for long exposure shots like these taken in Autumn and summer.

Water Arc Foss Waterfall

Goathland & Beck Hole

Water Arc Foss or Upper Thomason Foss is one of the more spectacular waterfalls. Situated upstream from Thomason Foss it can be tricky to reach especially in Autumn and Spring when it’s muddy and slippy. You can also reach it by walking downstream from Goathland. A lot of people tend to walk upstream from Thomason Foss but either way it can be treacherous as the paths are very narrow with some steep drops. The best times to try and reach it would be late Spring or early Autumn when the rivers are flowing well.

Falling Foss Waterfall

Little Beck

Falling Foss can be easily viewed from the Falling Foss cafe and there is a car park at the top of the falls. If you want a bit of a walk you can also park in Little Beck and follow the path along the river. To get down to the falls themselves there isn’t an actual path but you will see on the path to Little Beck where people have been using a steep mud bank to climb down. If you actually go down to the river be prepared to wade through a lot of mud and water.

Mallyan Spout Waterfall

GOATHLAND & BECK HOLE

Mallyan Spout is the most famous and relatively accessible of the Waterfalls in the area. At nearly 60ft tall this impressive waterfall has a well used trail to the bottom of the falls but it does involve some steps and some clambering over rocks which can be very slippery. The footpath starts along side the Mallyan Spout Hotel and then just follow the signs to the waterfall. It’s most impressive after recent rain in Spring or Autumn, in Summer it may be more of a trickle but still worth a visit.

Hayburn Wyke Waterfall

HAYBURN WYKE & CLOUGHTON

Heyburn Wyke Waterfall is a beautiful location near Cloughton on the Yorkshire Coast. This waterfall drops down onto the beach in a stunning little cove. Often it's more of a trickle but this photo was taken after a lot of recent rain. You can reach the waterfall by walking along the Cleveland Way or the Cinder trail between Scarborough and Ravenscar but the easiest way is to park at the Hayburn Wyke Inn (paid car park if you're not a customer) and walk down through the woodland nature reserve to reach the waterfall.

Don't Miss...

DARNHOLME STEPPING STONES

GOATHLAND & BECK HOLE

It's not a very big waterfall but it's always fun to visit Darnholm Stepping Stones just outside Goathland. You can follow the road out of Goathland or I like the circular walk from Goathland Train Station which has some great views of the North York Moors Railway steam trains if you time it right and depending on the river level it can still be a great place for some long exposure photography.

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