#1 - Teesdale Three Waterfalls
North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural BeautyLength: 5.0 mi • Est. 2 h 1 m
A circular walk close to Middleton-in-Teesdale in County Durham, within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The walking route begins from the Bowless Visitor Centre and follows a route to visit three beautiful waterfalls. The first is Summerhill Force on Bow Lee Beck, whilst the second and third are both on the River Tees, Low Force and High Force. As if these stunning waterfalls are not enough, you will also enjoy a pretty riverside section of the Pennine Way with views across flower-rich moorlands, plant-rich wooded valley slopes and upland pastures along the way.
The walk includes several climbs and descents throughout, including several steep flights of stone steps. The paths are a mixture of stone paths and tracks, rocky uneven paths (which can be slippery when wet) and grass field paths (which can get muddy). The outward leg to reach High Force includes gates, footbridges and steps and crosses just one sheep pasture (with no stiles and with all other pastures being fenced away from your path). The return leg crosses two stiles (one stone stile and one wooden stile with wire fence surround, so dogs would need a lift over) and also crosses several livestock pastures. These pastures hold mainly sheep with a handful of cattle in a couple of them – the cattle seems very relaxed with dogs, but if you prefer to avoid the stiles and cattle you can simply retrace your outward route for the return leg instead.
The access path for High Force is a private path with an entrance fee (£1.50 for adults and 50p for children) and is open 10am-4pm with dogs on leads welcome, but you can exclude this part of the route if you prefer not to pay. Allow 2.5 hours.
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