Low Force Waterfalls and The Bowlees Visitor Centre, County Durham.

At the weekend we drove over the North Pennines ( a scenic 45 minute journey from the van) into the Durham Dales. Our destination, a pretty waterfall walk in Upper Teasdale.

Low Force is a series of low cascades about three miles upstream from Middleton-In-Teesdale. Although not as dramatic as nearby High Force, the falls are still worth visiting.

We parked nearby at Bowlees Visitor Centre , it has a good sized carpark with a donations payment box. From there we crossed a wooden bridge and headed to the centre, which is in a lovely  converted chapel. Next it was a matter of walking straight ahead down a lane and through some fields into woodland.

Wooden bridge near the carpark.

Once in the woodland we decided to cross Wynch Bridge,  a chain suspension bridge over the River Tees. Erected in the 1800s, this Wynch Bridge was built to replace the original, which had collapsed under the weight of nine miners heading to Middleton Mine. The present bridge still comes with a ‘ Please Cross One  Person At A Time !’ sign.

Wynch Bridge.

Crossing Wynch Bridge.

Near the other side of the bridge there are two life-size Sheep sculptures stood on a dry stone wall plinth.  The Sheep by local artist Keith Alexander  look like they are off to view Low Force too. 😊

Sheep Sculpture.

The writing on the plinth reads ‘ A Wonderful Place To Be A Walker.’

And here is Low Force! There are various natural viewing  points from which to photograph the falls. Plunging over the Whin Sill ( layers of millions of years old molten rock) the water cascades into scenic rocky river pools.

Low Force.

Low Force tumbles a small and mighty 18ft drop.

River Tees.

We decided to walk along the riverside a while, which is part of The Pennine Way. You can easily carry on from Low Force to England’s biggest waterfall High Force, a couple of miles upstream. Now that Hugo can’t walk as far, we will save that for another occasion. There are certainly plentiful routes and trails in the Durham Dales to explore. 😊

Taking a dip.

Cowslips growing along the riverside.

Nature inspired art in a dry stone wall.

A large rock pool.

I would definitely love to return, not least because there was so much wildlife to see, including curlews, lapwings and my first swallows of the year. The area has also  been used as a filming location in the war movie 1917 and the supernatural series The Witcher.

Lapwing

Riverside path.

Low Force to the right of Wynch Bridge.

After retracing our steps back over Wynch Bridge and taking a few more photos of the waterfalls, we headed back to Bowlees Visitor Centre for an early lunch. The Visitor Centre is run by the North Pennines National Landscape team, and is a gateway to the North Pennines National Landscape and UNESCO Global Geopark. So any information you may wish to know about North Teesdales unique geology and wildlife can be found here.

Bowlees Visitor Centre.

The stunning interior.

There’s a lovely gift shop and cafe downstairs too and an art gallery upstairs. Dogs are allowed on the ground floor. A toasty wood burning stove warmed us up,  for despite the welcoming sunshine it was still chilly outdoors.

Lapwings in the rafters. The words read ~ ‘A Flock of Lapwings, Tumbling above the meadows, Flood the sky with sound.’

My lunch was delicious 😋. Tasty tomato soup with a savoury cheese scone. So good.

Have you ever visited Low Force and The River Tees?  I thought it was lovely there and can’t wait to return. 😊