All this made me wonder what Britain's highest waterfall was. And England's
etc. So I found some stuff and pasted it below. Most of the websites that I
originally found this material on have gone; otherwise, they're still listed...
Typically, as in the case for the oldest pub in Britain, there is more than
one claim for the highest waterfall. Sometimes, this is due to over-zealous
marketing on the part of locals hoping to attract gullible tourists to the area.
More often, it is a confusion or an obfuscation over the definition of highest
waterfall. For instance, should the highest waterfall form a single drop
or do we allow the waterfall to fall over one or more levels? Could we, in fact,
count a whole cascade of several drops as a single waterfall? As a result the
location of the highest waterfall in England is a bit of a minefield but I have
attempted to get to the bottom of it below.
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http://www.dumfries-and-galloway.co.uk/sights/towns.htm
http://www.aboutscotland.com/water/gmt.html
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Grey Mares Tail, 200 feet |
Scotland’s highest waterfall, Grey Mares Tail [Ed. This appears to
be a false claim]
Grey Mare's Tail Adjacent to A708, 10m NE of Moffat A spectacular 61
m (200 ft)
in a hillside near Moffat.
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| http://www.kyleskulodges.co.uk |
Eas a'Chual Aluinn |
Eas a'Chual Aluinn, the highest waterfall in Britain. Photograph
taken from the Statesman. |
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Eas Coul Aulin
300 feet
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Eas Coul Aulin Height: 300 ft Distance: 5 miles Difficulty: Moderate.
Total Time: Allow about 2 hours. Navigation: This is a stalkers' path, so
it is well-walked though rough. This is a walk on stalkers' paths into a
remote part of Sutherland to see Britain's highest waterfall. Unfortunately,
in dry weather the waterfall can be disappointing, and in wet weather the
lower paths near the head of the waterfall can be extremely muddy and wet.
Drive north from Ullapool on the road to Kylesku, passing Ardvreck Castle
and Loch Assynt. As the road swings round to the right and then straightens,
a lochan appears on your right-hand side. Park just beyond the lochan on
the right-hand side of the road where there a small parking area. From here
the path goes in two directions - the first heads straight ahead, crossing
the stream by stepping stones, while the other path follows a fishermen's
path round the lochan to pick up the main path. Take either path and pick
up the main path as it climbs up above the lochan to a summit, then descends
gradually through wild and remote countryside to the river. From here the
path follows the river until it becomes the waterfall and you stand at the
head of the waterfall, overlooking Loch Glencoul and facing another waterfall
across the glen. To get good views of the waterfall itself, you either need
to climb down the side of the waterfall or take a boat trip from Kylesku
up Loch Glencoul. |
| http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/caithnes.htm |
Eas a'Chual Aluinn, |
KYLESKU Continuing south on the A838, you will see the many islands dotted
in Eddrachillis Bay and then pass through the Duartmore Forest. Towered
over by the mountains, the new bridge at Kylesku replaces an old ferry at
this point. Boat trips leave at 11am and 2pm during the summer to take you
up Loch Glencoul to see Eas a'Chual Aluinn, the highest waterfall
in Britain (nearly 200 metres). Alternatively you can hike to see it - but
at two hours' walk over rough terrain to get there, this is really only
for the experienced hiker. Even if you have missed the boat, it is still
worth following the signs from the main road to go down to the pier where
there is a hotel and public toilets. You can get a nice view up Loch Glendhu.
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It is unfortunate that the highest waterfall in England is actually underground
where it can't really be seen. For those wanting to visit a dramatic, classic
waterfall, I would suggest Hardraw Force is your best bet. No-one would dispute
that this is a waterfall and it's certainly the highest straight-down job.
| Waterfall |
Various Quotes and my comments |
My Conclusion |
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Canonteign Falls
220 feet
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Canonteign is a joy to visit in any season, with its waterfalls, lakes
and abundant wildlife. This is Devon at its best - wild and beautiful,
unspoilt by the passing of time. Lady Exmouth Falls is England's
highest waterfall with a sheer drop of 220 ft. Clampitt Falls and Secret
Garden Falls must also be seen.
Richard Bannister, 2002: I went to Canonteign falls with high expectations
but they're a bit of a sham: a small stream has been > diverted over a
70 degree cliff, there is even a metal sill to take the flow a couple
of feet clear and give it some freefall. It then bounces down merrily
but can hardly be 220 feet.
Brian Hudson. Brisbane, Australia, 2004: I was interested in your waterfalls
findings, especially the information about Canonteign. I always suspected
that this was not a natural fall.
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| Scale Force, Lake District |
Richard Bannister: Much better claims (and truly vertical) come from Scale
Force in the Lake District, around 100 feet sheer. [Ed. In fact it has a
single drop of 120 feet and a couple of others making a total of 170 feet
high. However, the single drop is not sheer and is more of a "tumble"] |
The highest waterfall in England, above ground. |
| Hardraw Force, N. Yorkshire |
Richard Bannister: and, the pick of them all in England, Hawdraw force
in N.Yorkshire, around 100 feet sheer. [Ed. this is the highest single drop
in England that is above ground...] |
The highest sheer waterfall in England, above ground. |
| Cauldron Snout |
Cauldron Snout on the Tees gets the Guiness Book's vote, it descends
150 feet but covers probably twice that distance horizontally between
falls.
Wikipedia reckons it is the "longest waterfall" in England
which is a quite different record, methinks. This should immediately raise
an eyebrow and indeed, if the pictures are studies, it can be seen that
Cauldron Snout is better described as a Cascade, rather than a waterfall.
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| Cautley Spout |
Wikipedia reckons this is the highest waterfall in England viz: (2008)
"The broken cascade of falls tumbles 580 feet (175 m) down a cliff
face at the head of a wild and bleak glacial valley that comes down from
a high plateau called The Calf". [Ed. Personally, I don't count this
as a waterfall. It is a record holder but it would be better to call it
the highest cascade in England".. |
The highest cascade in England. |
| Malham Cove |
Richard Bannister: Very rarely and in heavy rain , Malham Cove in Yorkshire
takes the biscuit with a superb vertical 300 footer.
[Ed: This is a bit of a cheat. Malham Cove can not really be described
as a waterfall - at least not in this geological age...].
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| Gaping Ghyll |
Brian Hudson. Brisbane, Australia, 2004: I believe that the highest unbroken
waterfall in England is that which is formed by the stream which drops vertically
into Gaping Ghyll, a pot-hole near Ingleton in the Yorkshire Dales. [Ed.
Yes from all references found, this is the biggest single drop waterfall
in England]. |
The highest waterfall in England. |
james at masters.me.uk