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Stainforth Force

Coordinates: 54°06′00″N 2°16′44″W / 54.100°N 2.279°W / 54.100; -2.279
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Stainforth Force
Stainforth Foss
Ribble Falls
Stainforth Force
Map
LocationStainforth, North Yorkshire, England
Coordinates54°06′00″N 2°16′44″W / 54.100°N 2.279°W / 54.100; -2.279
TypeCascade
Total height2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in)
WatercourseRiver Ribble

Stainforth Force (also known as Stainforth Foss and Ribble Falls), is a 2.5-metre (8 ft 2 in) high cascade waterfall on the River Ribble at Stainforth, 3 miles (5 km) north of Settle in North Yorkshire, England. The waterfall is a popular tourist attraction in autumn when Atlantic salmon are migrating up the river.

Description

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Stainforth Force is a small cascade waterfall located near to the village of Stainforth, about 50 yards (46 m) south of Stainforth Bridge,[1] and some 3 miles (5 km) north of Settle, in North Yorkshire.[2] The partially eroded rock that the water travels over here is the Chapel House Limestone, which has been exposed by a small anticline.[3] However, to make the way for migrating salmon easier, the Yorkshire Dales National Park carved the rock "..in an inconspicuous way.."[4]

In autumn the spot is a popular tourist attraction on account of the Atlantic salmon leaping up the falls to reach the spawning grounds upriver.[5][6] The plunge pool below the last fall, described as being "..a dark, [and] sinister-looking pool..", is popular with wild swimmers, and the site is also a popular stopping point on the Ribble Way.[7][8][9] The site was also said to have been a favoured location of Edward Elgar, who visited his friend Dr Buck who was living in Settle at the time.[10][11] A picture of Elgar standing on the bridge is said to have been up on Elgar's wall at his house.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Johnson, Thomas; Haworth, Charles (1882). A pictorial handbook to the valley of the Ribble. Blackburn: Haworth & Johnson. p. 148. OCLC 25351581.
  2. ^ Himelfield, David (16 August 2020). "10 beautiful Yorkshire walks which are better when it's raining - Wet weather doesn't always spoil a good ramble as these White Rose belters demonstrate". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  3. ^ Murray, D. W. (1983). The limestone and dolomite resources of the country around Settle and Malham, North Yorkshire : with notes on the hard rock resources of the Horton-in-Ribblesdale area : description of parts of 1:50,000 geological sheets 50 and 60. London: Institute of Geological Sciences, Natural Environment Research Council. p. 7. ISBN 0118843265.
  4. ^ a b Mitchell, W. R. (1999). The story of the Yorkshire Dales. Chichester: Phillimore. p. 71. ISBN 1860770886.
  5. ^ "Stainforth Force". yorkshiredales.org.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  6. ^ Newton, Grace (14 October 2020). "Crowds gather at Stainforth Force in the Yorkshire Dales to catch sight of incredible salmon migration spectacle". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  7. ^ Scholes, Ron (2006). Yorkshire Dales (3 ed.). Ashbourne: Landmark. p. 66. ISBN 1843062097.
  8. ^ "Stainforth Foss". settle.org.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  9. ^ Turner, Janice (8 May 2021). "Wild Swimming". The Times. No. 73466. Weekend. p. 8. ISSN 0140-0460.
  10. ^ Quantrill, Tim (10 October 2014). "A walk in spectacular scenery". Craven Herald. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  11. ^ "Tumbling waters of Yorkshire Dales fall inspired composer Elgar". The Yorkshire Post. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
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