Fire and waterfalls.

How many of you have spun fire under a waterfall? How many of you haven't and want to? How many of those who haven't live in the UK.

I would like to share with you all a location, set deep in the Yorkshire dales, approximately 40 miles from Kendal and about 50 to 60 miles from Huddersfield in Yorkshire.

The location is a picturesque village called Ingleton nestled deep in a valley on the A65 From Kendal to Skipton. On one side are caves running deep into the rock face and the valley is wooded with an ancient oak forest.

Running back down the mountains in front of the village is a river. This river is fed by two tributaries, the river twiss on the left hand side and the river doe on the right, which pass down steep rocky terrain in a series of waterfalls, many of which are accessible only by a single path and can not be easily approached from elsewhere.

If you head up the river twiss about a mile and a half you will come to a glen where the valley opens out into the most striking view. On one side the steep terrain prevents you from seeing anything other than the view of the tiered island (which you can get to by scrambling over the rocks or wading to it for those amongst you not afraid to get their feet wet) and river as it winds around a corner. At this point you can hear the sound of white noise. A constant rushing sound which drones on and on.

As you approach the corner you catch glimpses of what lies around it through the trees on the opposite bank.

When you turn the corner you are greeted by the sight of a deluge of water pouring out from the riverbed above with a force such as only nature can provide to crash down into the rock pool below. This is Thornton force and it is aptly named.

The basin around is crescent in shape with a smaller waterfall partially hidden on one side where water from the main force has worked its way through cracks in the rock to emerge at a slightly more graceful location. Below this smaller waterfall and slightly in front is a huge flat rock set in the rock pool itself which you can easily scramble up onto. This rock is wide enough to stand on and spin as long as you watch where you are putting your feet.

The rock face around the basin is steep but there are plenty of foot holds, allowing you to work your way behind the torrent. There is room enough to spin a staff here although the footholds are treacherous. Likewise the pool itself is shallow enough to allow you to wade out into it and spin in the water in front of the main force.

To stand in near darkenss behind the fall, or to stand in total blackness in front of the fall winding fire around your body, feeling the current around your feet, to hear nothing but the fall in front of you, to see nothing but the fire around you and its reflection on the water beneath you and to feel the rocks under your feet and the current over them. The water is not particularly cold at this time of year and its temperature only helps to calm you further until you reach that one moment of perfect harmony where you become one with the fire and the water at the same time.

I hope many more of you will seek out this location and share in all that it has to offer. Even carrying paraffin, the hike from the village is not too strenuous and what you get out of it makes everything worthwhile.

peAce

Edit:
You can see the photographs from this trip at https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=122823&id=608087463&l=b1edb4166b

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