Kisdon Force
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kisdon Force is a series of waterfalls on the River Swale in Swaledale, England. The falls are situated at grid reference NY898010 within the Yorkshire Dales National Park in the county of North Yorkshire, 500 metres downstream from the small hamlet of Keld. Kisdon Force is one of several waterfalls on the Swale in the Keld area, the others being East Gill Force, Catrake Force and Wain Wath Force. All occur where the river cuts a gorge through the Carboniferous limestone between the hills of Kisdon and Rogan's Seat. The falls in this area are termed “forces” after the Norse word “Fors” or “Foss”, which means waterfall.
The falls drop ten metres over two cascades and are surrounded by mixed broad-leaved woodland with the trees of ash, wych elm and rowan dominating. In the springtime Primula vulgaris grows profusely in the area. The falls can be easily visited by a riverside path from Keld; however, care should be taken as the stones around the falls are often wet and slippery. Visitor numbers to the falls are swelled by Pennine Way walkers, as the long-distance footpath passes the falls on its way north.
