Aysgarth Falls has been a tourist attraction for over 200 years and it’s easy to see why. It’s a fabulous place to visit with trails leading to the upper and lower waterfalls. Swimming here is dependent on the conditions but time it right and this will be a wild swim you won’t forget in a hurry. Find out everything you need to know about wild swimming in Aysgarth Falls here.
😮Easy – relatively flat, easy trails to follow
⛰️Terrain: well maintained riverside path
↔️Distance: 0.3km to the Upper Falls
⌛Time taken: 5 minutes
📈Ascent: 5m
Start point: Aysgarth Falls Visitor Centre (DL8 3TH)
Where to swim at Aysgarth Falls
Start from the car park at Aysgarth Falls Visitor Centre where you’ll find a signpost for the various trails to the different falls. For this swim, follow the sign out the back of the car park to the Upper Falls.
The walk is super short (less than five minutes) down through the woodlands to the riverside. Here you’ll find multiple benches and a large grassy area to relax on directly in front of the upper waterfalls.
From here you have two options. A few minutes further upstream, there are some deep sections in the river with a pebbly beach to get changed on and to walk into the river easily. Be careful here, the rocks can be a bit slippy!
But, my personal favourite will require a bit of an adventure. Right by the upper falls, you’ll see the bank drops away but there is a small gap that you can climb down to get onto the flat rocks on the river bed and the falls. Be careful here, the drop is a big one and you must be confident that you have the capability to climb back up it.
If you do manage to make it down to the riverbed, follow the river downstream and cross it at a safe place. On the other side of the river, you can clamber down the rocks to swim infront of the bridge.
This is an amazing swimming location with a very deep pool and rock ledges to leap off from. It’s one of my favourites.
Is it safe to swim at Aysgarth Falls?
Yes and no.
During low river levels and in dry spells, the river level drops and the force of the water reduces. This is the best time to visit because you can get down onto the riverbed, cross the river safely and climb down to the bridge.
However, after periods of rain and when the river level is high, Aysgarth Falls is not a safe place to attempt a swim. The water rushes ferociously downstream, dragging hidden debris, creating undercurrents and giving you absolutely no safe space to enter the water.
Just take a look at the Upper Falls here shared by the Yorkshire Dales National Park on Instagram:
This is a popular spot, especially in summer or at weekends. Expect others to be playing in the water here but less so down at the bottom of the bridge…
Before you go, take a look at these other 10 wild swimming spots in the Yorkshire Dales or, check out more on wild swimming here. 🙂