45 minutes | 11am | Selected Dates in June
This June visitors can enjoy an enhanced experience at High Force. Join our Raby Estate Ranger, Andy Gibson for a guided tour through our woodlands, learning about the beautiful landscape and wildlife in Upper Teesdale. The route will take you down to the magnificent waterfall, blasting over the clifftops into the plunge pool below at remarkable speed and will start and finish outside the hotel. This session is ideal for those who love to learn and experience the outdoors. Enriching your visit, it will inspire you and connect you to the world around, plus providing plenty of perfect photo opportunities along the way.
Dates
This event will run on Saturdays in June including 4th June, 11th June and 25th June starting at 11am in the Hotel Carpark. Please arrive at least 5 minutes prior to the start of the walk. We are also hosting a guided walk on Thursday 28th July for World Nature Conservation Day.
About Andy, our Raby Estate Ranger
Andy joined the team at High Force last June and since then has been a passionate advocate for the environment and for creating change at Raby. As an experienced ranger, Andy loves to share his knowledge with visitors and encourage them to engage with the outdoors. Encompassing Raby’s Upper Teesdale Estate, Andy’s role involves looking after local wildlife, assisting the general public and providing advice on walks, managing river permits, leading on the Green Team and working with the Hotel.
What will the tour include?
Our guided walks will run for approximately 45 minutes and will explore several aspects including geology, conservation, history and wildlife. You will learn about the special landscape of Upper Teesdale, the River Tees that flows through it and the Pennine Way. Uncover how people first came to the area, from the Romans to the Vikings right through to modern day industries of farming and lead mining. Tourism now brings a big boost to the area – over the years many creatives have been inspired by the dramatic cliffs and vast meadows, from painter J.M.W Turner to author L.J Ross who Andy will talk about. Plus hear more about the Raby Estate, of which High Force is part, and the family who own and manage it. There will also be many photo opportunities throughout the walk with the falls making an impressive backdrop!
Things to look out for:
- Unique geology called ‘whin sill’
- Bug hotel
- Birds – see if you can hear our resident woodpecker!
- Test your tree knowledge – can you identify Ash, Birch, Beech, Sycamore and Elder?
- One of the most impressive waterfalls in the UK
Local Beauty Spots
After your guided walk, why not explore another of our local beauty spots?
- The High Force Hotel
- Cow Green Reservoir
- Cauldron Snout Waterfall
- Low Force Waterfall
- The Pennine Way
- Bowlees Visitor Centre
- Gibson’s Cave
- Middleton-in-Teesdale, market town
Tickets for our guided walks can be purchased online, for the same price as normal admission to the falls.
High Force Waterfall (c) Harry Eardley
