Ingleton Waterfalls Trail - A Day Out

Yesterday we had a family outing to visit the
Ingleton Waterfalls Trail.

We packed a picnic, bundled into the car and set off. Ingleton is situated just off the A65, half way between Settle and Kendal is easily accessible from the M6.

When we arrived there was already quite a queue of cars waiting to get in, there was a delay at the entrance because you need to pay upon arrival before you park,  note - they only took cash - no card payments.
Prices this year ( 2014 ) are:

• Family Ticket    £14.00    For 2 adults and up to 3 children
• Adult ticket       £12.00   Aged 16 and over
• Child Ticket      £3.00     Under 16 years

and include free parking. Dogs are allowed too if they are kept on a lease.

The trail starts at the end of the car park and is approximately 4 1/2 miles long, so depending on quickly you walk, it can take anywhere between 2 and 5 hours to complete it.
The trail runs alongside the river, but it isn't suitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs or people unsteady on their feet due to the rocks, steep steps and tree roots!
We went in just our normal trainers and boots, but I think I would invest in a decent pair of walking boots next time I go. There were some wet patches on the path which were a bit slippery in places.

steep steps and rocky footpaths

We decided to take our picnic with us but did struggle a bit with having to carry a heavy bag and a tired Squiddle towards the end of the trail, but there are plenty of places to stop and have a picnic, however I would recommend packing light. There are refreshment stops along the route by way of a kiosk, ice cream van, farmhouse and outdoor tea room. There are toilets but these are only at the beginning/end and half way round.

There are so many different things to look at and get involved in. There is a brass rubbing contest which runs along the path, children were running with sheets looking for the matching posts to get their pictures. There are numerous viewing and information places to stop at, and learn about the waterfalls. But my favourite was finding the money tree.

The idea is to take an old coin, and hammer it into the tree whilst making a wish.

Squiddle and myself had no problems hammering our coins in, but Mr H's just wouldn't stay still, it kept jumping out, so unfortunately it doesn't look like his wish will come true!

There are a number of trees that have had coins added to them - see if you can spot them whilst walking round.

There is also a small cluster of mushrooms too!

Money mushrooms!

It took us about 4 and a half hours to walk round and that's with a 4 year old, 2 fit and 2 unfit adults incorporating 3 picnic stops, a stop at the money tree, and time to stop and look at the waterfalls and take pictures.

I am looking forward to going again when Squiddle is a bit older and can get round all by his self.

I'll leave you with some pictures of the waterfall, as nice as they are, there's no substituting the real thing.

Has anybody else been?, what did you think? - feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for reading.