2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Sebastian McCormick)
Travelling across Yorkshire, its obvious to see that we're blessed with some of the best countryside on the planet. From the rolling hills of the Dales, to the stunning sights of the Yorkshire Coast , we are lucky to be surrounded by the natural world. With so much to see, its no surprise that there are plenty of hidden sites as well - and Goit Stock waterfall is one of the best of these.
While North Yorkshire is famous for some of its brilliant waterfalls such as Aysgarth Falls, Goit Stock is actually found across the border in West Yorkshire . Found between the villages of Cullingworth, Harden and Wilsden, the waterfall can be found along Harden Beck. Starting in the village of Harden, to get to the falls you're in for a bit of a trek.
It starts out easy enough, as to get to the waterfall you will need to set off walking along Goit Stock Lane, a private road which follows the beck. Following along the road for a bit, you'll come across a smaller waterfall on the left which serves as a great preview of the waterfall further up the path. If you continue walking you'll eventually come across a caravan park, but Goit Stock is further still.
Get all the latest and breaking news in Yorkshire by signing up to our newsletter here. After a few minutes more, the road comes to an end and opens up onto a dirt path. At this time of year, the path is completely covered with old leaves, giving the walk a decisively autumnal feeling.
While the path may get busy at times, when I visited the site there was not a soul around, leading to a very peaceful time in the woods as I continued following the beck along, deeper into the trees. The path stretches on for a while, and steadily gets a little rockier and slippier as you get further in. Eventually, after around 20 minutes of walking in total, you are rewarded with a stunning sight.
Goit Stock waterfall has a real magical feel to it, surrounded by foliage and isolated in the woods. It's easy to see why its considered a hidden gem, and there are even some stairs up the side to get to the top so you can continue on the trail. If you only wanted to see the waterfall, then you can always head back from there as well, leading to a walk which gets you to and from the site in just under an hour overall, not including any time you spend at the falls.
In true Yorkshire fashion, if you head back the way you came, there's a brilliant Yorkshire pub, The Malt, to finish off your trip with some pub food, or just a drink..
