Scaleber Force

Scaleber Force (also known as Scaleber Foss and Scaleber Waterfall), is a 40-foot (12 m) high waterfall on Stockdale Beck, later the Long Preston Beck, that feeds into the River Ribble between Settle and Long Preston in North Yorkshire, England. The waterfall is the result of geological faulting (part of the South Craven Fault) and is a popular tourist attraction.

Scaleber Force
Scaleber Force
LocationSettle, North Yorkshire, England
Coordinates54°03′32″N 2°14′41″W
TypeCascade
Total height40 feet (12 m)[note 1]
Number of drops2
WatercourseStockdale Beck
Long Preston Beck

Toponymy

The waterfall is written variously as Scaleber Waterfall, Scaleber Force and Scaleber Foss.[3] Though Foss is an Old Norse word meaning waterfall, from which Force is derived, the two are interchangeable in some sources.[4] However, Ordnance Survey mapping shows it as Scaleber Force.[5] The local pronunciation of Scaleber is Scallyber, though Scale-ber is often heard.[6]

Geology

Scaleber Force lies on the South Craven Fault, and the action of the water has eroded the soft limestone into a deep gorge, exposing limestone boulder beds at the top of the waterfall.[7][8] The limestone at Scaleber Force is either Late Arundian stage, or the Holkerian stage of the Viséan age limestone.[9]

Description

The waterfall is located on Stockdale Beck, and is part of Scaleber Wood, a 10-acre (4 ha) Woodland Trust site 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south east of Settle, and 2.5 miles (4 km) north of Long Preston.[10][11][12] The waterfall is a popular destination and is accessible by walkers and bike-riders; one ride, known as the Settle Loop, has Scaleber Force as a waypoint.[13][14] Along with Catrigg Force and various natural caverns, the foot access to the site is marketed locally as the Settle Caves and Waterfalls Walk.[15] There is a long held belief that Edward Elgar was inspired by the site (and Catrigg Force), as he walked the Ribblesdale countryside often with his friend, Dr Buck, who lived in Settle.[16][17][18] The site is popular with photographers and sightseers as water cascades over two sections with a plunge pool at the bottom.[19][20][21]

Notes
  1. Some sources state height differently. Chrystal lists the waterfall as being 49 feet (15 m), and Speight suggests that the drops are 20 feet (6.1 m) and 30 feet (9.1 m).[1][2]

References
  1. Chrystal 2017, p. 106.
  2. Speight, Harry (1891). Through Airedale from Goole to Malham. Leeds: Walker & Laycock. p. 268. OCLC 5824116.
  3. Thomas, Rhys (29 June 2019). "6 beautiful waterfalls within driving distance of Leeds". Leeds Live. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  4. Horsfall-Turner, J (1901). Yorkshire place names, as recorded in the Yorkshire Domesday book, 1086: comprising all the references (nearly five thousand,) to places in the three ridings and North Lancashire. Bingley: Harrison & Sons. pp. 223, 260. OCLC 6185256.
  5. "OL41" (Map). Forest of Bowland and Ribblesdale. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 978-0-319-24280-3.
  6. Wainwright, Alfred (1991). Wainwright in the limestone Dales. London: Michael Joseph. p. 149. ISBN 0718134915.
  7. "A sleeping monster: The South Craven Fault – Dales Rocks". dalesrocks.org.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  8. "Limestone". Mineral Assessment Report. London: HMSO. 125: 16. 1982. ISSN 0308-5333.
  9. Waters, C. N.; Cózar, P.; Somerville, I. D.; Haslam, R. B.; Millward, D.; Woods, M. (March 2017). "Lithostratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the Lower Carboniferous (Mississippian) carbonates of the southern Askrigg Block, North Yorkshire, UK" (PDF). Geological Magazine. 154 (2): 305–333. doi:10.1017/S0016756815000989. S2CID 130477115.
  10. "Weekend Walk: Settle Circular". infoweb.newsbank.com. 15 April 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  11. "Scaleber Wood". woodlandtrust.org.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  12. Horsfall-Turner, J, ed. (1888). "Yorkshire waterfalls and caves". Yorkshire Notes and Queries. Bingley: T Harrison. 1–2: 133. OCLC 1770355.
  13. Bagshaw, Mike (2019). Yorkshire Dales : local, characterful guides to Britain's special places (2 ed.). Chalfont St Peter, Bucks, England: Bradt. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-78477-609-1.
  14. Somerville, Christopher (12 December 2020). "A good walk: Long Preston and Scaleber Force, North Yorkshire". The Times. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  15. Newton, Grace (19 August 2019). "Scaleber Force: The secret Yorkshire waterfall that's off the beaten track". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  16. "Scaleber Wood" (PDF). woodlandtrust.org.uk. p. 6. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  17. "On a trail that inspired Elgar". Lancashire Telegraph. 21 January 2000. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  18. Clark, Dennis (January 1980). "Elgar; a Yorkshire Friendship". The Elgar Society Journal. Woodford Green, Essex: The Elgar Society: 16. ISSN 0143-1269.
  19. "Scaleber Wood" (PDF). woodlandtrust.org.uk. p. 5. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  20. Jack, Jim (19 September 2019). "'Exceptional' shots of Yorkshire for camera club competition". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  21. Jefferson-Brown, Nadia (12 May 2019). "The Press Camera Club: your photos". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2 February 2021.

Sources
  • Chrystal, Paul (2017). The Place Names of Yorkshire; Cities, Towns, Villages, Rivers and Dales, some Pubs too, in Praise of Yorkshire Ales (1 ed.). Catrine: Stenlake. ISBN 9781840337532.
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