High Force Circular Walk Teesdale

Parking and Access

Parking for this walk is at Bowlees Visitor Centre, one of the main access points for Upper Teesdale.

The car park is donation based, with contributions helping to support the upkeep of the site and surrounding countryside.

Bowlees Visitor Centre also has toilets and a café serving hot drinks, food and cakes, making it a convenient place to start or finish the walk.

The route begins directly from the visitor centre and uses a mixture of public rights of way and open access land.

Route Guide Step by Step

Start at Bowlees Visitor Centre car park and follow the clear path across the field towards the sound of the river. Within a few minutes, you reach Low Force, a wide cascade flowing over dark Whin Sill rock and a good place to pause before continuing.

From here, head towards Wynch Bridge and cross carefully, one person at a time. As you step onto the bridge, the walk begins to feel different, leaving the busier valley behind and moving towards more open ground.

After crossing, follow the path left as it rises steadily away from the river. The landscape opens out and Holwick Scar begins to appear ahead, with its dark rock face stretching along the hillside.

The route continues out onto open moorland where the path becomes less defined but still easy to follow in clear conditions. This is one of the quietest parts of the walk, with wide views across Upper Teesdale and very little to interrupt the landscape.

As you continue, look out for the carved stone sheep set into the ground. They are easy to miss at first, but once spotted they add a small but memorable detail to this section of the walk.

The route gradually begins to curve and descend back towards the valley. The sound of the River Tees returns as you drop down towards the riverside path.

As you reach the riverside path, turn right and follow the River Tees downstream. After a short distance, look out on your right for Bleabeck Force. It sits tucked into a rocky gully just off the main path and is often missed, but well worth taking a short detour to see.

Continue along the riverside path and the sound of High Force builds ahead. From the western bank, you get a powerful view of the waterfall as the River Tees drops in a single surge over the Whin Sill rock.

From here, follow the clear path downstream. The route becomes easier again, passing through woodland and alongside the river before bringing you back to Low Force.

From Low Force, retrace your steps across the field to return to Bowlees Visitor Centre.