Flushiemere Beck Waterfall

Parking and Access

Parking for this walk is at Bowlees Visitor Centre, where there is a large donation based pay and display car park.

The car park is one of the main access points for Upper Teesdale and is well maintained, with plenty of space even during busier periods.

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

From the car park, you are only a short walk from the woodland paths, Bow Lee Beck and several routes leading out into the surrounding landscape.

Bowlees is one of the most popular and reliable places to park for walks and waterfalls in this part of Teesdale.

Route Guide Step by Step

Start at Bowlees Visitor Centre car park.

From the top of the car park, cross the wooden bridge over Bow Lee Beck and head up the steps towards the visitor centre. Just after the top of the steps, before you reach the building, look to your right for the large wooden gate.

Go through the gate and follow the path into Bowlees Woods. Stay on this path through Bowlees Plantation until you reach the stone stile on your left.

Once over the stile, turn right and follow the wall for a short distance before heading downhill towards Wester Beck.

From here, the directions and GPX are a rough guide to the waterfall location rather than a route that has to be followed exactly. Ground conditions can change, so read the landscape as you go and choose a line that feels safe and suitable for you.

There is no bridge at the beck crossing we used. Only cross if the water is shallow and slow-flowing and you are comfortable doing so. Don’t rely on branches or loose stones for support. After rain the beck can rise quickly, so if the crossing doesn’t look right, turn back and save the waterfall for another day.

Once across, Flushiemere Beck Waterfall is a short distance beyond the rise.

Return the same way when you are ready.

What You’ll See

This short walk from Bowlees Visitor Centre includes woodland paths, open Teesdale views, small cascades and a hidden waterfall on Flushiemere Beck.

Why Flushiemere Waterfall Feels Different

Flushiemere Waterfall is easy to miss, and that is exactly why it feels so special.

While most people visiting Bowlees head towards Summerhill Force, Low Force or High Force, very few continue out into the fields above the woodland to find this quiet stretch of beck.

There are no signs pointing the way, no built paths leading you in, and no crowds waiting when you arrive. Just open Teesdale, the sound of water, and a small waterfall tucked into the landscape.

It is not about size or drama here. It is about the feeling of finding somewhere on your own, even in one of the most visited parts of Upper Teesdale.

This is a quieter side of Teesdale that many people walk straight past without ever knowing it is there.

Is This Walk Right for You

This is a short walk from Bowlees, but the final section is more adventurous than the main paths around Low Force and High Force.

There is uneven ground, a beck crossing and no barriers around the waterfall. The directions and GPX are there to help you find the location, but conditions can change, so you need to judge the ground and choose a route you are comfortable with on the day.

If the beck is high or the ground feels unsafe, simply turn back.

A Moment of Calm

This is not a walk to rush.

It starts close to one of the busiest visitor spots in Teesdale, but within a short distance everything begins to change. The woodland softens the noise, the open fields widen the view, and by the time you reach the beck, it feels quiet and undisturbed.

At Flushiemere Waterfall, there is no viewpoint, no barrier, no sign to tell you where to stand. Just water moving over rock and the sound of the valley around you.

Take a moment to sit beside the beck. Listen to the water, the breeze moving through the grass, and the stillness of the landscape.

It is a simple place, but one that feels real.

The kind of place you do not just visit, but remember.

Explore More from Bowlees

Bowlees is one of the best starting points for exploring Upper Teesdale.

From here, you can visit Low Force and Wynch Bridge, continue along the river to High Force, or follow woodland paths to Summerhill Force and Gibson’s Cave.

If you want something quieter, walks like this one lead out into the fields and becks above Bowlees, where fewer people go.

The former Bowlees Quarry is also just a short walk from the car park and shows another side of the landscape.

Each route starts in the same place, but they all feel completely different once you set off.