Mill Gill Force and Whitfield Gill Force

Do you want to know where Mill Gill and Whitfield Gill Force are?

OF COURSE YOU DO! These two beautiful waterfalls are truly stunning. In terms of size, they really don’t disappoint and after heavy rain, well they look spectacular!

The circular walk starts and ends in Askrigg in Wensleydale which is a beautiful village, with cafes, pubs and a play area! This walk offers wildflowers and wonder no matter what time of year you visit, and if you can get up close to Whitfield Gill, you can find fossils too! We love Wensleydale!

Please note: This walk has some steep unguarded drops. Whitfield Gill Force will make you work hard to get close to its waterfally glory! But that’s ok, because you don’t have to do that bit! If you choose to stand behind the waterfall, be warned the path is very narrow, with a large drop to the plunge pool.

Directions to Mill Gill and Whitfield Gill Force:

1. From the honesty box car park on Leyburn Road, exit the car park, turning left onto the main road, then turn right, heading back into the village centre of Askrigg. You need to continue into the village centre, passing The Crown Inn on your right, and then the White Rose Inn to your left until you see the church.

2. Here, continue along the road named West End, which heads along the right hand side of the church. Follow the road as it bends round to the right and turns into Mill Lane. Just after the houses on Broad Close on your right, there is a public footpath sign, signposted Mill Gill Falls 1/2 mile. Head through the narrow gate into the field, and use the obvious flagged path, which crosses it. We visited during the Winter and Summer, but in Spring the meadows are full of wildflowers. At the end of the path, you will see another public footpath sign, pointing right.

3. Turn right, heading along the beck, which will be on your left. Soon, you’ll see a footbridge crossing the beck, you need to take this and head up to the little gate at the top. Turn right, and head towards the next little gate (there are lots of little gates!) Head down the steps. At this point, there is a clear defined wide path, but be aware that there is a steep drop on the right hand side.

4. Soon, you will see a path fork off to the right. It is signposted Mill Gill Force. This takes you directly up to the spectacular falls. You can get pretty close, even in wet weather, but be aware that the stone can be slippery underfoot.

5. After that, head back up to the path you were on before taking a detour to the falls. keep heading onwards and upwards, sticking close to the wall. The path is lined with logs on the right hand side to mark it, so it’s easy to see!

6. Head through another gate, and then another until you reach a signpost marked Whitfield Gill. The path continues to loosely follow the beck to the right, with some unguarded drops along the way. The path darts in and out of the wall, but all along the way is clearly marked, and is easy to follow.

7. After crossing some stepping stones over a stream and heading uphill, you will soon reach another smaller unnamed waterfall, which has a bridge over it. Here, you can cut the route short, and not head on to Whitfield Gill Force. If you cut it short here then jump to point 9.

8. If you do decide to continue on, the path continues to loosely follow the beck. You will soon reach a point where the path rises steeply up to the left, and the rest of the land drops and levels out to the right. There are wooden steps in the ground on the left hand path, but this will lead you to the top of the falls. To get to the base of the falls, you need to follow the lower path, which closely follows the edge of the beck. There is a chance you might get your feet wet, and you certainly have to duck and dive over and under various fallen trees, logs and branches but if you do, it is worth the view at the end. Just take care in times of wet weather, as the water can be fast flowing!

9. At the falls, you can easily find fossils in the rocks! There is a narrow path heading up behind the falls. It is solid, but be aware that it is narrow and there is a drop to the plunge pool from there. Rest assured that we had plenty of adults on hand and two in the water when these pictures were taken.

10. Once you have seen the falls, head back to the point in the path where the bridge crossed the unnamed waterfall. The signpost says Askrigg via Low Straight. Cross the bridge and head up the other side of the beck. The path rises steeply up and to the right, before bending round sharply to the left. At the time we visited, there were some fairy doors dotted along here! After bending round, keep the wall on your right and follow it. If you have cut the route short, you can catch a glimpse of Whitfield Gill Force as you reach the end of this path.

11. The path then turns sharply to the right and heads between two benches and through a gate onto Low Straights Lane (which is a track). Turn right, and head down here for nearly 1 mile. After a mile, there is a footpath to your right, signposted Askrigg (there are several, but this is the last one before you reach the road, it’s after a little bridge over a stream).

12. Turn right and head down the path. It leads down the field, keeping the wall to your right. Head through the gate and take the path named ‘public footpath Askrigg, please follow riverbank’. And do what it says! Follow the bank of the beck, it turns grassy before bending round to the left, then reaching another little gate. Head through here and then directly to the road.

13. Turn right down the road, then left and you will soon be back at the car park!

Last walked September 2023.

What’s cool for kids about Mill Gill and Whitfield Gill Force?

💦We have walked this during Summer and Winter and it is super in all seasons! There is the chance to dip your toes if you fancy but always supervise children around open water!

🌼 This has a beautiful array of snowdrops during the winter and a stunning selection of wildflowers during spring/ summer.

🧒 There is a small play area at Askrigg, just behind the church.

🍰 You’ve got to pay a visit to the Bake-well in Askrigg! A super cafe with tasty food and take away bites too! Check out our pub and cafe walks for more!

👻 Mill Gill Force has a seriously dark past! Back in the 1500’s it was the tragic last resting place of two star crossed lovers. The tale has a family feud, a gypsy curse and……. curdled milk. A plot line that’s ALMOST Hollywood worthy… Find out more about the Dark Tales of the Yorkshire Dales by heading to the blog.

🚜 The end of this walk heads past plenty of farm machinery, perfect for a tractor lover!

👸 There are fairy doors on the far side of Mill Gill Beck.

🌳 So what can you do to defeat the walking whinges?! Why not try one of our scavenger hunts? Or perhaps you can collect some sticks from the surrounding woodland on this walk to make a stick craft project back at home? If in doubt, try one of our walking games!