Skip to content

Aysgarth Falls and riverbed run dry due to heatwave and low rainfall

BBC Image of a dried up riverbedBBC
North Yorkshire has experienced high temperatures and lower than average rainfall according to the Met Office

A popular waterfall attraction in the Yorkshire Dales has dried up during the hot weather.

Aysgarth Falls is a tourist destination on the River Ure, where the beck usually flows down three waterfalls.

But volunteers at the site said low rainfall and high temperatures have reduced the falls "to just a trickle" of water.

A Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority spokesman said the dryness is a "staggering sight but not unusual".

Image of a volunteer standing beside an information sign
Keith Pritchard said the lack of rain had casued the falls to significantly dry up

Keith Pritchard, a volunteer at Aysgarth Falls, said visitors have been asking him where all the water has gone.

He said: "We haven't had any rainfall for several weeks now so it's significantly dried up.

"The water levels are very low at the moment, in particular the upper falls has been reduced to just a trickle."

Figures released by the Met Office show North Yorkshire has experienced below average levels of rainfall since autumn 2021.

David Dixon/Geograph Aysgarth FallsDavid Dixon/Geograph
The Upper Force at Aysgarth Falls (pictured above in 2020) has been reduced to a trickle, volunteers said

Charlotte Moore, 26, from Selby, visits Aysgarth Falls regularly.

She said: "It is sad not being able to see the usual waterfalls.

"Sometimes you can't walk across [the riverbed] so it's quite dry compared to how it usually is."

Image of a couple standing on the dried up riverbed
Boris Todoroe and Sue Chen travelled from London to visit the area

Boris Todoroe, 30, and Sue Chen, 29, from London, said they were expecting to find a bit more water during their visit.

Boris said: "We saw the falls on Google and it looked a bit more like a waterfall then."

Sue added: "Since I came to the UK five or six years ago, every summer is hotter than the last summer."

Image of a dried up waterfall
The three waterfalls at Aysgarth Falls have dried up during the hot weather

A spokesman for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority said the high temperatures during this week's heatwave are unusual for the area.

He said: "The dryness of the beck is a staggering sight but not unusual.

"It has happened about once a year certainly for the past few years, particularly in the spring of 2020. A good day of rain and the Ure will flow well again well."

He urged visitors to take care near the water and not to light BBQs.

Presentational grey line

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].