The Hidden Waterfall on Rowton Beck, Teesdale

High above the more familiar stretches of Teesdale, Rowton Beck cuts its way through a narrow, rocky ravine that many walkers glance straight past without realising what’s tucked below. The beck rises on the high moorland between Harwood and the upper dale, flowing through a landscape shaped by ice, erosion and centuries of upland grazing. Limestone outcrops frame much of its course, and it’s within one of these tight channels that the hidden waterfall sits - a steep, twisting drop where peaty upland water is forced through a gorge so confined that the sound echoes long before the falls come into view.

The banks around it are typical of Teesdale’s high ground: patches of bracken in autumn colour, rough grasses, occasional juniper and rowan, and the exposed pale rock that gives the ravine its distinctive look. Getting here means following faint tracks and weaving through uneven ground, but that sense of being off the beaten path only adds to the reward. Capturing the scene from above shows just how dramatic the little gorge is - the water surging through a cleft carved over thousands of years, surrounded by textures and colours that shift with every season. It’s a small waterfall in the grand scheme of Teesdale, but easily one of the most characterful.