Best Waterfalls Near Carlisle
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best waterfalls near Carlisle are Crammel Linn, Cash Force, Aira Beck, Scalehow Force, Spout Force, Ashgill Force, Lodore Falls and Fordingdale Force.
Carlisle sits in a fine position for waterfall hunting, ringed by hills in almost every direction, though none of these falls lie right on the doorstep. Each one asks for a drive out into the uplands, and the choice splits neatly by compass point.
To the northeast, in the open border country above Gilsland, the River Irthing carves the sandstone gorge of Crammel Linn. Swing southeast into the North Pennines and you reach Cash Force on the slopes of Cross Fell, along with Ashgill Force near Garrigill, with its ledge to stand behind.
The largest cluster lies southwest, in the Lake District: Aira Beck and Scalehow Force above Ullswater, Spout Force tucked in Whinlatter Forest, and Lodore Falls at the head of Derwentwater. Further south still, above Haweswater, the obscure Fordingdale Force waits out on the fells for anyone willing to walk to it.
Some are gentle strolls from a car park, others long tramps over rough moorland, so pack for the ground you are taking on and check the weather before you set off. Here are eight waterfalls to seek out near Carlisle.
Crammel Linn
Photo: David Liddle via Geograph.org.uk
Crammel Linn Northeast of Carlisle, out in the open border country above Gilsland, the River Irthing carves a sandstone gorge and tumbles over Crammel Linn. The water drops around twenty-five feet here, splitting into two channels around a rocky outcrop set in the middle of the fall.
A small parking area waits up on the moor, and from there a steep, slippery path threads down into the gorge itself. It is a quiet, little-disturbed spot, well away from the crowds, with only the sound of the river for company.
Give yourself time, and mind your footing on the way down.
Cash Force
Photo: David Brown via Geograph.org.uk
Cash Force Southeast of Carlisle, high on the northern slopes of Cross Fell, Cash Force drops over a band of hard rock on the Cash Burn. This is remote ground, out in open moorland near Garrigill, and there is no marked path to guide you in.
Reaching the fall means committing to several miles of rough walking across tussock, heather and bog, so it suits confident hillwalkers rather than casual visitors. What you get in return is a genuine sense of solitude, the water folding through otherwise empty hill country.
Choose a clear day, carry a map, and take your time over the ground.
Aira Beck
Photo: Adrian Taylor via Geograph.org.uk
Aira Beck Southwest of Carlisle, in the Lake District above Ullswater, Aira Beck spills off Gowbarrow Fell and drops through a wooded ravine on its way to the lake. Its finest moment is Aira Force, where the water falls around twenty metres into a narrow rock gorge, viewed from a pair of arched stone bridges set above and below.
Along the rest of the beck runs a chain of smaller cascades and still pools, shaded by old oaks and ornamental trees planted more than two centuries ago as part of a designed landscape. Paths climb steeply over wet, mossy steps.
Watch for red squirrels and grazing Herdwick sheep.
Scalehow Force
Photo: Bill Boaden via Geograph.org.uk
Scalehow Force Also southwest, on the eastern side of Ullswater, Scalehow Force tumbles off the fell of High Dodd toward the lakeshore. You come upon it on the Ullswater Way, the low-level path that runs between the hamlet of Sandwick and Silver Bay, the route climbing up beside the falls through woodland before curving back down to the water.
This is a wild cascade met along the walk rather than a signposted stop, so expect no facilities. Do not confuse it with the taller Scale Force away over near Crummock Water, which is a different fall entirely.
Come after rain and the beck runs at its liveliest.
Spout Force
Photo: Simon Leatherdale via Geograph.org.uk
Spout Force Out to the southwest, in Whinlatter Forest near Cockermouth, Spout Force hides in a steep, wooded gorge on Aiken Beck. The beck drops some thirty feet into a mossy ravine, seen from a wooden viewing platform set on the far side of the falls.
Getting there asks only a short forest walk of about half a mile from a car park off the Whinlatter Pass, so it suits a gentler outing. The gorge is narrow and almost canyon-like, and the fall is at its best after a spell of rain.
It is a quiet spot among the conifers, tied into a wider network of forest trails.
Ashgill Force
Photo: Mike Quinn via Geograph.org.uk
Ashgill Force Back southeast in the North Pennines, near Garrigill above Alston, Ashgill Force pours around seventeen metres over a wide rock shelf. Its great trick is the ledge behind the water: the fall clears an overhang, so you can stand in the space behind it and look out through the curtain.
Below, Ashgill Beck runs on in smaller cascades crossed by a wooden footbridge, with a road bridge just above the main drop. The setting is open moorland cut by the beck, the ruins of old lead mines scattered across the hills.
It is a short walk in from the road and far quieter than the bigger Pennine falls.
Lodore Falls
Photo: G Laird via Geograph.org.uk
Lodore Falls Southwest again, at the southern end of Derwentwater, Lodore Falls drops through a rocky cleft between two crags into the Borrowdale valley. Watendlath Beck feeds it, running hard and loud after heavy rain and shrinking to little more than a trickle in dry spells, so timing matters.
The falls stand just behind the Lodore Falls Hotel, tucked into oak woodland kept as a protected site, and a short walk from the National Trust car park at the foot of the lake brings you to them. The poet Robert Southey caught their tumbling rush in his 1820 poem The Cataract of Lodore, which is still widely read today.
Fordingdale Force
Photo: Michael Graham via Geograph.org.uk
Fordingdale Force Last, due south of Carlisle above the head of Haweswater, Fordingdale Force runs on Measand Beck in the Fordingdale Bottom. This is proper walkers' ground, out on the open, rocky upland between Patterdale and Haweswater, and the fall is a genuinely obscure one, little written about beyond its name and its position on the map.
The country around it is bare fellside of outcrop and scree, with nothing in the way of facilities, so it rewards those happy to walk in and find it for themselves. Pick settled weather, take a map and compass, and treat it as a reward at the far end of a good hill day.
FAQs
Which waterfall near Carlisle is easiest to reach?
Of this group, the Lake District falls make the gentlest outings. Spout Force in Whinlatter Forest is a short half-mile walk from the car park, and Aira Force above Ullswater is well set up with paths and bridges. Both are an easy drive southwest of Carlisle.
How far are these waterfalls from Carlisle?
Every fall here means a drive rather than a stroll from the centre. The nearest, Crammel Linn above Gilsland, is around twenty-eight kilometres northeast, while the Lake District and Haweswater falls sit closer to forty kilometres out from Carlisle.
Can you walk behind any of these falls?
Yes. Ashgill Force, in the North Pennines near Garrigill above Alston, pours clear of an overhanging rock shelf, so you can stand on the ledge behind it and look out through the falling water. It is a short walk in from the road, southeast of Carlisle.
Conclusion
None of these eight falls sits in the city itself, but that is part of their appeal: each is an excuse to head out into the country that rings Carlisle. If you want an easy afternoon, the Lake District falls around Ullswater, Whinlatter and Derwentwater give a lot of reward for little effort.
For a bigger day on the hill, the North Pennines pair of Cash Force and Ashgill Force, or the lonely Fordingdale Force above Haweswater, will test your legs and your map-reading. Pick your fall to match your mood and the forecast, wear boots that cope with wet rock, and leave time for the drive back through the hills.
From gentle woodland cascades to remote moorland drops, these are the waterfalls to seek out near Carlisle.
