Best Waterfalls Near Newcastle
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best waterfalls near Newcastle are Leehouse Linn, Hareshaw Linn Waterfall, Summerhill Force, Low Force Waterfall, High Force Waterfall, Bleabeck Force, Jerry's Linn and Ashgill Force.
Newcastle keeps its finest waterfalls at arm's length, out in the uplands that rise to the north and south, so every one here means a drive into the hills. Strike northwest into Northumberland and you reach the obscure Leehouse Linn in forestry near Elsdon, Hareshaw Linn above Bellingham, and the little-known Jerry's Linn in nearby Wark Forest.
Turn south instead and the road climbs into Upper Teesdale and the North Pennines, where the River Tees puts on its greatest show. Here Summerhill Force hides in a glade near Bowlees, while Low Force, High Force and quieter Bleabeck Force follow the river in quick succession.
Further west, near Garrigill above Alston, Ashgill Force pours clear of an overhang you can stand behind. These are falls of burns and big rivers, some thunderous and some barely a trickle in dry weather, all set in wild moorland country.
Plan the driving, pack your boots, and treat each as a doorway to the hills. Here are eight waterfalls to seek out near Newcastle.
Leehouse Linn
Photo: Andrew Curtis via Geograph.org.uk
Leehouse Linn First stop on the drive northwest into Northumberland, Leehouse Linn is a small fall on a burn tucked into forestry near Elsdon, right on the edge of the national park. It is an obscure, unsignposted spot: from a forest road you follow the watercourse and keep to the right-hand branch at a fork, walking a couple of hundred metres to find the fall in a small clearing.
A second fall, Smiddy Linn, lies further up the same burn for anyone wanting to explore on. There are no facilities out here, and the woodland tracks can turn to sticky mud after rain.
Hareshaw Linn Waterfall
Photo: Andrew Curtis via Geograph.org.uk
Hareshaw Linn Waterfall Above the town of Bellingham in Northumberland, Hareshaw Linn sits at the head of a wooded valley, where the burn drops around thirty feet into a rocky, enclosed hollow. The walk to it is a treat in itself, following the burn up the valley from town and crossing it on a series of six footbridges through old woodland.
These woods are thick with mosses, ferns and lichens, and home to red squirrels and dippers, so keep your eyes open. It is an out-and-back route of a few miles to the falls and back, gentle enough for a relaxed half-day from Bellingham.
Summerhill Force
Photo: G Laird via Geograph.org.uk
Summerhill Force Now the long drive south into Upper Teesdale, County Durham, where Summerhill Force spills into a pool in a wooded glade at a spot called Gibson's Cave. The cave is not a true cavern but a hollow worn back under the overhanging rock behind the falling water, so you can duck in behind it.
A woodland path of about three-quarters of a mile leads there from the Bowlees visitor centre, an easy walk by Teesdale standards. Local tradition holds that a sixteenth-century outlaw named Gibson once hid in the recess, which gives the place its name and a touch of romance.
Low Force Waterfall
Photo: William Metcalfe via Geograph.org.uk
Low Force Waterfall A short way downstream of taller High Force, Low Force is a set of low cascades on the River Tees in Teesdale. The water tumbles over rock ledges into wide pools, with the Wynch Bridge, a chain suspension footbridge, slung across just below.
The Pennine Way runs along the river here, and you reach the falls on a footpath from the nearby Bowlees visitor centre. The drop is around five and a half metres, and the pools beneath are used for cold-water swimming.
The present Wynch Bridge dates from 1830, adding a bit of history to one of Teesdale's most walkable riverside spots.
High Force Waterfall
Photo: Steve Daniels via Geograph.org.uk
High Force Waterfall The showpiece of Upper Teesdale, High Force sends the River Tees plunging around seventy feet in a single drop over a band of hard, dark dolerite. By the sheer volume of water thundering over in spate it ranks among the biggest falls in England, even if it is not the tallest.
A paid woodland path on the north bank leads down to a viewpoint facing the fall, while a free but longer route on the south bank follows the Pennine Way. The water crashes into a deep pool below the rock face, and on a wet day the noise and spray are tremendous.
Bleabeck Force
Photo: Karl and Ali via Geograph.org.uk
Bleabeck Force Just upstream of the far busier High Force, Bleabeck Force is a quieter thing on Blea Beck. Where High Force thunders, this one slides and steps gently down over rock ledges in a run of small cascades, close to where the beck meets the River Tees.
Most visitors reach High Force, turn round and head back, so this smaller fall a little further on stays wonderfully peaceful. You get to it on the riverside walk up from Bowlees, over fields and along rocky paths beside the Tees, with the open moors of the high Pennines rising all around.
In winter it can freeze into sheets and columns of ice.
Jerry's Linn
Photo: Les Hull via Geograph.org.uk
Jerry's Linn Back north in Northumberland, Jerry's Linn is a small fall on the Chirdon Burn deep in Wark Forest, near Bellingham. The burn drops into a pool among conifer plantation, and reaching it means a walk of a few miles from the nearest parking on the edge of the forest.
This is a genuinely obscure spot, little written about anywhere, so you are unlikely to meet another soul. Quiet forest country wraps all around it, making it one for walkers who like their waterfalls remote and hard-won rather than signposted and busy.
Save it for a dry-footed day, as the forest tracks are long.
Ashgill Force
Photo: Mike Quinn via Geograph.org.uk
Ashgill Force Last, and furthest west, Ashgill Force drops around seventeen metres over a wide rock shelf in the high country of the North Pennines, near Garrigill above Alston. Its finest feature is the ledge behind the water: the fall pours clear of an overhang, so you can stand in the space behind it and look out through the curtain.
Ashgill Beck carries on below in smaller cascades, crossed by a wooden footbridge, with a road bridge just above the main fall. The setting is open moorland cut by the beck, with ruins of old lead mines scattered across the hills.
It is a short walk in and far quieter than the region's bigger falls.
FAQs
Which is the most impressive waterfall near Newcastle?
High Force in Upper Teesdale is the standout, sending the River Tees around seventy feet over dolerite and ranking among England's biggest falls by volume. It is roughly an hour and a half's drive south from Newcastle.
Can you walk behind any of these falls?
Yes. At Ashgill Force near Garrigill you can stand on a ledge behind the curtain of water, and Summerhill Force at Gibson's Cave near Bowlees has a hollow worn back beneath the overhanging rock.
Are the Northumberland waterfalls easy to find?
Not always. Hareshaw Linn above Bellingham is well walked, but Leehouse Linn near Elsdon and Jerry's Linn in Wark Forest are obscure and unsignposted, needing a map and some route-finding.
Conclusion
Not one of these waterfalls sits near Newcastle itself, and that is exactly what makes them worth the trip. The city is your base for two very different upland outings.
Head northwest and Northumberland offers the wooded walk to Hareshaw Linn and the hidden burns of Leehouse Linn and Jerry's Linn, deep in the forests. Turn south and Upper Teesdale delivers the grand set piece of High Force, along with Low Force, Summerhill Force and quiet Bleabeck Force, before the road runs on west to Ashgill Force near Alston.
Most run hardest after rain, and several freeze into ice sculptures in a hard winter. Bring proper boots, allow for the driving, and pick your weather.
Whether you want thundering rivers or lonely forest falls, from the Cheviot fringe to the high Pennines, these are the waterfalls to seek out near Newcastle.
