There’s no shortage of natural wonders in Yorkshire, from caverns to cliffsides.
Yorkshire boasts some of the best natural wonders in the whole of the UK. So many, in fact, that you’ve got your work cut out for you. You can visit the longest show cave in the country, take in England’s largest single-drop waterfall or explore a naturally-formed tidal island – and that’s exactly what we did. So next time you’re plotting a day out, start ticking these beauties off your list.
Looking for more ways to explore Yorkshire’s great outdoors? Check out our guides to the 7 Yorkshire walks you won’t regret taking and Yorkshire’s most restorative natural spaces.
Quick picks: Yorkshire’s natural wonders
- Best for families – Mother Shipton’s Cave
- Best walk – Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
- Best for wildlife – Bempton Cliffs
- Best hidden gem – Attermire Scar
- Most dramatic– Malham Cove
Aysgarth Falls
Nestled in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Aysgarth Falls is one of the only places in the UK that’s best enjoyed in the heavy rain – and we mean that as a compliment. When the River Ure is in full flow, the three-stepped waterfalls crash over the limestone in a way that genuinely takes your breath away.
The Falls have even attracted famous artists like J.M.W. Turner, who raved about its beauty – stand in the right spot, the spray just hitting you, and it’s easy to see why.
Where: Aysgarth Falls National Park Centre, Aysgarth, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3TH.
How much: Free to visit. Car parking charges apply.
Best for: A dramatic waterfall at its best in wet weather – worth timing your visit for after heavy rain.
White Scar Cave
White Scar Cave holds the title of the longest show cave in Britain – discovered by accident in 1923, it’s been drawing visitors for over 100 years. It sits just over the county border in Lancashire, but it’s firmly on every Yorkshire explorer’s list and well worth the short detour.
Enter and you’ll be greeted by the first waterfall, where 55 tonnes of water crashes down every minute. Follow the guided tour through rock formations like The Judge’s Head and on to the vast Battlefield Cavern – stalagmites, stalactites and underground waterfalls await throughout.
Where: White Scar Cave, Carnforth, Lancashire, LA6 3AW.
How much: Adults £20.50, children £15. Family tickets available.
Best for: An all-weather underground adventure – one of the most impressive show caves in the country.
Brimham Rocks
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Brimham Rocks is a collection of rock formations spread across 50 acres of moorland, naturally sculpted over 320 million years by weathering and water erosion. They’ve taken on all manner of weird, wonderful and surprisingly familiar forms – many visitors see animals in the shapes, which is clear from their names as you hunt out the Dancing Bear, the Gorilla and the Turtle.
Our favourite has to be the gravity-defying Idol Rock, a 200-tonne boulder balanced on a base just 30cm wide. We’ve stood underneath it more times than we can count and it still seems entirely impossible.
Where: Brimham Rocks, Brimham Moor Road, Summerbridge, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG3 4DW.
How much: Free to explore. National Trust car parking charges apply.
Best for: Families and geology lovers – the rock shapes will keep kids (and adults) hunting for hours.
Flamborough Head & Bempton Cliffs
Flamborough Head is an eight-mile stretch of rugged white chalk cliffs on the Yorkshire coast – a landmark in its own right. But if you want to be genuinely wowed by nature, head north to Bempton Cliffs. It’s a wildlife lover’s paradise and home to England’s largest seabird colony.
Between March and October, around 500,000 seabirds gather here – we’ve watched gannets diving from the clifftop viewpoints and it’s one of the most spectacular things we’ve seen in Yorkshire. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot puffins too. Bring binoculars.
Where: Flamborough Head, Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, YO15 1AR & RSPB Bempton Cliffs, Cliff Lane, Bempton, Bridlington, North Yorkshire, YO15 1JF.
How much: RSPB Bempton Cliffs – free for RSPB members. Adults £8 and children £4 (peak March to October). Adults £4 and children £2 (off-peak November to February). First child free per party, under-5s free.
Best for: Wildlife lovers – visit between April and July for the best puffin and gannet sightings.
Ilkley Moor
The inspiration for the unofficial anthem of Yorkshire – On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘at – Ilkley Moor spans 676 acres of open moorland between Ilkley and Keighley. Sitting at 402 metres above sea level, it offers picture-perfect panoramas of the Yorkshire Dales.
We love it best in late summer when the heather turns the whole moor purple, though the view from the top on a clear winter day is hard to beat too. Cross the heather-strewn countryside to discover landmarks like The Ilkley Crags and The Twelve Apostles Stone Circle – Yorkshire’s answer to Stonehenge.
Where: Ilkley Moor, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, LS29 9RF.
How much: Free to visit.
Best for: A classic Yorkshire moorland walk – especially beautiful in August when the heather is in bloom.
Hardraw Force
Hardraw Force is widely described as England’s largest single-drop waterfall – a claim that’s sometimes contested by High Force in County Durham, but there’s no disputing the drama of the scene. You’ll find it in the grounds of the Green Dragon Inn in the hamlet of Hardraw – work your way through the winding path and narrow gorge to be rewarded with a cascade that reaches almost 100 feet.
It captured the heart of William Wordsworth, and you might even recognise it from a scene in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The first time we rounded the corner to see it in full flow was genuinely jaw-dropping.
Where: Hardraw Force, Hardraw, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3LZ. Access is through the Green Dragon Inn – a small admission charge applies.
How much: £4.
Best for: One of Yorkshire’s most dramatic natural spectacles – best after heavy rain when it’s in full flow.
Yorkshire Three Peaks
The Yorkshire Three Peaks – Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough – can be ticked off on one epic 26-mile circular walk. It’s a serious undertaking, typically taking eight to twelve hours, and best attempted by confident walkers with proper footwear and navigation skills.
Begin with Pen-y-Ghent and climb to the summit before descending. Whernside is the tallest at 763 metres, and on a clear day you can see all the way to Morecambe Bay. We’ve done the full circuit and the feeling of completing all three in a day is genuinely unbeatable – but don’t underestimate it.
Where: The Three Peaks starts at Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Settle, North Yorkshire, BD24 0HF.
How much: Free to walk. Car parking charges apply at the start point.
Best for: Experienced walkers looking for a full-day challenge – allow a full day and start early.
Spurn Point
Spurn Point is simply magnificent – a constantly shifting peninsula between the Humber Estuary and the North Sea, at the very tip of the East Riding coast. No two visits are ever quite the same. You can see Yorkshire’s only tidal island when the tide comes in across the Holderness Coast, or when the tide is out, trek along the 3.5-mile spit to the lighthouse at the end.
Take an early morning trip to spot roe deer, foxes and migratory birds. We made the walk at dawn on a September morning and had the whole spit almost to ourselves – one of the most peaceful places we’ve found in Yorkshire.
Where: Spurn Point Nature Reserve, Kilnsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU12 0UH.
How much: Entry is free. Members of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust get free parking. All-day parking for non-members is £5.
Best for: A wild, remote walk unlike anything else in Yorkshire – best at low tide and on a weekday to avoid crowds.
Gaping Gill
A complex system of caves covering 100 metres, Gaping Gill is hidden away in the Yorkshire Dales. It’s a 98-metre deep pothole on the slopes of the Ingleborough mountain, with Hidden away on the slopes of Ingleborough mountain in the Yorkshire Dales, Gaping Gill is a 98-metre deep pothole – the largest naturally formed underground chamber in Britain. The Fell Beck stream flows into it, and on rainy days crashes to the cavern floor in a spectacular waterfall. Access to the surface viewing point is free, but the real experience is going inside.
The Bradford Pothole Club and Craven Pothole Club both run Gaping Gill Winch meets in spring and autumn, lowering visitors to the cave floor by bosun’s chair. We went down on a blustery May morning and it’s one of the most extraordinary things we’ve ever done in Yorkshire.
Where: Gaping Gill, Clapdale Drive, North Yorkshire, LA2 8EE.
How much: Free to view from the surface. You have to pre-book online to go. The cost of the winch is £30 per person.
Best for: The most adventurous entry on this list – the winch meet experience is bucket-list material.
Malham Cove
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A curved limestone cliff face standing 80 metres tall, Malham Cove is one of the most remarkable natural wonders in Yorkshire. The glacial sheets that once blanketed the rock shattered and formed the now-iconic cracked limestone pavement at the top – the same pavement that doubled as the Forest of Dean in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
You can tackle it as a rock climber on the face itself, or take the 400 steps to the top where views of the surrounding Dales countryside stretch out in every direction. We’ve done the climb in all weathers and it earns its place on every Yorkshire bucket list.
Where: Malham Cove, Malham, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 4DJ.
How much: Free to visit. Pay and display parking in Malham village.
Best for: One of Yorkshire’s most iconic landscapes – the limestone pavement at the top is not to be missed.
Ingleton Waterfalls
Ingleton is blessed with six waterfalls, a gorge and a glen, all accessible on a 4.3-mile circular walk along the Yorkshire and Cumbria border. Catch the cascading Pecca Falls as you begin your trek before seeking out Hollybush Spout and the spectacular Thornton Force.
A ramble through Falls Park leads you to Beezley Falls, where the water drops into an 80-foot plunge pool, before you walk on to Snow Falls and Baxenghyll Gorge. We’d recommend this walk to anyone visiting the Dales – it’s manageable for most fitness levels and delivers a remarkable variety of scenery in a short distance.
Where: Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, Broadwood Entrance, Ingleton, Carnforth, LA6 3ET.
How much: Adults £11, children £5.50.
Best for: The best waterfall walk in Yorkshire – suitable for most fitness levels and spectacular in any season.
Mother Shipton’s Cave
Credit: Charlotte Gale
Mother Shipton’s Cave is rich with 500 years of history and has quite a story to tell. The supposed birthplace of England’s most famous prophetess, Ursula Shipton, the cave is nestled within the forest above the River Nidd at Knaresborough.
Nearby is England’s oldest visitor attraction – The Petrifying Well – whose water is so rich in sulphate and carbonate that objects placed beneath it slowly turn to stone. We’ve taken visitors here who didn’t expect much and watched them become completely transfixed. Whether you put it down to nature or witchcraft is entirely up to you.
Where: Mother Shipton’s Cave, Prophecy House, Harrogate Road, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, HG5 8DD.
How much: Prices are per car or group (up to 5 people). Off-peak (term-time weekdays) £35. Peak (weekends, bank holidays, events) £42. Under-2s free.
Best for: Families and history lovers – the Petrifying Well is genuinely one of the most unusual things in Yorkshire.
Hull Pot
A huge collapsed cavern on the west side of Pen-y-Ghent, Hull Pot holds the record for England’s largest natural hole – 300 feet long, 60 feet wide and 60 feet deep. In heavy rain, the stream at the top pours over the lip and creates a spectacular waterfall; in really stormy weather, the flood waters have been known to fill the pot to the brim.
It’s a short but rewarding detour from the Three Peaks route, and one that most walkers rush past without stopping. We think that’s a mistake – standing at the rim on a wild autumn day is an experience in itself.
Where: Hull Pot, Horton in Ribblesdale, Settle, North Yorkshire, BD24 0JF.
How much: Free to visit.
Best for: A dramatic geological curiosity best experienced after heavy rain – combine with a walk up Pen-y-Ghent.
Stainforth Force
Stainforth Force is a series of waterfalls on the River Ribble, where the water roars beneath the ancient Stainforth Bridge and cascades over the limestone steps. It’s a beautiful spot at any time of year, but if you can visit in autumn – typically October and November – it gets even better.
During peak salmon migration season, you can watch the fish leaping upstream to their spawning grounds, which is a truly remarkable sight. We’ve stood on the riverbank in October watching them launch themselves over the falls and it never loses its wonder.
Where: Stainforth Force, Settle, North Yorkshire, BD24 0DP.
How much: Free to visit.
Best for: Visit in October or November for the salmon run – one of Yorkshire’s most underrated seasonal spectacles.
Attermire Scar
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Towering above the market town of Settle, Attermire Scar is a collection of dramatic limestone scars, scree slopes and caves formed around 330 million years ago. Not only will you find gorgeous scenery on the walk up, but you can also explore the caves that line the rocks.
After a chance discovery in 1837, Victoria Cave was found to contain a remarkable range of curiosities – Roman coins, Bronze Age artefacts and an 11,000-year-old antler harpoon. It’s one of the least-visited entries on this list, which makes it all the more rewarding when you arrive and have the scar largely to yourself.
Where: Attermire Scar, Langcliffe, Settle, North Yorkshire, BD24 9NF.
How much: Free to visit.
Best for: The hidden gem of this list – fewer visitors than the Dales showstoppers but just as rewarding.
