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Keld in Yorkshire Dales National Park

Sight · Yorkshire Dales National Park

Keld

Quiet stone hamlet at Swaledale's head, ringed by waterfalls and paths

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Type
Sight
Nearest trail
3.7 km
Audio stories
3 nearby
  • Restrooms
  • Food
  • Visitor center
  • Parking
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

Keld and Wain Wath Force

Overview

About Keld

Why stop

  • Four named waterfalls close to the hamlet
  • Distinctive stone village and Upper Swaledale views

Heads up

  • Remote stop with no village shop
  • Some waterfall paths are steep, muddy and slippery
A compact cluster of stone houses, barns and dry-stone walls at the head of Upper Swaledale, sitting where a deep valley narrows and the River Swale runs through a limestone gorge. This is one of the wildest and least developed corners of the dale, and the appeal is the setting rather than a list of attractions: green fells, traditional hay meadows, field barns, and the sound of water. The name comes from an Old Norse word for a spring or stream, which fits the place exactly. The surrounding dale also carries a lead-mining legacy, still readable in the landscape above the valley floor.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy it is worth a stop

Map

Where it is

Loading the Yorkshire Dales map
Full map
SightKeld54.40586, -2.16643
Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your stop

Before you go

Best time to go

  • Late spring and summer for wildflower hay meadows and long daylight.
  • After a spell of rain for the strongest falls, accepting wet, greasy ground; after a dry spell the water can look thin.
  • Early morning or late afternoon for softer light on the valley sides.

1 active Yorkshire Dales alert

  • ClosureTemporary closures on public rights of wayAvoid the listed sections of public rights of way while their temporary closures or pedestrian prohibition are in force. - Public Bridleway No. 52 (05.Official details
Yorkshire Dales alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Yorkshire Dales Tour Guide

Your drive to Keld, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yorkshire Dales National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

Recorded for this place

Keld and Wain Wath Force
0:00 / 0:35
“You're approaching Keld, a small stone hamlet where the Pennine Way and Coast to Coast paths cross.”

Plays as you drive up to Keld in the Parkwolf Yorkshire Dales Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • The Long Carry to Grinton
  • The Mine Built for a Disappointing Vein
  • The Moor’s Gruff Voice
  • Muker and Its Hay Meadows
  • 298 audio storiesacross Yorkshire Dales’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Eurasian Otter, Atlantic Salmon, Short-eared Owl, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 99 trails, 63 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
JMJamesApp Store review
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Keld

Waterfalls and walksFour falls within walking distance: Kisdon Force, East Gill Force, Catrake Force and Wain Wath…
  • Four falls within walking distance: Kisdon Force, East Gill Force, Catrake Force and Wain Wath Force. Many visitors link several into one loop.
  • A short waterfall circuit of roughly 3 miles is manageable in about one to two hours at an easy pace; a longer riverside and valley circular of around 7 miles takes most of a half day. Treat both as rough planning figures.
  • The hamlet is where the Pennine Way and the Coast to Coast route cross, so you will often share paths with long-distance walkers.
  • Public paths and bridleways lead out of the hamlet, from easy riverside strolls to hill and moor hikes.
  • Honest caution: visitors report the final approach to Kisdon Force is muddy, wet, steep and slippery, with a rope to help on the descent, so it is not suitable for anyone unsure of their footing.
Practical notesNo village shop, so bring food, water and anything else you need, and plan your route before…
  • No village shop, so bring food, water and anything else you need, and plan your route before you set off.
  • There is a small cafe and a heritage centre in the restored old school building with local history displays and events. The small United Reformed chapel beside the heritage centre is the village landmark. Opening arrangements for all of these can change, so do not count on them.
  • Public toilets are located near the Keld road junction, including an accessible toilet and baby changing.
  • Parking areas serve the hamlet, and the approach lanes are narrow, with gates, walls and blind bends.
  • Wear sturdy walking footwear. Ground near the falls is often muddy, wet and slippery over river-worn rock.
  • The Swale rises fast after heavy rain. Stay well back from waterfall edges and wet rocks, and do not treat this as a casual swimming spot: the water is cold and moving and the rocks are slick.
  • Allow 1 to 3 hours for a short visit and waterfall loop, or a full day if you take on a longer circuit.
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Wildlife

Wildlife in Yorkshire Dales

All Yorkshire Dales wildlife maps
Eurasian Otter10 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapAtlantic Salmon11 sightingsAtlantic SalmonMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapShort-eared Owl12 sightingsShort-eared OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapWestern Barn Owl22 sightingsWestern Barn OwlMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapTawny Owl27 sightingsTawny OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapCommon Kingfisher34 sightingsCommon KingfisherMost seen around 7 AMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yorkshire Dales. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Keld

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ChallengingMuker, Keld and the Corpse Way8.9 km · 3.5 hr · 3.7 km awayMeadows, waterfall detour and a hard climb on the old Corpse RoadModerateSwaledale Audio Trail12.7 km · 4 hr · 3.7 km awayAudio loop past Muker's hay meadows, stone walls and Swale bridgesModerateIvelet Moor Accessible Walk11 km · 3.8 hr · 5.5 km awayEleven kilometres of surfaced moorland track with broad Swaledale viewsModerateGunnerside Gill Circular8 km · 3 hr · 6.5 km awayLead-mining ruins deep in a steep gill, with an airy return trackModerateLow Level Swaledale Walk11.1 km · 2.8 hr · 6.5 km awayRiverside meadows and stone walls from Gunnerside to Reeth Swing Bridge

More stops nearby

Sight · 1 km awayWain Wath ForceBroad, low falls under limestone cliffs, right beside a Swaledale roadCampground · 3.3 km awayUsha Gap Farm & CampsitePitch beside a beck on a working Swaledale sheep farmSight · 3.7 km awayMukerSlate-roofed cottages, hay meadows and four waterfalls up the daleLodging · 5.6 km awayTan Hill InnBritain's highest pub, a 17th-century moorland inn on the Pennine WaySight · 6.1 km awayButtertubs PassButtertubs Pass climbs between two dales past deep limestone potholes

Parkwolf’s Yorkshire Dales ranking

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Take Parkwolf to Yorkshire Dales.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

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