THERE is no doubt Le Tour de France left a lasting mark in this region. One of its lesserknown achievements was to revive my own memories of some cycle tours I had undertaken in my youth, and I thought I would add a final note to conclude my reminiscing.

It was my Tour of Waterfalls and Fosses in what was then countyknown as the North Riding of Yorkshire. Most of the waterfalls were in the Dales, although some fascinating ones could be found in the North York Moors. I decided I would like to locate and visit each one, but do not think I achieved that. Sadly, I did not keep a diary or other record.

It is fair to say that top of my priorities was High Force in Teesdale, probably the furthest away from my home and actually positioned on what was then the boundary between the North Riding and County Durham. I was never sure whether the Force, being in the middle of the River Tees, was in the North Riding or County Durham, although access was via a woodland footpath that led from the nearby hotel car park – and that was sited in County Durham.

A counter argument was that the larger of its two falls was on the Yorkshire side of the mighty block of stone that forms its centrepiece and I believe it was, at the time, the most northerly point of the North Riding.

In 1974, the boundary changes placed the falls firmly in County Durham.

The strong name of this fall indicates its high tumble of water as the River Tees pounds over the lofty edge, sometimes divided into two flows and, at low water, often in a single fall. It does not flow down a hill, it pours over the edge. Its incessant roar can be heard a considerable distance away, for this is said to be England’s highest uninterrupted fall of water, being from a height of 71 feet (22 metres).

I should perhaps add there are other claims to England’s highest waterfall, but few can match the splendour of High Force.

Several other waterfalls in this region bear the name Force, which is a variant of Foss, itself deriving from an old Scandinavian word fos, which meant waterfall. In the North York Moors there are other fosses – Nelly Ayre Foss and Thomason Foss near Goathland, Falling Foss at Littlebeck and Foss Mill near Lythe. The tendency seems to use foss in the North York Moors, and force in the Dales, e.g. Gayle Force and Hardraw Force near Hawes, with Millgate Force near Askrigg. All are worth a visit.

Another word for a waterfall is spout ,with Mallyan Spout near Goathland, although there is a variant on the River Tees above High Force. This is Cauldron Snout, near Cow Green Reservoir, but some claim this is not really a waterfall – it is more of a cascade or cataract. It flows downhill for some 200 yards and was formerly on the boundaries of Cumberland, County Durham and the North Riding – now it lies between Cumbria and County Durham.

The Yorkshire fells south of High Force give rise to countless small springs and becks that flow down the slopes into the larger rivers.

Many have local names which seldom appear on maps or in works of reference although some are known as gills. They make themselves evident after melting snow or heavy rainfall when the gills and becks appear to be cataracts or even waterfalls roaring down the slopes.

The larger waterways such as the Ure and Swale accommodate these waters and send them off to join the North Sea via the Ouse and Humber.

Surely the most spectacular of falls are those at Aysgarth in Wensleydale where the River Ure pours over a staircase of high rock ledges which extend for a mile or so downriver.

There are three main falls – the Upper, Middle and Lower – with visitors often arguing as to which is the finest. The Lower Falls, a mile downriver from the Upper, are usually claimed to be the most spectacular.

The attraction of these falls and the surrounding countryside have combined to make the falls into a tourist attraction and in the 1880s, they were so renowned that plans were made to build a brick railway bridge across them as a link for the local railway network.

This led to a huge outcry which led to the abandonment of those plans. The beautiful location of the falls was left alone to host such events as temperance meetings and Aysgarth Flower Show – but the tourists came anyway.

It is impossible to accommodate all our regional waterfalls in this short article, but in seeking them we should not overlook our coastline. Here and there, picturesque falls drop over the cliffs directly onto the beach or into the sea.

One used to be known as The Watersplash which fell directly into the sea and this was where sailors filled their water casks. Perhaps the most spectacular is at Hayburn Wyke below Staintondale which lies between Ravenscar and Scarborough.

We’ve enough waterfalls in this region to keep us busy hunting them for years.