Is Scabdale Bower flowing?

Getting here without a car

• Nearest bus stop Liverton FLX (flx), LIVERTON ROAD, about 960m away

Straight-line distances to where the stop or station is, from the national registers of them. That a stop exists is not a promise that a bus calls at it — timetables are somebody else’s data and this page does not read them, so check the operator before you rely on it.

Nobody measures the temperature of the water at a waterfall, anywhere in Britain or Ireland, so this site cannot tell you. Inland water stays cold through the summer, and it is coldest against the air on the warm still days when most people get in. The RNLI defines cold water as anything below 15°C, and says cold water can seriously affect your breathing and your ability to move. Treat it as cold.

A waterfall is at its most impressive on exactly the day it is most dangerous. Heavy rain means more water, faster water, and rock that is slippery well back from the edge. People are hurt at waterfalls without ever getting in, by losing their footing on wet rock while walking or scrambling.

In February 2026 a coroner issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report following three deaths in Waterfall Country in the Bannau Brycheiniog. Take the same care here.

Nobody tests the water at a waterfall. It is not a designated bathing water: there is no sampling, no pollution forecast and no official sign. This page says nothing about whether it is safe to enter the water, because there is no information on which to say it.

Blue-green algae. You cannot tell whether a bloom is toxic by looking at it, so the Environment Agency says it is safest to assume it is, and to keep children and dogs out of the water. It can look like green flakes, bundles or a paint-like scum on the surface.

Fresh water carries Weil’s disease. It is rare and it is serious. Cover cuts before you go in, do not swallow the water, wash your hands before eating, and if you get flu-like symptoms in the fortnight afterwards tell a doctor you were in fresh water.

Check access before travelling. Rights of way differ across Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland, and being able to see a waterfall on a map does not mean there is a right to reach it.