Cauldron Snout

Cauldron Snout is a long cascade on the upper River Tees in northern England. It lies just below the dam of Cow Green Reservoir, upstream of High Force waterfall. The border between County Durham and Cumbria crosses the falls. The site sits inside the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the European Geopark. Its dolerite rock steps were formed by the Whin Sill. The cascade stretches about 180 metres, making it England’s longest waterfall. Visitors reach it by a three-kilometre walk from the reservoir car park. The Pennine Way passes the falls, drawing many walkers. Thomas Allom’s 19th-century engraving and Letitia Elizabeth Landon’s poem helped make the place known. W H Auden recalled its wild power in a 1941 poem. At Cauldron Snout the Tees plunges over dark stone in a steady roar. Moor House Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve surrounds the falls. The reserve’s peat-stained burns feed the Tees upstream. Visitors find open moorland and steep rock ledges beside the water. The site offers strong views of layered strata and rushing water.