Moss Force facts for kids
Moss Force is a beautiful waterfall located in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It's about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of the town of Keswick. You can find it at Newlands Hause, which is a mountain pass connecting the Newlands Valley and the Buttermere Valley. Moss Force is a famous spot on the "Wainwright Memorial Walk," and its beauty was even praised by the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
About Moss Force
Moss Force is about 100 meters (328 feet) tall. It is formed by a stream called Moss Beck. This stream flows down from a hill known as Robinson. The Beck starts high up, at 540 meters (1,772 feet). It flows across a wet, boggy area called Buttermere Moss. Then, it drops sharply from a height of 420 meters (1,378 feet) in three clear sections.
The top section is the highest waterfall. It splits around a rock and falls into a small pool. A few Rowan trees grow around this pool. The water then continues down through two smaller waterfalls. The middle waterfall drops into a larger pool. You might see scattered Juniper plants around this pool. The bottom waterfall is the smallest of the three. After this, the Beck enters a small wooded area with even more tiny falls. The stream then flattens out in the Newlands Valley. Here, it joins another stream called High Hole Beck and becomes Keskadale Beck.
Visiting Moss Force
Moss Force is a very popular spot for visitors and tourists. Many drivers and passengers from Lake District tour buses stop at Newlands Hause to see the falls. There are two paths from Newlands Hause. These paths lead to the bottom of both the upper and middle waterfalls. You might need to climb a little over rocks to reach the very top falls.
Moss Force is also a challenging place for ice climbing in winter. It's a 110-meter (361-foot) climb in total. The climb is split into four sections. The upper falls are the longest and most difficult part. Climbers can go around the sticking-out rock on either side. The very last 20-meter (66-foot) section is less steep. It leads up to Buttermere Moss.
The falls are part of the "Wainwright Memorial Walk." This is a long, 102-mile (164-kilometer) walk. It was created by a famous British fellwalker and writer named Alfred Wainwright. He wrote about it in his book, Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. Moss Force is included in many British walking tours and guides.
Moss Force in Literature
The famous poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge visited Moss Force in 1802. He waited until the waterfall was very full after heavy rain. He explored the falls in September of that year. Coleridge wrote about his visit in a letter to a friend. He described the upper waterfall as "fearfully savage, & black, & jagged." He said it "tears the flood to pieces." He also mentioned how a "great black Outjutment divides the water." He thought it was an "awful Image & Shadow of God & the World."
Thomas West also wrote about Moss Force in his book, Guide to the Lakes (1778). He described the waterfall as "a mountain of purple coloured rock presenting a thousand chasms."
