Venford Falls
A secluded double fall in the heart of Dartmoor. A landscape photography location guide.
What Is It
Dartmoor is a mythical landscape,
What to Shoot
When To Shoot
How To Get There
Head to the Venford Reservoir using post code TQ13 7SS. There is a free car park just before the reservoir bridge, pull up and park here.
From the car park;
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From this carpark, start walking away from the road and follow the path downstream along the top of the ridge and past the waterworks. Carry on for about half a mile. The trees are sparsely spaced. At around the point where the trees become denser, descend the footpath along the ridge and the falls are around 200m down the steep hill. You’ll hear the falls before you see them.
Difficulty
Rated 2 / 5
Venford can be tricky to find. There’s no formal path to the top of the falls and it can feel a bit like bushwhacking at points dependent on which route is taken. Once you reach the top of the falls, the drop into the gorge is quite steep and the banks very muddy and unstable.
Crowd Factor
Medium
Despite its seclusion, Venford Falls draws in many photographers to capture it’s lush double falls. The gorge is narrow and vantage points in the gorge are limited, so visit early to avoid any tripod jostling. To get the classic composition, there are only a few select spots to stand, I have seen a line form with photographers waiting to .
Dinorwic’s Hidden waterall, deep in California
The Drum House at sunrise hitting the distant peaks of Snowden
Disclaimer
Entrance to Dinorwic is at your own risk. Whilst a wonderful, enchanting photographic location, with unrivalled opportunities, it’s easy to forget that this is first and foremost an abandoned quarry.
Buildings collpase, spoil heaps collapse, tunnels collapse, staircases collapse. Nothing is maintained; everything is decaying after nearly half a centry of abaonment and merciless mountain weather. Enter at your own risk.