Nidd Gorge

Nidd Gorge makes up a section of the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England, in which the river enters a deep ravine with sheer, tree covered valley sides. The river as a whole flows from its source near Great Whernside in Nidderdale (part of the Yorkshire Dales), to its confluence with the River Ouse near Nun Monkton. Nidd Gorge makes up approximately 3 miles of the entire length of the river and stretches from the now defunct Nidd viaduct at Bilton in Harrogate to Grimbald Bridge, just south of Knaresborough.

During the 18th century and the advent of the industrial revolution, mills began to operate along this stretch of the river, using the force of the water to drive the machinery. Scotton Flax mill was erected in 1798 and run by the company Eteson Dearlove until it ceased operation in 1851. Although this mill was classified as being in Bilton, there was actually another Bilton mill on the other side of the weir, which shared the Scotton weir with Scotton Flax mill as its source of power. Most evidence of this mill has since disappeared, while the 'Scotton' mill still stands, although it has been deindustrialised and now exists as a private residence.

In 1982, Harrogate Borough Council set up the Nidd Gorge Management Project in a bid to make the area more accessible to hikers and cyclists, as the path along the river became treacherous and often impassable when there had been heavy rain. In areas in which the path was particularly susceptible to becoming impassable after heavy rain, the council placed duck boards which enable users of the route to easily negotiate any areas of the path which are likely to become particularly muddy.

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Wikipedia