The Strid at Bolton Abbey

Bolton Strid is a small section of the River Wharfe, North England. It looks just like a place where fairies might be found frolicking in the heath. It has a bad reputation, however, and there is a natural trap underneath that has claimed many lives. Informally, It is reputed to be the most dangerous water stretch in the world. It has an alleged fatality rate in excess of 100% for anyone who falls in it.

Bolton Strid

Bolton Strid

The Strid Yorkshire — The Bolton Strid, a narrow section on the River Wharfe, Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire, England. It's a beautiful stretch of river that looks calm and modest. The river's narrowness allows visitors to jump from one bank of the river to the next. Tourists are attracted to this stretch of river because it is so shallow. Locals believe that "stride" is the origin of the name "Strid".

Yorkshire river — But, there are death traps beneath the calm waters that have claimed lives and left terrible memories for those who survived. The Bolton Strid narrows not because the water is flowing off course, but because it changes direction and flows vertically instead of horizontally. This results in powerful and deceptively deep river currents. Deep caves and tunnels make it possible to trap debris and people in a void. Although the strid has been a deadly plague for centuries, it remains a popular spot for adventure-seekers and hikers. A couple was killed while walking along the riverbank in 1998 when the water rose more than five feet in under a minute. A young boy also died in the Bolton Abbey river in Yorkshire in 2010, after he slipped into the strid river. These events have earned the river its dangerous reputation.

Bolton Abbey

The Strid deaths — Young William de Romilly was one of the victims of the Bolton Abbey Strid. He was the son of Lady Alice de Romilly and jump across the river strid in 1154 and lost his life. After the death of his son, his mother was broken, whose fulfillment was nowhere in this world. She donated the land surrounding Bolton Priory monastery. William Wordsworth immortalized the tragic story in his poem, "The Force of Prayer".

“This striding-place is called THE STRID,
A name which it took of yore:
A thousand years hath it borne that name,
And shall a thousand more.
And hither is young Romilly come,
And what may now forbid
That he, perhaps for the hundredth time,
Shall bound across THE STRID?
He sprang in glee,- or what cared he’
That the river was strong, and the rocks were steep? –
But the greyhound in the leash hung back,
And checked him in his leap.
The Boy is in the arms of Wharf,
And strangled by a merciless force;
For never more was young Romilly seen
Till he rose a lifeless corse.”

Deadly stream of Yorkshire river

Bolton abbey England —The River Wharf flows between two banks of mossy rocks in the Strid area. It looks more like a stream, creek, or rushing river but if you travel upstream, the deadly stream that becomes a river with frothing currents, waves, and measures 9 meters across.

The reason why the Strid at Bolton Abbey is so narrow is that the waters change their orientation. Instead of flowing horizontally, they flow vertically through the narrow shaft made by the natural rocks. Because both banks are severely undercut, the narrow gap at the river Wharfe strid is an illusion. There is a network underground of tunnels and caverns that holds all the river's water. The Strid near Bolton abbey is a mysterious river that runs deep. This change in orientation has caused it to be deceptively powerful and strong. It even created an area below the shore rocks where debris and people can be trapped.

Anyone who falls in the water or jumps in will be swept into the deep waters and most likely tumbled against rocks by the currents. The area is marked with warning signs that discourage people from taking the leap. Despite its fame, the Strid hiking trail is still popular and a popular spot to walk. It's a great place for adventure seekers and hikers.

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