The Bolton Strid is thought to be the deadliest patch of water in the world (Picture: PA)
In the tranquil woodlands of North Yorkshire lies a picturesque yet deadly natural wonder which has been claiming lives for centuries.
The Bolton Strid, a narrow and innocent-looking segment of the river Wharfe, looks indistinguishable from any other scenic spot in the English countryside at a glance.
But the unassuming stretch of river also harbours a dark secret worthy of any horror film – beneath the calm surface lies waters so deep and treacherous that if anyone falls in, it’s unlikely they’ll ever reemerge
According to local legend, the Strid is so dangerous that nobody who has fallen in has ever survived, and many of their bodies have never been recovered. Known as ‘England’s Killer Creek’ and the ‘the stream that swallows people’, the deadly patch of water is said to have a 100% mortality rate.
Metro.co.uk delves into the depths of this natural phenomenon, uncovering the truths behind its tranquil surface and exploring the enduring myths that shroud its waters in mystery.
The deadly patch has been claiming victims as far back as the 12th century (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Why is the Strid so dangerous?
Travel just a few minutes upstream and you’ll find the Wharfe looks like any other river, with a bank which stretches around 30 metres wide and waters which flow at a tranquil and easy pace.
But due to a bizarre geological anomaly, the river effectively turns on its side as the waters get funnelled through the Strid, with hundreds of gallons getting pushed through a tiny six-foot gap thought to be over 200 feet deep.
As a result of this unusual formation, water passing through travels at a rapid pace and thrashes up, down, and side-to-side, creating burbles and whirlpools to arise that can swallow a human whole in a matter of moments.
In a YouTube video explaining the phenomenon, British ‘fact-seeker’ Tom Scott explains how the powerful currents ‘gouge out passages and tunnels in the rocks below’.
Beneath the slippery, moss-covered stones which overlook the river, he adds, is a vast network of caves of crevices made of sedimentary rock which hide a ‘mass of deadly currents’.
Anyone unfortunate enough to fall in, he adds, would soon find themselves sucked under the water in a matter of moments and ‘pulverised against the rocks under the water over and over again’ until they were completely unrecognisable.
Although the exact depth of the Strid is not officially known. Another YouTuber by the name of Jack a Snacks used a sonar device to measure the deepest part of the Strid. His measurement revealed a depth of 65 metres (213 feet), which is roughly equivalent in height to 15 double-decker buses stacked on top of each other.
None who have entered the Strid have ever come out alive (Picture: PA)
How many people have died in the Strid?
Although there is no way to know for sure how many lives the Strid has claimed, stories of people getting sucked beneath the waters date back as far as the 12th century, and were even immortalised in a poem by William Wordsworth in the 1800s.
According to local legend, young William de Romilly, who was allegedly being groomed to become the next King of Scotland. foolishly attempted to jump the Strid with his greyhound dog in 1152 and failed, perishing in the waters.
Following his death, his mother Lady Alice de Romilly, who owned the surrounding lands, became so distraught that she donated the land to monks who could pray for her son’s soul. They subsequently built the nearby Bolton Priory, which has become a local landmark and the source of the Strid’s name.
Another harrowing case occurred in August 1998 when newlyweds Barry and Lynn Collett died on the second day of their honeymoon.
A geological quirk causes the wide river to turn on its side as it passes through the Strid, creating powerful currents which engulf anything which enters it (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The couple set off for a walk near the Wharfe and were never seen alive again.
Student nurse Lynn, 25, was found dead six days later near a weir in Addingham, while her husband Barry was not found until two months later, when he was washed ashore ten miles downstream.
An inquest into their deaths revealed the couple had been caught off-guard by rising water levels, which were said to have risen by 5ft in less than a minute.
Desmond Thomas, who knew the couple, told the hearing: ‘I went to the water’s edge and just as I got there I saw a man’s body, who I now know to be Barry, pop out of the water.
‘The face popped up towards me and within a matter of seconds it disappeared.’
Another tragic incident occurred in 2010, when eight-year-old Aaron Page was playing near stepping stones on his birthday when he slipped and fell into the river and drowned. A passer-by grabbed hold of him but the strong current dragged him below the surface and he soon disappeared.
Despite its dark history, the Strid remains a popular tourist and hiking spot (Picture: PA)
Can I visit the Strid?
Despite its storied past, the Strid remains a popular tourist destination and is frequently visited by hikers and motorcyclists.
Upon approaching the river, visitors will see an ominous warning which reads: ‘The Strid is dangerous and has claimed lives in the past. Please stand well back and beware of slippery rocks.’
Professor Carolyn Roberts, Professor of Environment at Gresham College, London, told the Daily Mail: ‘Beautiful rivers can certainly be dangerous to humans – the Nile has lots of crocodiles, the Zambesi will push you over the Victoria Falls, and beware of swallowing water from the lower reaches of the Colorado.
‘Whilst the Strid is also beautiful, and looks innocuous, it’s similarly deadly. It kills because of its geomorphology – the form of the channel, which is influenced by the nature of the rocks over which it tumbles.
‘Rather than carving a stately way through silt, it twists and turns through flat and overhanging rocks falling over the edge of a limestone formation. Vortices in the flow will trap bodies under the water close to the bed or the sides, whilst the turbulence will render someone unconscious very quickly. It’s not a good place to play.’
According to legend, a ghostly white horse can be seen trotting down the frothing Strid whenever the river claims another life.
Andrew Warburton, an amateur photographer from Bradford, told YorkshireLive: ‘Imagine if you jumped there and slipped? There are plenty of signs to warn you to be careful.’
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