They Never Made It Out – The Strid’s Dark Secret

The Strid is one of the most deceptively dangerous bodies of water on Earth. Beneath its seemingly calm surface lies a hidden labyrinth of underwater caves, sheer rock walls, and powerful currents that have claimed lives—including a honeymooning couple who never made it out.

In this episode, we explore the Strid’s deadly reputation, the eerie warning signs that surround it, and the fascinating folklore of the Bolton Abbey estate, from ancient wishing trees to the mysterious stepping stones.

🔹 How deep is the Strid really?
🔹 What happened to those who underestimated it?
🔹 And what other secrets does this historic site hold?

Join me on this journey through one of Yorkshire’s most infamous natural wonders.

⏳ Timestamps:
00:00 - Why the Warning Signs?
01:47 - The Bolton Abbey Estate
02:57 - Exploring The Estate
04:29 - The first Wishing Tree
06:48 - Navigating the Floods
07:43 - The Map
08:30 - Car Park Controversy
10:42 - The Second Coin Tree
12:41 - The Stepping Stones
14:24 - The Abbey
18:05 - The Pavilion
18:59 - Outro

#YorkshireHistory #BoltonAbbey #RiverWharfe #DeadlyWaters

[Kevin-mxvi]

It has a 100% fatality rate. Fall in and you don't come out alive, sometimes for weeks, and maybe never - No-one can go down there and check if there are any bodies trapped in the hollows or and ledges because it's unsurvivable.
My dad and his diving club once tried to swim upstream into the lower part of The Strid but it was impossible. The water is full of air bubbles so there's no buoyancy, and the currents were very violent, and that wasn't even near the roughest parts !

[pocketlama]

"You are joking. It's closed" I felt your despair for a moment there. Some days it just feels like the whole damn thing is conspiring against us. Great final cut. Perfect

[ericawildwood]

There's a horror story by Gertrude Atherton (1857-1948) called 'The Striding Place' which is about The Strid. The reality of it is even more horrifying. Great stuff, Northern Introvert, thanks from an East Anglian Introvert

[zafnor]

Don't sell yourself short. There are plenty of us who have watched your videos to the end (e.g. 16:45). You have a very calming nature about you. And I get to see parts of the UK that I will never get to experience in real life. Thanks for sharing your adventure.

[heu-reaka]

Went and watched the video, it wouldn't let me comment on that. Came for the Strid, stayed for the scenery and the abbey. (I'm studying archaelogy in Hungary. I don't mind the lack of a tour around the abbey, I would research it myself anyway since now I'm curious!)

We don't have coin trees here, but we do stack rocks when we're hiking - each hiker builds the tower with a stone. People like to throw coins into shallow waters (wells, fountains but sometimes natural waters fall victim too) to show they wish to come back again. Those trees are interesting, there must be some ancient coins them.

[Samouraii]

The 1970s safety ad "the Spirit of Dark Waters" has been burned into my psyche since i was a kid. You dont mess about with water!

[frogandspanner]

I'm pleased that videos like this didn't exists on the many times I visited the Strid as a kid. It's way beyond buttock-clenching fear to testicle-retracting terror! The stepping stones are now the limit of my bravery.

[barbaraprest]

I enjoy your walks and talks - keep on please 😊

[mkmornz]

These landscapes you film have me desiring to travel there and places similar throughout the UK. This place is so similar to places in Northern California where i live near the coast. Love the ancient history and archeological features in the UK especially in the more rural areas. But the natural landscapes are what’s so soothing to view. Appreciate how you captured the background as well.

[benjaminmack]

The Cavendish family are the Dukes of Devonshire. Chatsworth is the big house that belongs to them. I haven't been to Bolton abbey since I was a very young kid back then the tearoom was a hut! It was a lovely video I must visit Yorkshire again

[Leslie.]

Love these adventures you take us on in each video. Thank you!

[frogandspanner]

17:07 Just imagine being the poor sod that had to get up early each day to replace the plaque with an updated version.

[JonGUK]

Great channel. Thoroughly enjoying your videos with very engaging narration to camera. Will definitely check back regularly for your latest content.

[Justagirlok]

We were here on Tuesday, spent the best part of 3 hours walking around, I was pleasantly surprised at how much there was to see and the rich history of the place, it made being out in the cold and wet worth it. It wasn’t until I did a bit of googling about the scary looking ‘stream’ that I realised just how notorious the Strid is. Looking forward to going back in warmer weather. Thanks for a great video 😊

[cereal_at_midnight]

6:04 down in Kent here and I’ve never seen this before, will definitely be keeping an eye out now though! V cool

[imogenharrison]

There was no heavy rainfall the day the couple drowned. The problem with this part of the Wharfe is that it is used as a natural pipeline to transfer water from Grimwith reservoir and the pumping station at Addingham. The water is pumped to Chelker reservoir and then on to the service reservoirs at Chellow Dene serving the city of Bradford.
The water is released from Grimwith and it can make the water level in this part of the Wharfe rise rapidly. Locals know about it, sadly tourists don't, and occasionally it can catch people out.
It is also nonsense to say the Strid is 60 metres. It is about 39 feet at it's deepest, but it is incredibly dangerous. I once watched an idiot throw a stick in for his Labrador to fetch, the dog survived, just.

[robertabray-enhus]

That river is really moving! Just looking at it, is wild!
It looks like walking the trails it would be beautiful in the summer.

[ericdoe]

It’s hard to believe the river you walked over on the foot bridge is the same as the one in the slot canyon. It illustrates the depth of the narrows

[itsmurderupnorth]

Spent many happy days at Bolton Abbey, the Strid is one of those wonders of nature where the beauty conceals how truly dangerous it is.

[JeffTheDragonSlayer]

Well u got new subscriber now, what a nice video, mate 👍👍👍👍👍