Why do we have such a fascination with cascading water? What is it about free-falling rivers that hooks our imagination and enlivens our senses? Why, in short, do we love waterfalls?
The UK uplands are home to more than their fair share of waterfalls. Indeed, it’s rare for any mountain walk not to pass by a cascade of some variety, from the gentle trickle of a burn as it makes its way down the hill, to the more thunderous roar of fully fledged waterfall in full flow as it launches from cliffs and crags, destined for its continuation tens of metres below. Hikers and hill walkers get to see more waterfalls in action than most but, unlike the substrate into which they bore, their appeal never seems to erode, and our fascination in them never drifts away.
So why is this? Is it purely the aesthetics? Do waterfalls appeal to a subconscious, perhaps spiritual echo inside of us? Or is something more demonstrably scientific at work. Trail writer Ben Weeks heads to the waterfall wonderland of the Brecon Beacons to find out.
Music by Bensound.com/royalty-free-music
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18 май 2023
