Video by: Helen Gant
This is the spectacular moment a waterfall in the Peak District appeared to flow BACKWARDS during Storm Ciara as it was battered by high winds.
Helen Gant filmed the extraordinary footage of water cascading upwards at Kinder Downfall in Derbyshire on Sunday (9/2).
Powerful winds caused the 98ft (30m) waterfall to blow in the opposite direction at the natural beauty spot which is located on the edge of Kinder Scout mountain peak.
Helen uploaded the footage to her Facebook page with the caption “Not crowded up here today” where it has been shared and viewed hundreds of times.
Keen hiker Helen said: “I've been scrambling up hills and mountains since I was little.
“Watching the downfall blowing up was pretty exhilarating.
“I've been up there quite a few times when it's been blowing uphill but this was the most spectacular so far.”
When frozen in harsh winters, the downfall is also a venue for daredevils to take part in ice-climbing.
The natural wonder is part of the famous Pennine Way trail, which begins in the Peak District and stretches for 268 miles all the way to Kirk Yetholm at the Scottish Borders.
Helen, 45, a school data manager, said: “I’ve only really got into climbing recently but I have been walking and rambling since I was a kid.
“I love it and walk a lot. My mum and dad used to take us out to the hills all the time so I have been doing it forever.
“It was really exciting to see the falls behave like that. It was crazy. It was exhilarating walking along the top.
“I’ve been up a few times as I can see Kinder from my garden.
“I love exploring it when it does that. I’ve never seen it as dramatic as it was last Sunday though.
“The water was coming over the footpath so you get absolutely soaked when you get up there.”
Helen, of New Mills, Derbys., said she felt completely safe up the top and said others should not attempt the climb unless they feel comfortable.
She added: “It felt perfectly safe because the wind was constant. It was buffeting a bit but it was never blowing us towards the edge, always inland.
“I say it’s perfectly safe but I don’t want to encourage anyone to go up there this weekend. We felt secure in those conditions.
“It was still exciting, but you always have to take the risks carefully. A couple of days later it was incredible too, as it was frozen and covered in ice.
“People do go ice climbing on it sometimes, but its nowhere near stable enough at the moment.”
