The Most Dangerous Stretch of Water in the World: The Strid at Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire

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  • čas přidán 8. 05. 2016
  • I know, I know, it's a clickbait title. But I stand by it, because the water is so deceptive, and so pretty, and there's a path that leads straight down to it and that jump looks very, very possible...
    The 12th century legend is the "Boy of Egremont", immortalised in poetry by the famous William Wordsworth. His "The Force of Prayer" is about the Strid and the Boy of Egremont, and the full text is here: web.archive.org/web/201610020...
    Also, I need to make one correction: I say "a hundred metres upstream", but that shot's actually about that far downstream. I couldn't fix that in post, but since the river's basically the same for a mile or so in each direction with no significant confluences, it's a small enough slip that I don't think it's too bad. The amount of water is the same!
    I'm at tomscott.com/
    on Facebook at / tomscott
    on Twitter at / tomscott
    and on Instagram as tomscottgo

Komentáře • 4,3K

  • @RubixB0y
    @RubixB0y Před 8 lety +6143

    I'm on a different continent; yet, I still feel like I'm too close to that edge...

    • @JB_inks
      @JB_inks Před 8 lety +144

      +RubixB0y I bet you're feeling incontinent now...

    • @RubixB0y
      @RubixB0y Před 8 lety +65

      joyork You could say I'm incontinent outcontinent.

    • @winkerdude
      @winkerdude Před 8 lety +6

      Been to the Grand Canyon?

    • @TheQuestDesigns
      @TheQuestDesigns Před 8 lety +14

      ... of glory and I'm hangin' on a moment of truth

    • @carly3738
      @carly3738 Před 8 lety +2

      +The Purple Yam YASSS

  • @EmmaLiza
    @EmmaLiza Před 8 lety +3691

    frozen lake in Estonia: yeah you'll be fine.
    pleasant looking stream in Yorkshire: DEATH.

    • @almostbauws1845
      @almostbauws1845 Před 8 lety +2

      are you estonian?

    • @artyb27
      @artyb27 Před 8 lety +154

      +Almostbauws Tom visited Estonia a few weeks back and fell into a frozen lake. Check out his Park Bench channel for the story, it's rather entertaining.

    • @RudyBleeker
      @RudyBleeker Před 8 lety +56

      +EmmaLiza I believe Tom has admitted that the involuntary dive into that frozen Estonian lake wasn't that safe either in retrospect. But yeah, he came out fine, thankfully :-)

    • @johnnyboy3949
      @johnnyboy3949 Před 6 lety +17

      The point is it does look pleasant, that's why it's so dangerous, as under the surface it's is so deep and the currents are so fast

    • @reinismartinsons
      @reinismartinsons Před 6 lety

      Hey neighbours

  • @RobMacKendrick
    @RobMacKendrick Před 4 lety +16457

    Fascinating. It's worth mentioning that future kings of Scotland have been dying in "accidents" for a very long time.

    • @hissingfaunaa
      @hissingfaunaa Před 3 lety +523

      Keyword "accident"

    • @AllAmericanGuyExpert
      @AllAmericanGuyExpert Před 3 lety +360

      That may be the most British "parenthetical" of the 21st century.

    • @quadc0014
      @quadc0014 Před 3 lety +364

      yes i’m sure the english cause many “accidents”

    • @daroldcarold3443
      @daroldcarold3443 Před 3 lety +340

      Welcome to Scotland, future kings trying to jump over a 0.5 metre river and somehow missing

    • @RobMacKendrick
      @RobMacKendrick Před 3 lety +124

      @@daroldcarold3443 Aye. "Somehow."

  • @bobbysilver272
    @bobbysilver272 Před 3 lety +3567

    I've seen salmon climbing over the rocks just to avoid that section.

    • @bradleywoods3742
      @bradleywoods3742 Před 3 lety +281

      Ive heard that some even hitch a ride on a herons back

    • @josh256m8
      @josh256m8 Před 3 lety +294

      @@bradleywoods3742 I think I heard that eagles are making a good living as taxis there

    • @fwuuton
      @fwuuton Před 3 lety +185

      This whole thread sounds like a children's storybook

    • @TheStockwell
      @TheStockwell Před 3 lety +111

      I've heard of rocks climbing over *other* rocks to avoid that place! ☺

    • @damshek
      @damshek Před 2 lety +66

      @Bradley Woods I've seen water climbing over trees to avoid that section.

  • @pingu5746
    @pingu5746 Před 8 lety +14501

    Why do I feel the very irrational need to jump over this river?

    • @TomScottGo
      @TomScottGo  Před 8 lety +6632

      +pingu5746 There was one point, when I was there, when I thought "you know, I bet I could make that jump". I probably could've. But if I'd missed it…

    • @walso5948
      @walso5948 Před 8 lety +860

      +Tom Scott don't do that, who else could make these videos this good? :D

    • @ParallaxScene
      @ParallaxScene Před 8 lety +508

      +Tom Scott It looks very tempting, is there any signs warning about it in the area?

    • @mrtommygunwhite
      @mrtommygunwhite Před 8 lety +38

      +Tom Scott but then the video proves itself some of your videos have demos right

    • @sjwimmel
      @sjwimmel Před 8 lety +156

      +Tom Scott This all sounds like the premise of one of those old children's movies that were just a bit too scary.

  • @Andy_k9k
    @Andy_k9k Před 5 lety +16566

    I threw a stone in once and it never came back up :(

  • @lokopixo2338
    @lokopixo2338 Před 4 lety +8204

    when I was on vacation somewhere in the south of france, I went to the local river where everyone goes, it's something similar to that but with clear water and bit larger stream
    I didn't want to actually swim in it, not risking anything.. but when I walked close to the edge to see my friend going over it, the wet moss made me slip and I fell in it
    instantly I saw how deep the river actually is (I'm almost 2 meters tall) and how light I was compared to the stream
    I really, really panicked as I was thrown away like a leaf, not capable of keeping my head above the water but most importantly, not capable of grabbing something to hold on and stop being carried away to the even more dangerous rapids ahead
    this isn't something I want to experience ever again, the sensation of being absolutely nothing compared to the force of the water.
    fortunately a grandpa and his grandson were nearby and they ran to help me, trying to help me with a long wood branch
    I managed to get stuck in a position where I couldn't be carried away and they both helped me getting out of the water
    I was exhausted, goddamn stresset but so happy to have been able to get out of that nightmare
    it didn't lasted long, something like under a minute or so, but it was seriously frightening
    thanks for coming to my ted talk x)

    • @anvilbrunner.2013
      @anvilbrunner.2013 Před 3 lety +628

      A rip tide on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall dragged me under & away. After a few minutes i resurfaced. I was so exhausted that it took me almost three hours to swim to the shore. If i hadn't been aware of the swim diagonal to the shore rule i'd never have made it back. Never leap into the ocean off a cliff on a headland. There's always a rip tide.

    • @Win090949
      @Win090949 Před 3 lety +19

      So it’s not 100%

    • @Win090949
      @Win090949 Před 3 lety +20

      Sam Hilton awww :(

    • @debbiehenri7170
      @debbiehenri7170 Před 3 lety +191

      A close shave in deep water certainly makes you respect it forever afterwards - I know that from personal experience too. I too almost drowned off the Cornish coast. Once back on land, I was told a boy had drowned in almost the same spot the previous summer.

    • @parisnelson5321
      @parisnelson5321 Před 3 lety +66

      I've nearly drowned to earlier on this year in a river with stronv currents and i would've drowned if it wasnt for an adrenaline rush after being under for a little while, you never realise how powerful water is untill your life is in danger

  • @Gazork.ChumbleSpuzz
    @Gazork.ChumbleSpuzz Před 3 lety +429

    That subtle boil on the surface is a good indicator of danger too. It looks 'smooth' but betrays complex + turbulent currents underneath.

    • @juniperrodley9843
      @juniperrodley9843 Před rokem +32

      Adding to this, according to other commenters, the presence of so many air bubbles lowers the density of the water, meaning anything moving into it will sink like a rock.

  • @tortex1
    @tortex1 Před 5 lety +7117

    Imagine how cool it would be to temporarily divert/bypass that section of the river and see the bottom. There might some interesting crap at the bottom, not to mention the probably nice looking cavern. Of course, the cost of diverting all that water... it will probably remain a crazy idea in the youtube comment section.

    • @TheMajkla
      @TheMajkla Před 5 lety +705

      This must an amazing place to go magnet fishing. But it could be also very difficult and dangerous, your magnet gets snagged, you want to check it out and if you slip on those mossy edges, that's it. Another empty casket..

    • @brazenh2836
      @brazenh2836 Před 4 lety +541

      The currents so strong everything gets washed downstream...
      So nothing in it... Innit

    • @MrPruske
      @MrPruske Před 4 lety +173

      Probably bones too

    • @ClashixTV
      @ClashixTV Před 4 lety +242

      nah, if there are crevices at the bedrock, heavy metals like gold, silver, could potentially sit on the bottom ;) so if anything, it'd make it even better with a strong current. as all the shite will get swept away. like a sluice. also I had the same idea about magnet fishing it. :p

    • @jameshughes4264
      @jameshughes4264 Před 4 lety +43

      I actually thought that. Maybe someone in the past diverted the river to those cave?

  • @christophernewman5027
    @christophernewman5027 Před 4 lety +2750

    "All we know is, it's called the Strid!"

  • @CMoore-Gaming
    @CMoore-Gaming Před 2 lety +585

    The fact it is far deeper than it looks is the creepiest part to me. It just looks so shallow, but I could imagine dying without ever touching the bottom.

    • @aim-to-misbehave5674
      @aim-to-misbehave5674 Před rokem +89

      Apparently it was recently measured with sonar to be 65 metres / 213 foot deep in places - you're _definitely_ never touching the bottom of the Strid!

    • @deleted-something
      @deleted-something Před rokem

      Yea

    • @deleted-something
      @deleted-something Před rokem +6

      ​@@aim-to-misbehave5674💀💀

    • @jackhargraves9859
      @jackhargraves9859 Před 11 měsíci +29

      I live a few miles upstream from here and it's not quite 65m but more like 9m, but at the bottom underneath the narrowest part there is a big ball shaped chamber where the water just swirls around and around. If you get caught in that you won't get out.

    • @edwardsroba
      @edwardsroba Před 11 měsíci +8

      @@aim-to-misbehave5674this was totally debunked, and the guy who recorded it recognised his error. It’s only a few meters deep

  • @emmagill6237
    @emmagill6237 Před 3 lety +513

    my great-great (great?) grandfather on my mother's side died in the Strid in the 1880s- my mum has an article from a newspaper at the time about it happening. Its crazy!

  • @Shitbird3249
    @Shitbird3249 Před 5 lety +5637

    This English gentleman has taught me two things today:
    -don’t do rivers
    -stay out of drugs.

    • @aidynz5703
      @aidynz5703 Před 4 lety +7

      Brooooo

    • @aidynz5703
      @aidynz5703 Před 4 lety +81

      Hit the nail on the glass

    • @jasong4460
      @jasong4460 Před 4 lety +13

      I mean, that's not *in* correct....

    • @TheElvisnator
      @TheElvisnator Před 4 lety +81

      No it goes this way
      Stay in drugs
      Eat your school
      Stay out of vegetables
      And don't take rivers

    • @jasong4460
      @jasong4460 Před 4 lety +20

      @@TheElvisnator Stay in milk
      Eat your drugs
      And never try this at home.

  • @DuncanEllis
    @DuncanEllis Před 8 lety +908

    "the river turns on its side"
    what an absolutely perfect description

    • @ZexMaxwell
      @ZexMaxwell Před 8 lety +28

      That's really scary.

    • @DuncanEllis
      @DuncanEllis Před 8 lety +32

      xvuaai basically by going from 50' wide to 6' wide.

    • @mememanfresh
      @mememanfresh Před 6 lety +14

      Im confused how does it kill you

    • @snibob5362
      @snibob5362 Před 6 lety +132

      It's very deep, and those rocks are overhangs, it goes on its side, and the soft rock that is in the walls is dug out, making a tunnel down there, because of the large mass of water in a narrow space, the currents begin to speed up underneath the surface and twist and turn due to changes in the rocks 'softness'. This means that it drags you right down, around, and is hard to get out, so it is likely you will drown. The rocks on the edge are slippery and curved, but will smash you up if you hit them fast, and are hard to grip onto. It looks innocent, like a nice stream to jump into even, and this is what causes a lot of death as people aren't prepared for it. Even if they were, I doubt they'd survive it

    • @Corinthian44
      @Corinthian44 Před 5 lety +11

      If you don't believe it , you could always jump in and find out !

  • @squatsby
    @squatsby Před 3 lety +307

    Guess I'll add "calm looking streams" to my list of phobias then 🤷‍♂️

    • @soundseeker63
      @soundseeker63 Před 3 lety +10

      Look a little closer at the swirling surface of the water - a dead give away of the strong, turbulent currents below despite the apparently calm surface.

    • @davefaust7317
      @davefaust7317 Před měsícem +1

      Technically a phobia is an irrational fear, whereas the Strid is worthy of very rational fear. So you have that going for you!

  • @bmodoesstuff
    @bmodoesstuff Před 3 lety +287

    “What’s so dangerous?”
    *steps in the river and sinks in the void.*

  • @commaspace2196
    @commaspace2196 Před 7 lety +2928

    The fact that this exists on the same planet as me makes me constantly uncomfortable

    • @joshpickles9022
      @joshpickles9022 Před 7 lety +195

      It could come looking for you.

    • @kennan10101
      @kennan10101 Před 6 lety +117

      "Oh, hey there little human. I'm just a little bit of water slowly making my way through. Definitely not going to pull you under and slam you against rocks until you're a cloud of person bits. Come on and play with me..."
      Mother Nature is a cold blooded killer.

    • @mikewizz1895
      @mikewizz1895 Před 5 lety +34

      Same planet? i live in the same country. That makes me more uncomfortable

    • @ark_ryl9384
      @ark_ryl9384 Před 5 lety +21

      @@mikewizz1895 I live a few miles away from this thing 😬😬😬

    • @alsnow1049
      @alsnow1049 Před 4 lety +5

      CommaSpace try going outside once and an while! 🤣

  • @maxximumb
    @maxximumb Před 8 lety +2764

    Some say it can eat a herd of cows in a single gulp. Others say it smells vaguely of marmalade. All we know is, it's called The Strid!

    • @mspeir
      @mspeir Před 8 lety +33

      +Maxx B Bravo! Well done! :D

    • @bluetannery1527
      @bluetannery1527 Před 8 lety +32

      That was amazing

    • @medsa666
      @medsa666 Před 8 lety +35

      +Maxx B and to you!! mystery biscuits!

    • @maxximumb
      @maxximumb Před 8 lety +8

      medsa666 Mystery biscuits aren't bad.

    • @winkerdude
      @winkerdude Před 8 lety +11

      Well played.

  • @ThePizzaGoblin
    @ThePizzaGoblin Před 3 lety +62

    When you said it was an overhang I felt my heart skip a beat.. Deep, inescapable water features are up there on my biggest fears.

  • @tortoiseboy2331
    @tortoiseboy2331 Před 3 lety +624

    Imagine if at the bottom there’s like a lil hang out and nobody comes back up because they have so much fu- no they die don’t they

  • @joanhammond1217
    @joanhammond1217 Před 7 lety +993

    When I was a child (under 10), we used to throw rocks into the Strid, to hear the THUNDERING noise they made going downstream. That was in the 1950s. There probably aren't any rocks left nearby!

    • @SilverCipher00
      @SilverCipher00 Před 4 lety +25

      Thun-
      What? How loud is it? And what do you mean *thundering?*

    • @1.4142
      @1.4142 Před 4 lety +19

      you should record yourself doing it again.

    • @SilverCipher00
      @SilverCipher00 Před 4 lety +19

      @@1.4142 That somethin I'd like to see.

    • @susblasian1433
      @susblasian1433 Před 4 lety +17

      ProxyAlpha 00 Joan died

    • @SilverCipher00
      @SilverCipher00 Před 4 lety +1

      @@susblasian1433 Probably .

  • @AgusSimoncelli
    @AgusSimoncelli Před 8 lety +640

    You suddenly made scared of every single river ever.
    Thanks Tom

    • @barrettbarker8343
      @barrettbarker8343 Před 6 lety +10

      Agustin Simoncelli this is the only river like this in the world, it's an anomoly. Normally streams that are a few feet wide are not more than a foot deep, this one goes down forever!

    • @unf3z4nt
      @unf3z4nt Před 5 lety +3

      @@barrettbarker8343
      Imagine the Amazon river doing that. 100 kilometers funnelled down to just 20 centimeters.

    • @obliviousotterI
      @obliviousotterI Před 5 lety +9

      @@unf3z4nt The Amazon isn't 100 km wide

  • @antonystringfellow5152
    @antonystringfellow5152 Před 3 lety +563

    I've swum (carefully) through most of that channel (only once - many years ago). It was one quiet summer's day, when the water was warmer and the rocks were dry. The water was about the same level as in this video. Can't remember who was with me that day but I did have at least one witness.
    There is one bit that is particularly dangerous, it's across from where you were stood, a few yards upstream. If you look at that particular spot, you'll see the water moving towards a very short channel in the rock that forms the side of the river. This very short channel is closed yet the water keeps flowing into it all the same.
    You can see this spot in your video, from 5 seconds in, up to the right, just below the rapids.
    Curious, I gradually lowered myself in at that point, keeping a good hold on the rocks because I knew this just didn't look right. It wasnt! The water there flows down, at an angle into a narrowing fissure in the rock... and accelerates as the fissure narrows. There was quite a force pulling my legs into this fissure. Were I to have let go, I would probably have just disappeared, having been dragged down and jammed into the fissure, below the surface.
    Scary thought!

    • @discoj7112
      @discoj7112 Před 2 lety +48

      This can't be true, CZcams said it has a 100% fatality rate!
      Just kidding, I really appreciate your terrifying story.

    • @SirBeefers
      @SirBeefers Před 2 lety +8

      Damn that is scary, glad you are safe

    • @ADJackD
      @ADJackD Před 2 lety +6

      So like a weaker and natural formed Delta Pi?

    • @callmeshaggy5166
      @callmeshaggy5166 Před rokem +24

      There are probably multiple bodies down there if they haven't been shredded by the current & rocks

    • @aus3492
      @aus3492 Před rokem +21

      You should sell your story to newspapers, I can see the headlines now "Person doesn't drown in river"

  • @boss-anova
    @boss-anova Před 3 lety +36

    What isnt exactly explained here is that the stream cuts through those rocks at an extreme depth of at least 20 meters, and the currents underneath the surface are so strong, youll likely be sucked to the bottom and tossed around endlessly before anyone would even know you were gone.

  • @ark_ryl9384
    @ark_ryl9384 Před 8 lety +2645

    Read the video title as "The Most Dangerous Stretch of Water in the World..." and didn't read where it was. I thought 'oh this must be some weird river in the amazon or something'. When I saw where it was I did a double take, I live 5 miles away from this thing...

    • @cr4z163
      @cr4z163 Před 5 lety +45

      so unlucky

    • @DatInnocentGuy
      @DatInnocentGuy Před 5 lety +68

      Same lowkey scared

    • @TimTeboner
      @TimTeboner Před 5 lety +67

      RUN!

    • @Spegix1
      @Spegix1 Před 5 lety +19

      Could you please pin point the location in GOogle maps? I am in UK now so I might take a walk :D

    • @richardlloyd2589
      @richardlloyd2589 Před 5 lety +103

      4.9 miles, and you’d be a gonner.

  • @andrewday4231
    @andrewday4231 Před 4 lety +5368

    My anxiety is kicking in just seeing Tom near the water

    • @maddy3852
      @maddy3852 Před 4 lety +81

      Me too!! Even though this video was made four years ago...

    • @stephen_boss
      @stephen_boss Před 2 lety +9

      I was just about to say that 🥲

    • @TheLizardKingReborn
      @TheLizardKingReborn Před 2 lety +2

      fam i live there dw people jump over it for fun

    • @user-wl4qs8xl3r
      @user-wl4qs8xl3r Před rokem

      @@TheLizardKingReborn fam, if you miss the jump, you die.

    • @emilyj7023
      @emilyj7023 Před rokem +2

      He said he was not on the edge but I was nauseous the whole time with anxiety at his camera work ... He looked too close to be comfortable !
      I do have a horrid fear of drowning and an incredible respect for the strength of water
      Once we climbed behind the falls at havasu and dipped below a large rock to avoid the stream of the waterfall annihilating us .... I got confused and would have drowned if someone hadn't thrust their arm in grabbing me out the other side / THAT FEELING .... SHIVERS

  • @Jack-mb4jx
    @Jack-mb4jx Před rokem +158

    There is a river like this in the United States, and just like this river has killed nearly if not everyone that was unlucky enough to not stick their landing. The "stream" looks shallow and calm so there has even been reports of people trying to Wade, walk through it only to quickly realize it is far deeper than it looked and just as quickly be pulled in.

  • @IslandlifeIoW
    @IslandlifeIoW Před 3 lety +47

    “Local person doesn’t die in river” makes our local news every day.

  • @SallyLePage
    @SallyLePage Před 8 lety +2976

    Has anyone dropped a crash dummy into it to record the forces underwater? I'd love to try that! (to the dummy, not myself!!!)

    • @EeDog2
      @EeDog2 Před 8 lety +263

      +Sally Le Page Or use sonar to map out a small section to see under the water

    • @callofdutymuhammad
      @callofdutymuhammad Před 8 lety +23

      +Sally Le Page He's obviously using hyperbole. I think if you had half a brain you'd cling onto a rock (not in the rapids)

    • @Blue_
      @Blue_ Před 8 lety +429

      +Teh Beast The rocks are mostly covered in moss, and the river will suck you down, it would not be easy to hang on at all.

    • @Blue_
      @Blue_ Před 8 lety +130

      Teh Beast He's not. There's other stuff about it on websites and stuff. Just look it up, you're bound to find something.

    • @tomwoolski8557
      @tomwoolski8557 Před 6 lety +6

      Sally Le Page, Great idea!!!

  • @MrLaidback
    @MrLaidback Před 5 lety +5376

    I can confirm, i jumped in and i didnt come out alive, you have been warned

    • @pigeonite
      @pigeonite Před 4 lety +116

      this would be a lot more ominous if you were a ghost who told me that in person

    • @timfleet1084
      @timfleet1084 Před 4 lety +172

      I actually went there for a day trip and I was so surprised by the title of the video because I never knew this and my dad jumped over it once

    • @KeanuG95
      @KeanuG95 Před 4 lety +20

      Thanks for the warning

    • @tron.6041
      @tron.6041 Před 4 lety +34

      Me too, 7/10 would not be pulverized by hundreds of pointy rocks therefore becoming ground beef again.

    • @moopstacoopsta5316
      @moopstacoopsta5316 Před 4 lety +25

      Damn bro, get well soon.

  • @elijahsinclair7219
    @elijahsinclair7219 Před 3 lety +29

    This is honestly terrifying. It looks so calm and innocent

  • @tomscotland
    @tomscotland Před 3 lety +55

    How do we know “it looks tempting, and it will kill you” weren’t his last words? Those crevices could be rammed full of dead tempted youtubers.

    • @teh-maxh
      @teh-maxh Před 3 lety +1

      Because he's made hundreds of videos since then, including some on topics that wouldn't have been possible to pre-film.

    • @tomscotland
      @tomscotland Před 3 lety +4

      @@teh-maxh thanks, dad.

  • @frankroberts9320
    @frankroberts9320 Před 4 lety +10557

    The main danger is not a mystery at all and is plainly evident in your video. The water in the strid appears to have a high proportion of entrained air bubbles which greatly lowers its average density. A person jumping into the river upstream of the strid could immediately swim or be buoyed to the surface, then swim to the shallow water of the nearest shore. A person jumping into frothy water has practically zero buoyancy and will sink to the bottom like a stone with no possibility of keeping the head above water. The same effect has caused crew boats and drilling rigs to instantly plunge to the bottom of the sea following subsea gas well blowouts. The surrounding sea water suddenly becomes much less dense because of entrained gas bubbles and anything floating in it will suddenly fall to the sea floor like a greased manhole cover. Anybody entering the strid will be in for a nasty surprise as they find themselves in free fall into a very deep watery grave.

    • @colinsmith1495
      @colinsmith1495 Před 4 lety +1125

      Sorry, that alone isn't nearly enough danger. This thing tops over that 100 times. Besides, that visible bubbling portion is common to rapids and generally indicates high mixing, turbulent flow, but not necessarily high proportions of entrained bubbles.
      Still, in waters like that, they can be very dangerous. Some theories on the Bermuda Triangle says that large deposites of methane hydrate crystals on the ocean floor near there are periodically exposed, bubble up, end up lowering the density of large portions of the ocean as they rise, and any ship sailing through the area when that hits the surface suddenly just doesn't float any more. Not sure that would have any impact on aircraft, though.

    • @henryjarnigan
      @henryjarnigan Před 4 lety +273

      i was gonna say, it seems like if it was normal water one could just hop in, go a few meters down stream and climb out. But ur explanation proves otherwise. thanks

    • @Curu82
      @Curu82 Před 4 lety +943

      ​@@colinsmith1495 The only thing special about the Bermuda Triangle is that it's a heavily traveled shipping lane and a tropical cyclone area. There's no higher frequency of disappearing ships or planes than any other random part of the the ocean with heavy traffic. It doesn't even rank in the top ten most dangerous waters. The myth relies of exaggeration, flawed information, and simple lies.

    • @user-pe2yx9kt4e
      @user-pe2yx9kt4e Před 4 lety +79

      Me scared

    • @bananya6020
      @bananya6020 Před 4 lety +136

      I mean-yes, but how many people have the common sense to think that right before they fall in? That's why people die, and that's why most people think it's safe. Just wanted to point that out to whoever reads this and immediately goes to send an angry email to Tom Scott.
      You aren't wrong, though. You can still see that.

  • @iabervon
    @iabervon Před 8 lety +358

    I'm imagining the possibility that you accidentally filmed a completely innocuous creek that just looks exactly like the super-deadly one, and then had to redo the video by the correct waterway.

  • @ryanstarkweather3625
    @ryanstarkweather3625 Před 2 lety

    I greatly appreciate the storytelling techniques you used for your presentation here, as well as the information.

  • @seratonin7004
    @seratonin7004 Před rokem

    You never fail to deliver! Fascinating!

  •  Před 4 lety +1943

    As someone who does parkour, and nature has always been my favorite playground, i'm glad i live very very far from that river.

    • @tedwarden5803
      @tedwarden5803 Před 3 lety +14

      It’s easy to jump in fact no more than a long step in one direction down not so easy on the up:)

    • @breadtailor4200
      @breadtailor4200 Před 3 lety +8

      Me too but I live in Yorkshire so I'm not that far from it and I'm tempted to jump it now

    • @tedwarden5803
      @tedwarden5803 Před 3 lety +54

      @@breadtailor4200. Not when the river is as high as it is now. There’s a crossing point easy to jump down but not up.
      At this time of year it’s frozen mud and slime. If you go in at any time your not coming out.
      I’ve jumped it dozens of times but not in winter. You’d have to be suicidal or stupid.

    • @fletchercobb4398
      @fletchercobb4398 Před 3 lety +3

      So, like, proper parkour? Where do you train most often? What ability level are you at? And does it count as a kong centuple gainer precision if you do it from an airplane?

    • @JastwatchingYT
      @JastwatchingYT Před 2 lety +3

      @@tedwarden5803 until MOSS happens

  • @colinfurze
    @colinfurze Před 8 lety +4290

    good job i have my hoverbike, i'll fly over it......then probably crash and slip in it backwards.........dam i need to get better at stuff

  • @renskedunnewold1995
    @renskedunnewold1995 Před 3 lety +16

    It'd be so interesting to see what it looks like without water. How deep it is, what tunnels it has formed. Very cool

  • @j.n.4806
    @j.n.4806 Před 3 lety +14

    There's an old story saying it's at this exact place where our fish ancestors started to walk on land.
    They just gave up living in the water, the strid was too heavy for them.

  • @char_gards
    @char_gards Před 4 lety +717

    Living in Yorkshire, my school gave us traumatizing talks about this place for some reason

    • @hha8356
      @hha8356 Před 3 lety +18

      *bradford*

    • @thebananamen1026
      @thebananamen1026 Před 3 lety +23

      @@hha8356 is a shithole. And I live here

    • @hha8356
      @hha8356 Před 3 lety +7

      @@thebananamen1026 depends where really..its not all bad

    • @Virgil-Arcanum
      @Virgil-Arcanum Před 3 lety +14

      @@hha8356 i live in Bradford. It's crap.

    • @Dave-hu5hr
      @Dave-hu5hr Před 3 lety +47

      Best thing about Bradford is the roads out of it..

  • @otter1268
    @otter1268 Před 4 lety +1632

    Looks like not even a lego helicopter can save a person drowning in this river

  • @javimelecio
    @javimelecio Před 4 měsíci +1

    this is the video that made me aware of Tom Scott years ago.
    loved seeing it again today :)
    ...and thanks to this, I won't be going anywhere near that water!

  • @Benjy52
    @Benjy52 Před 3 lety +1

    I used to live around 6 miles away from Bolton Abbey. Thanks for the memories. ☺️

  • @spankeyfish
    @spankeyfish Před 7 lety +998

    I used to live near this and visited it loads of times (yes, I'm alive). Nobody's been drowned by it for a several years, I suspect that's 'cos there's a load of warning signs around it now but before that someone wound up in it every couple of years. You don't even have to fall into it, the 'pavement' around it is often overtopped by floods and a few of the drownings were people caught out by flash floods that way. The bodies usually turn up between Addingham and Ilkley.

    • @corqondisplay6743
      @corqondisplay6743 Před 4 lety +150

      good to know it wasnt your ghost typing that comment

    • @JoanDarc1984
      @JoanDarc1984 Před 4 lety +41

      Nice to know you’re not dead

    • @wompbozer3939
      @wompbozer3939 Před 4 lety +16

      Welcome back from the grave.

    • @jasonreed7522
      @jasonreed7522 Před 2 lety +6

      Genuine question, is there any reason not to make it safe by collapsing it?
      I assume it has to be cheaper than any one of hundreds of road cuts through granite near me, and don't see any reason to want to let people anywhere near it.
      Just from the video it looks tempting to swim, obviously it's sucide to and parts of it look turbulent enough to scare you off but its danger is that it looks safe while being 100 fatal. (Niagra falls looks like it will kill you and as such nobody is willing to go in/over it)

    • @xsp1160
      @xsp1160 Před 2 lety +3

      I don't think anyone would volunteer to cut the rock in which they could fall in tho

  • @TheHotHeadMC
    @TheHotHeadMC Před 8 lety +5616

    I'd love to have upstream temporarily dammed. Would be awesome to see it without the water.

    • @earthlymatters888
      @earthlymatters888 Před 5 lety +1065

      Mm and the graveyard at the bottom. Imagine all the animals

    • @dragonmaster1079
      @dragonmaster1079 Před 5 lety +834

      And what if it doesn't have a bottom it just never ends

    • @thegreatnihil7854
      @thegreatnihil7854 Před 5 lety +288

      I'd just go down it with 5 life vests on

    • @creeperkid808
      @creeperkid808 Před 5 lety +403

      @@thegreatnihil7854 the currents would smash you into the rocks damaging the life vests until they don't work, then you...

    • @MylesPribeg
      @MylesPribeg Před 5 lety +254

      @@creeperkid808 You can't really damage a lift vest... It's basically just foam.

  • @flautuslamberlin5486
    @flautuslamberlin5486 Před 3 lety

    Very good production. For such a simple video, it certainly tickled the anxiety centers of my brain.

  • @Thryfte
    @Thryfte Před 3 lety

    I love these short, super interesting videos

  • @ste9474
    @ste9474 Před 6 lety +982

    I can imagine moms telling their kids, if they've been naughty - "I'll throw you in The Strid if you don't behave" and it scaring them enough to make them cry
    It's like a villain that only Yorkshire people are scared of

    • @SilverCipher00
      @SilverCipher00 Před 4 lety +35

      I'm frightened of it when I'm in America.

    • @Aquascutum-gn2oe
      @Aquascutum-gn2oe Před 4 lety +3

      Hate to be a pedant but it’s *Lancashire ppl

    • @nicholasgroves8478
      @nicholasgroves8478 Před 4 lety +25

      Aquascutum1851 Nah, he’s right it’s Yorkshire. Bolton is in Lancashire but the Strid is near Bolton Abbey, which is a different town in Yorkshire.

    • @Aquascutum-gn2oe
      @Aquascutum-gn2oe Před 4 lety +7

      Nicholas Groves I stand corrected! Bolton Abbey isn’t actually in Bolton

    • @lyrimetacurl0
      @lyrimetacurl0 Před 3 lety

      Sounds like a serial killer's dream

  • @nytmare3448
    @nytmare3448 Před 8 lety +263

    Poor Pete... Thought he could jump the river... now he is coloring the water brown...
    What? Oh peat? That's not so bad then...

    • @Sammie1053
      @Sammie1053 Před 5 lety +2

      Pete Stain? Used to sit behind me in history.

  • @nedstarkravingmad1799
    @nedstarkravingmad1799 Před 3 lety +3

    I have been searching for this for years, I remember hearing about this and remembered and wanted to know more.
    After listening for a bit, I realize this video is where I heard of it! :D

    • @Balen-
      @Balen- Před 3 lety

      Glad you finally found it!

  • @bigsidrealprisontalk9173
    @bigsidrealprisontalk9173 Před 3 lety +10

    This scares the crap out of me

  • @worm9407
    @worm9407 Před 4 lety +362

    Never seen something like this but the way the water swirls at 1:00 is something I HAVE seen. Terrifying looking at it in such an innocent seaming stream

    • @natesmodelsdoodles5403
      @natesmodelsdoodles5403 Před 4 lety +171

      @Arid very deep river with high-speed currents and aerated water. entering the water means getting sucked straight down and shredded against sharp rocks like an overripe banana in a blender.

    • @andyman8630
      @andyman8630 Před 3 lety +9

      @@johnperic6860
      swim upwards all you like, but your hands/arms will gain almost zero 'purchase' on the aerated water and down you go like a stone

    • @hanreality.7266
      @hanreality.7266 Před 3 lety +9

      It’s not a stream. It’s one of the biggest rivers In Yorkshire.

  • @cryptfire3158
    @cryptfire3158 Před 4 lety +1800

    My uncle drowned when my mother was young, sucked down. My mom made sure to make us fear the river.

  • @RanmaSyaoranSaotome
    @RanmaSyaoranSaotome Před rokem +11

    Recently someone measured a section with sonar and found it was almost 60 meters / 196 foot deep!

  • @tomperkins5657
    @tomperkins5657 Před 3 lety +313

    "It looks safe. It looks tempting. But it will kill you." Reminds me of my ex.

    • @davidbillyard6629
      @davidbillyard6629 Před 3 lety +18

      Only difference is that can kill you without emptying your bank account.

    • @georginaK21
      @georginaK21 Před 3 lety +4

      @@davidbillyard6629 Could be talking about HIV or something though.

    • @mountfairweather
      @mountfairweather Před 2 lety +4

      Hehehehe I'd take my chances with the river over my ex 😉

    • @tomperkins5657
      @tomperkins5657 Před 2 lety

      @@davidbillyard6629 word

    • @andreasrademacher5715
      @andreasrademacher5715 Před 2 lety +1

      Oh no! I ruined the count of the likes: "304"!

  • @iamtyler11
    @iamtyler11 Před 8 lety +146

    I'm never stepping into an innocent looking narrow river ever again.

  • @gepardipoju
    @gepardipoju Před 8 lety +341

    This is literally a half hour drive from me, and I've stood where Tom was many a time. He's right, it does look deceptively tame, mostly because it's so narrow but also because the water is so dark that you can't see the vicious undercurrents that would just pull you under if you fell in.

    • @jakejake708
      @jakejake708 Před 4 lety +3

      Toss a chicken or a pig in there.. You know for science 😂

    • @toasterhavingabath6980
      @toasterhavingabath6980 Před 8 měsíci +1

      @@jakejake708 or, you know, a stick.

    • @narcowake
      @narcowake Před 4 měsíci

      Why hasn’t the local government placed warning signs or barricades there ?

  • @hikerdude5265
    @hikerdude5265 Před 9 měsíci

    That was a great commentary! Very interesting story, thanks.

  • @Alex-tx6hd
    @Alex-tx6hd Před 3 lety +6

    Visited this stretch of river yesterday, can confirm it's truly terrifying

  • @mikeskydev
    @mikeskydev Před 8 lety +1397

    So i find this out AFTER jumping over it... won't be doing that again any time soon

  • @davewhittaker3498
    @davewhittaker3498 Před 8 lety +694

    This footage was taken after a spell of dry weather, you should see it after rainfall, it's twice as angry and hostile, this place does not take any prisoners, it's a location of No Quarter, it can keep you down there for as long as it feels like it, and, once it's bored with you, it spits you out like a piece of chewing gum, merciless

    • @Thoraldar
      @Thoraldar Před 5 lety +30

      Never even spits you out, it just swallows you after chewing you up for a while

    • @Spacegoat92
      @Spacegoat92 Před 5 lety +50

      Poetic, yet metal....

    • @Sableagle
      @Sableagle Před 5 lety +28

      Always fun on a visit there to admire the Strid for a while then turn round and notice the ENTIRE TREE that's been washed down by a flood and lodged well above where you're standing.

    • @blakkdeaff4460
      @blakkdeaff4460 Před 4 lety +2

      Well it's a lot slippier after rainfall

    • @ostarring
      @ostarring Před 4 lety +1

      well said u should write.

  • @jarnodatema
    @jarnodatema Před 4 lety +51

    If Game of Thrones taught me anything it’s don’t trust Boltons

    • @avaius
      @avaius Před 3 lety +1

      You're quite right about that, being from Bolton myself!

  • @ShutterGuts
    @ShutterGuts Před 2 lety +6

    This little piece of information probably saved my life one day of that of my dogs! I always let them jump in any water that seam suitable for the application. This kind of small stream just seams to be perfect for a little swimming fun.😱

  • @huntsbychainsaw5986
    @huntsbychainsaw5986 Před 4 lety +252

    Wow! This genuinely surprised me. The water looked so calm and tranquil like the half meter deep streams I grew up playing around and swimming in. Its amazing how something with such deadly potential can seem so mundane and well, safe. I would love to see this strid drained and mapped with a 3d scanner so we could see how deep it truly goes and what may have settled to the bottom.

    • @jimcook1161
      @jimcook1161 Před 2 lety +13

      Even if it were possible Hunts By Chainsaw, it wouldn't be allowed. The Strid and the surrounding Strid Wood are an SSSI (Special Site of Scientific Interest). Don't know if you're in The UK, but SSSI's are the highest legal environmental protections over here.

    • @King_Flippy_Nips
      @King_Flippy_Nips Před 2 lety +27

      240 feet in some sections, someone used a sonar buoy to map the depth in some sections not long ago

    • @Zerbey
      @Zerbey Před 2 lety +12

      That's why it's killed so many, people think "oh that's not so bad they're exaggerating!". Then they make a deadly mistake.

    • @breadandcircus1
      @breadandcircus1 Před rokem

      It's about 5 meters deep

    • @yodasmomisondrugs7959
      @yodasmomisondrugs7959 Před 9 měsíci

      @@breadandcircus1 Plus 60!

  • @jason-ge5nr
    @jason-ge5nr Před 8 lety +865

    Oh come on! Its just a bunny...

  • @johnillingworth6567
    @johnillingworth6567 Před 3 lety +9

    I jumped it during the drought of 1976. When the water is really low there are ledges lower down that are nearer together. Never told my folks though....

  • @tom201090
    @tom201090 Před 3 lety +7

    Extremely interesting. If I came across that, while walking, I probably wouldn't have thought anything of it. In times passed I've waded across rivers (with caution) etc and probably wouldn't have thought any different of this.

  • @BirivaMartirizado
    @BirivaMartirizado Před 6 lety +419

    "Local person doesn't die in river."
    ~Scott, Tom

    • @Lee-bv7tj
      @Lee-bv7tj Před 3 lety

      I can't confirm, I did not die in this river as a child

  • @NJgamer1505
    @NJgamer1505 Před 4 lety +4376

    They’re like those one block ravines in Minecraft you accidentally fall into and lose all your diamonds

  • @phoenixgate007
    @phoenixgate007 Před 3 lety

    Really good information. It does look deceptively calm.

  • @Lori-lp6uc
    @Lori-lp6uc Před 7 měsíci

    I've never heard of it. This is good information. Fascinating... and scary.

  • @sethskullsberg7787
    @sethskullsberg7787 Před 5 lety +424

    Mob Boss: "Bloody Christ he's giving away our dumping ground."

  • @ride0RgetR0DE0n
    @ride0RgetR0DE0n Před 7 lety +522

    I can't tell if he is young and looks old or is old and looks young

  • @tomanderson3608
    @tomanderson3608 Před 3 lety +11

    I visited here a few days ago. Looks scarier when you're there. Throw a stick in and it gets sucked to the rocks at the edges and then sucked underwater

  • @scrapheap339
    @scrapheap339 Před 3 lety +4

    I've visited Bolton Abbey before and I had a bit of a paddle...
    In another part of the river, of course. Also the stepping stones are fun on the right day.

  • @xXChemikerXx
    @xXChemikerXx Před 8 lety +941

    hold my beer and give me my swim pants

    • @MephLeo
      @MephLeo Před 8 lety +67

      +Chemiker _extends a pair of red dotted white boxers_

    • @boyactress6143
      @boyactress6143 Před 8 lety +17

      +Leopoldo Aranha takes sippy cup

    • @DKRCecer
      @DKRCecer Před 8 lety +50

      +Theodore King Grats! You just gained a free beer. It's not like you'll ever need to give it back ;)

    • @Autotrope
      @Autotrope Před 8 lety +35

      you're not going to need the pants

    • @anarchyantz1564
      @anarchyantz1564 Před 6 lety +1

      Autotrope - He will but only if they are the brown pants.

  • @onlinemoneymonkey9097
    @onlinemoneymonkey9097 Před 4 lety +67

    Of all the "most dangerous places to swim" videos I've seen, Bolton Strid tops the list and this video explains why.

  • @dereks7061
    @dereks7061 Před rokem +1

    Such a crazy place on Earth. I’ve heard of this since probably 2010 - incredible!

  • @JabbaTheSlut220175
    @JabbaTheSlut220175 Před 3 lety +1

    I think that might have been the most fascinating 2 minutes of my life.

  • @Pratchettgaiman
    @Pratchettgaiman Před 8 lety +1183

    I'm terrified, and I'm all the way in the US

    • @kangaxx4396
      @kangaxx4396 Před 8 lety +7

      +David Lev The land of the braves...

    • @TheXNoLimiTatioNx
      @TheXNoLimiTatioNx Před 8 lety +22

      +kangaxx No body's brave over here.

    • @supercool1312
      @supercool1312 Před 8 lety +10

      +Hal White they are mostly lazy

    • @TheXNoLimiTatioNx
      @TheXNoLimiTatioNx Před 8 lety +14

      sonicj Polygon Well, we are one of the biggest countries, but we are far from the best. Our government is so messed up.

    • @stercola956
      @stercola956 Před 8 lety +39

      I live nearby, and all my life my parents have been telling me never to jump that gap.

  • @AnsonsLP
    @AnsonsLP Před 8 lety +71

    I live about 5 miles from here. Bolton Abbey is a really nice looking place but in primary school, I was told about this place and to never cross that strid.

  • @grapetoad6595
    @grapetoad6595 Před 3 lety +13

    It's weird seeing this, I remember going as a kid, and when I went there I remember being warned and told about it because a couple got married at the abbey and then tried to jump across and drowned.
    Also, when you actually look at it you can see how stupid you would have to be to try to jump it

  • @ferrous719
    @ferrous719 Před 3 lety

    Thank you for showing it RIGHT upstream. Most things I've seen show a ways up in a town. It's somehow scarier with a guy just jogging along next to it

  • @grantcook5376
    @grantcook5376 Před 5 lety +400

    Legend has it that the stig was conceived on the banks of the strid .

    • @nicom4996
      @nicom4996 Před 3 lety +2

      I see the reference there

    • @a7G-82r
      @a7G-82r Před 3 lety +8

      Some say*

    • @revimfadli4666
      @revimfadli4666 Před 3 lety +1

      Not the overhangs, but the actual banks down there?

  • @MicroBlogganism
    @MicroBlogganism Před 8 lety +84

    And now I know where to dump a body, should I ever need to. Thanks Tom!

    • @MIQofDMC
      @MIQofDMC Před 8 lety +20

      +MicroBlogganism Too much work. Bring the sucker "camping" there.

    • @yaseen157
      @yaseen157 Před 8 lety +1

      +MIQofDMC even better, challenge them to jump over the water, and push them when they're on the edge

  • @DanKeeley
    @DanKeeley Před 3 lety

    What a jolly video

  • @bustamango863
    @bustamango863 Před 3 lety

    Gives me chills looking at it...

  • @DJ-xx8hd
    @DJ-xx8hd Před 4 lety +33

    Thank you for an informative video with an excellent, well-spoken commentary and NO annoying 'music' in the background. That is how information should be delivered on video and film.

    • @schneemann-fy6gi
      @schneemann-fy6gi Před 11 měsíci +1

      I can't stand when a really good video is ruined by rubbish music and it's always rubbish music

  • @willparkinson
    @willparkinson Před 8 lety +48

    Been there many times. Oddly terrifying in person.

  • @theheftywanderer
    @theheftywanderer Před 2 lety

    Great walk from the abbey! Even better after heavy rain.

  • @garygalt4146
    @garygalt4146 Před 3 lety +12

    Great walk from the abbey. I remember honeymoon couple. In 90. Never found. Would always keep the dog on tight lead. Just because

  • @jakestockton4808
    @jakestockton4808 Před 5 lety +39

    There's a river like this in northern California (Consumes River). It's not as deadly, but it has similar features. The spinning currents pick up cobblestones and grind out large round holes through the rocks. If you fall in, you get pulled into one of those holes and can never escape. Fortunately, in the summer, the water level is much lower, so it's swimmable for half the year. It also makes the tunnels visible, so you can get an idea of just how deadly it can be when it's full of water.

  • @19822andy
    @19822andy Před 8 lety +262

    Behold! For I am a survivor of the Stride. I jumped across but then slipped on the wet moss. I was sucked underneath. Just as I felt my life fading I floated up into a dark cave. I heard scurrying in the dark and then passed out. As I awoke I saw what I can only describe as "Mole People"" They had made a fire out of wood that sometimes washes into the cave system. Their language was different but eerily recognisable. Their ancestors were humans that had been sucked underneath the Strid. Apparently they were descended from royalty but I found that hard to believe.

    • @evilcam
      @evilcam Před 8 lety +16

      +19822andy
      My god. How ever did you get out? Did you harrow the waters again and make it to the surface? Some sort of Mole Person engineered secret passage? Coming down and getting out of that K-hole? We must know.

    • @19822andy
      @19822andy Před 8 lety +95

      +evilcam Are you mad? If the Mole People had an escape passage they wouldn't be down there. Anyway.....After 3 days I started to miss my family. Plus I wasn't keen on the diet of moss, algae and the occasional trout. I decided I would try and swim out or die trying. I said my goodbyes to the molies. It was a tearful encounter especially with my future Mole wife that I had nicknamed molette. I stood by the raging waters and jumped in. After about 30 seconds I panicked. I was trapped underneath a rocky ledge. The instinct to breathe in got the better of me. I remember everything going dark. The next thing I remember is being naked by the river. For some reason I was surrounded with empty beer cans, salvia smoking paraphernalia and empty druggie bags. It was 3 days later and because of the state the police found me in I was never believed. I hope this ending to my journey satisfies you dear reader.

    • @19822andy
      @19822andy Před 8 lety +11

      +Mapuia Pachuau What do you mean? Have you been into the molies' cavern underneath the Strid? No you haven't. I have.

    • @evilcam
      @evilcam Před 8 lety +22

      A harrowing tale, to be sure.
      You should write it down in a book and publish it. Then school children will all know the dangers of the Stride, but also be intensely curious at the same time.

    • @19822andy
      @19822andy Před 8 lety +35

      +evilcam To this day I think back and remember Molette. If things were different maybe it could have worked out with her.

  • @chriscox3458
    @chriscox3458 Před 3 lety +1

    About an hour ago I told someone how much I hate water. CZcams heard me expressing my fears and decided this video was just what I needed.

  • @Gazmus
    @Gazmus Před 3 lety

    Every single time anyone vaguely remembers something that seems like it might be interesting Tom Scott has at least a 2 year old video on it :)
    Well played sir.

  • @tedcrilly5751
    @tedcrilly5751 Před 8 lety +226

    Hold my beer...I can make it

  • @justintrovrt494
    @justintrovrt494 Před 8 lety +77

    The tourism board isn't going to be happy about this Tom.

  • @jaysee2213
    @jaysee2213 Před rokem

    I used to love visiting this place with my Grandad. Many many happy memories there

  • @KitKalvert
    @KitKalvert Před rokem +3

    There is something very dark and almost terrifying about this particular river... it really does freak me out