Turn right out of the car park, follow the road and turn left up the road sign-posted Halton Gill / Arncliffe. Follow the road round to the right and after about fifty metres turn right down to the river over some grassy land. Cross the river using the stepping stones and carry on straight ahead up a lane signed as unsuitable for motors. The lane is quite steep to start, but the height gained affords excellent panoramic views behind of Smearsett Scat and Ingleborough to the right. After the lane twists right then left, it begins to flatten and Pen-y-ghent and Fountains Fell become clearly visible over the wall to the left. A few minutes further down the lane, a wood is visible over the left wall and running water starts to become audible. Approaching a gate across the lane, there is a sign pointing down to Catrigg Foss to the left.

Go over the stile in the direction of the sign and progress downwards for about fifty metres between a wall and a fence. The innocent looking stream to the right creates a spectacular waterfall. Be very careful at the top of the waterfall as it is unfenced and there is a sheer drop into the gorge below. Before returning to the lane above, the bottom of the waterfall and gorge can be reached by passing over the stile and following the path that leads down through the trees in sections aided by man-made steps. The view of the Foss is very spectacular from here and small caves can be seen under the cliffs at the base of the fall. Again be very careful here as the majority of the stones around are covered in slippery moss, as the sun rarely visits the bottom of the gorge.

Return back over the two stiles to the lane, turning left over the second one to pass through the gate. Through the gate follow the track round to the right, heading for a gate at the top of the field. Twenty metres on through this gate take the right-hand fork in the track towards Winskill. Follow this track through the next gate and, keeping parallel and close to the wall on the right, continue until a lane comes in from the left. Continue straight ahead following the footpath sign for Stainforth / Langcliff over a stile in a wall beside a gate. With the farm on the right, the lane bends to the right heading for a second farm. The lane passes where a footpath leads off to the left to Langcliffe, and continues on into the farmyard. Twenty metres through the farmyard a stile can be seen in the wall. Proceed over this stile and up the grassy bank immediately beyond it. After twenty metres, where the ground levels, turn right along a footpath interspersed with small wooden posts to indicate the way.

The path continues across the field to be met by a wall coming in from the right, over which Stainforth can now be seen. Proceed either over the stile or through the gap in the wall beside it, and continue in the same direction across the next field keeping to the left of the rocky outcrop to the next stile. Over this, the path now descends steeply through a wooded area, mainly using man-made steps. These though are very slippery in places and great care must be taken whilst descending. At the base of the wood, proceed through the kissing gate and turn right following the side of a fence. Dogs must be kept under strict control here due to the sheep in the field. Again, small wooden yellow way-markers highlight the path, which runs parallel, and about ten yards to the left of the fence, down to the gate at the corner of the field. Once through this head to the left of the next gate and follow round the left-hand side of the wall down a well used track to a gate. Go through the wooden stile in the wall next to the gate and turn left down the lane. After about twenty metres turn left at the junction with another lane past the "give way 50 yards" sign. Turn left at the give way sign and follow the road back to the main road. Turn right onto the main road and follow the pavement one hundred and fifty metres back to the car park.

Continuing past the car park though there is a further detour to Stainforth Foss worth the additional ten minutes round trip. Cross over the road and turn left just past the old schoolhouse signed "unsuitable for caravans". The lane crosses over the Settle-Carlisle railway line and heads down to Stainforth Bridge. Immediately over the bridge go left over the stile sign-posted Stackhouse 1¼ and follow the footpath down the side of the river for about one hundred metres where Stainforth Foss can be seen cascading over the rocks in the riverbed.

Return back over the bridge, up the lane and right back to the car park.