Profitable Edward Elgar waterfall goes on sale

A stunning 2.5-acre piece of idyllic British countryside complete with the iconic waterfall that inspired Sir Edward Elgar could net one entrepreneurial environmentalist £1,000 a day.

Catrigg Force Credit: Photo: ALAMY

Catrigg Force, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, has no property on it but one lucky buyer would get a lush wooded valley and the waterfall - which the current owner has discovered could net an eco-friendly windfall by harnessing its 24/7 power.

Inventor Andrew Hennessey, 47, bought the plot in February last year for its hydro-electric power potential but is passing on the opportunity to someone else to concentrate on other projects.

The married dad-of-four said: "When I saw it advertised last time, not only was it stunning but I realised it had a massive potential.

"A water engineer told me with the 22m fall from the waterfall and the fact that it is obviously going 24/7, 365 days a year, it could generate 1,000 pounds-a-day in terms of electricity.

"I am giving it up to concentrate on other things but I would love to see someone with an entrepreneurial spirit and the infrastructure to do it come and harness this lovely area's power.

"They would need to get permission but it would be a stunning tourist attraction and also a great help to the environment."

The plot is not far from the award-winning Settle Hydro, Yorkshire's first community hydro project which now has 166 individual shareholders and three directors, and has generated more than 1,000KW of energy this year.

Ann Harding, one of the directors of Settle Hydro, said: "This would be a fantastic opportunity for someone to create more renewable energy in the Dales.

"There has been a definite move forward in recent years where people are now saying these things do now have the potential to provide electricity.

"We have been up and running for 18 months and have just had some of our best weeks ever.

"There is huge potential for hydro-electric power in the Dales, but also potential for conflict between the people who want to produce hydro-electric power and people who want to preserve it for visitors.

"What people need to understand is hydro-electric power on a small scale doesn' t have a detrimental effect on the landscape.

"At Catrigg Force you could build a very small plant that was all underground and all you would need above ground was a little power box.

"It is a great possibility, if everything was in place, if the planning permission was there and the right group of people wanted to do it."

Catrigg Force sits almost a mile from Stainforth, North Yorks., and the owner of this secluded nirvana in the Dales will have to be fighting fit to reach the land which is best accessed on foot, horseback or mountain bike.

Brian Carlisle, of J.R. Hopper and Co estate agency, which is marketing the plot, said the prospective buyer could purchase the plot for a variety of reasons and described it as "priceless".

He said: "For 35,000 pounds, the buyer would get the most beautiful piece of Yorkshire Dales countryside. We have had people wanting it for nostalgic purposes or wanting to buy it as the ultimate gift.

"But there's no property there so no concept of what it's worth. We told one man who was walking nearby it was for sale and asked him what he thought it was on for. He said 2m pounds, showing that in essence this piece of land is priceless."

Another feather in its cap is the fact that the patch of countryside and the waterfall was the inspiration for some of Elgar's most famous works.

The secluded spot was one of Elgar's favourite places and he drew inspiration from the Yorkshire Dales countryside to compose his most famous works - Land of Hope and Glory, the Enigma Variations and Pomp and Circumstance.

Mr Carlisle added: "This just adds to the long list of reasons why someone may want to be buy this plot. There are very few places in the world that have such magnificence to them, water has been flowing over Catrigg Force long before it was even named and will continue to do so for millennia."