[2] During the 18th century and the advent of the Industrial Revolution, mills began to operate along this stretch of the river, using the force of the water to drive the machinery.
In 1982, Harrogate Borough Council set up the Nidd Gorge Management Project in a bid to make the 68 acres (28 ha) area more accessible to hikers and cyclists, as the path along the river became treacherous and often impassable when there had been heavy rain.
[7] The Nidd viaduct at the western end of the gorge, used to carry a railway between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge, Northallerton and Thirsk, and was closed in 1967.
[1] It now carries the Nidderdale Greenway, a tarmac path that allows walkers, cyclists, and those in wheelchairs or mobility scooters to travel the 4 miles (6.4 km) between the Bilton area of Harrogate and Ripley.
There are also many species of birds that live in the mixture of deciduous and coniferous woodland, such as treecreepers, nuthatches, and even the lesser spotted woodpecker.