Flowing initially through Langstrothdale, it then passes by, or in some cases through, Kettlewell, Grassington, Bolton Abbey, Addingham, Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Otley, Wetherby and Tadcaster.

The proto-Indo-European root *wer-, relating to turning or twisting, readily picked up a -b- extension to yield words such as Latin verbena, English warp, and their cognates, which displeases those who believe the name was created in a Celtic language.

South of Appletreewick, the river flows south-west for a short distance until it reaches Gill Beck and returns southward.

The Strid (grid reference: SE 064565; 54°00′14″N 1°54′12″W / 54.00389°N 1.90333°W / 54.00389; -1.90333) is a series of waterfalls and rapids contained within a 15-foot (4.6 m) deep channel cut into the local sandstone.

[13] The Strid's hazardous nature is referenced in several literary works, including The Force of Prayer by William Wordsworth, and The Striding Place by Gertrude Atherton.

The creature is mostly congregated in rivers in Wales and central and southern England; the presence of the mussels in the Wharfe has been noted as a "considerable outpost".

[16][18][19] Ferns found here include wall rue, maidenhair spleenwort, brittle bladder-fern, Hart's-tongue and hard shield-fern.

In Upper Wharfedale the scars and screes support a range of plants including the alpine cinquefoil and hoary whitlowgrass.

[16] Lower down the valley, species including alpine cinquefoil, lily-of-the-valley, mountain melick and herb paris, blue sesleria, common valerian and wild angelica.

The limestone pavements of the area are a habitat for several species usually confined to woodlands, such as dog's mercury, wood anemone and ramsons.

Some of the inaccessible cliffs are home to ledge dwelling flora including mosses and liverworts, such as red leskea, sharp rock-bristle and the very rare Zygodon gracilis.

There is wild thyme, common milkwort, fairy flax, bird's-foot trefoil, autumn gentian, harebell, eyebright.

To the south-east of the area is the Millstone Grit laid down in the Late Carboniferous period, and covered by heather moorland, hard crags and tors.

Due to the impermeable nature of the rock, blanket bogs and mires form, and drier areas have wet and dry heaths and acid grasslands.

These deposits were extracted and now form the basis of the Otley Wetland Reserve, and Ben Rhydding and Knotford Nook gravel pits.

[22] After AD 620 the Romano-Britons were joined by Angles and increased the amount of forest clearing to establish fields for crops and animals.

Vikings then settled the area in the 10th century, lending their language to some of the names of hamlets and landscape features of Upper Wharfedale, especially near the head of the valley.

[22] During Anglo-Saxon times, large estates were established and the River Wharfe and its valley came under the protection of Earl Edwin of Bolton-in-Craven.

[22] In medieval times low intensity methods were used to produce both crops and livestock but the great monasteries of Fountains, Rievaulx and Bolton Priory had large sheep flocks and sold their wool on the European market.

By the early 19th century there was a demand for food from the growing industrial towns and farmers and many farms began to produce milk from the lower lands and use the higher fells for sheep.

[27] On 5 July 2014, the Tour de France Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate passed through Wharfedale along roads running close to the river.