The Deepest Gorge in the South West
Lydford Gorge is the deepest river gorge in the South West of England — a dramatic slot cut by the River Lyd through metamorphic rock on the western edge of Dartmoor, now managed by the National Trust and one of the most striking natural features in Devon. The gorge extends for about two and a half kilometres between near-vertical walls of up to thirty metres, with the river running through potholes, pools, and the famous Devil's Cauldron whirlpool at the northern end.
The White Lady Waterfall at the southern end drops thirty metres in a single curtain fall — one of the tallest waterfalls in the South West — fed by a tributary stream entering the gorge from the open moor above. The contrast between the dark confined gorge and the open moorland at its rim is immediate and dramatic.
Geologically, the gorge cuts through the metamorphic aureole where the Dartmoor granite batholithand surrounding country rocks were altered by the heat of intrusion. The rock here is harder and more varied in texture than the open-moor granite, with swirling patterns in the pothole walls and richly coloured mineral staining. For 3DGS capture the gorge presents extreme challenges — confined space, moving water, deep shadow — but the Devil's Cauldron pothole walls and White Lady falls are extraordinary subjects for close-range reconstruction with the Avata 2.