Is A Pondless Waterfall Suitable For Young Children?

There is no open pond at the bottom of a pondless waterfall, which is why many families choose one. As with any water feature, young children should still be supervised in the garden.

How Often Does It Need Topping Up?

It depends on the weather and the size of the waterfall. It will need topping up more often in hot, dry spells, when water is lost to evaporation, and far less often the rest of the year.

Can It Run In Winter?

It can, but many people switch it off over the coldest months to protect the pump from freezing weather, and turn it back on in spring.

How Much Space Do I Need?

Less than you might think. A small pondless waterfall can fit into the corner of a courtyard or a narrow border, and larger versions suit a slope or a bigger garden.

Will It Attract Wildlife?

Birds will come to drink and bathe on the wet stones, but without open water it will not suit frogs and newts in the way a wildlife pond does.

A small fall of water between boulders and cobbles, with grasses and a sleeper edge

Pondless Waterfalls · Cambridgeshire

Pondless Waterfalls

The sound and movement of a waterfall with no open pool. The water disappears into the stone and runs round again.

Arrange A Visit Call 07568 488223

No Open Water

Moving Water Without A Pond.

A pondless waterfall gives you everything people love about moving water, the sound, the sparkle and the sense of calm, without a pond at the bottom. The water runs down over stone and disappears into a bed of cobbles or gravel, where it collects in a hidden reservoir and is pumped back to the top.

They are a good choice for families with young children, for smaller gardens and for anyone who would rather not look after a pond. We design and install pondless waterfalls across Cambridge, Huntingdon, St Neots, Newmarket and Saffron Walden, built from natural stone to suit each garden.

How It Works

See What Is Under The Stones.

Drag the lens across the drawing to look beneath a pondless waterfall: the hidden reservoir, the pump, and the pipe that carries the water back to the top.

Water Falls Over StoneDrains Through The CobblesHidden ReservoirPumpPipe Back To The Top

Nothing To Fall Into

There is no open water at the bottom, which is why families with young children often choose one.

Cool And Out Of The Light

The water is stored below ground, which helps to keep algae down.

Easy To Live With

Top it up now and then, clear leaves from the stones, and switch it off over the coldest months if you prefer.

An illustration of a typical pondless waterfall in section.

Two small falls of water between boulders above a bed of white water

How A Pondless Waterfall Works

Below the falls we dig a reservoir, line it and fill it with stone or a stone covered reservoir system, which holds the water underground. A pump in the reservoir sends the water up to the top of the falls, where it runs down over the stone and drains back through the cobbles into the reservoir.

Because the water is stored below ground it stays cool and out of the light, which helps to keep algae down. The only water you see is the water that is moving.

Pondless Waterfalls

What We Offer.

A stone stream stepping down between grasses and slate in winter

01
Hidden Reservoir
A lined reservoir dug below ground and filled with stone, holding the water out of sight.
02
Pump Access
A pump housed where it can be reached easily for cleaning or replacement.
03
Natural Stone Falls
Stone chosen and set by hand to shape the fall and the sound it makes.
04
Cobble Or Gravel Bed
A neat finish over the reservoir where the water disappears, with no standing water on show.
05
Planting
Planting around the stream and the falls so the feature sits naturally in the garden.
06
Easy Controls
A setup that can be switched off in winter or when you are away, and turned back on in spring.

A Popular Choice For Young Families

With no open water at the bottom of the falls, a pondless waterfall is a popular choice for gardens used by young children. You still get the sound and movement of water, without a pond to worry about.

It also suits gardens where there is no room for a pond, or where a pond would sit awkwardly. A pondless waterfall can be tucked into a corner, built against a wall or run along a slope, and it works just as well in a new build garden as in an established one.

Water running past a large boulder and a weathered log, with grasses above

Very Little To Look After

Pondless waterfalls are easy to live with. There are no fish to feed and no pond to clean. Through the year you only need to top up the water now and then, especially in hot weather when some is lost to evaporation, and clear leaves from the stones.

In winter many people switch the waterfall off and turn it back on in spring, and the pump can be lifted out for cleaning when needed. If you would like us to look after it, we offer seasonal care as part of our garden and grounds maintenance.

Pondless Or A Pond With A Waterfall?

If you would like to keep fish, grow water lilies or attract frogs and newts, a pond with a waterfall is the better choice. If what you want most is the sound of water with as little upkeep as possible, a pondless waterfall is hard to beat.

For a smaller space still, a garden water feature such as a slate urn or a water sphere gives you the sound of water in a corner of a terrace. We can talk through all three on our free site visit.

Common Questions

Questions About Pondless Waterfalls.

Anything else, call us on 07568 488223 or see more questions answered.

: There is no open pond at the bottom of a pondless waterfall, which is why many families choose one. As with any water feature, young children should still be supervised in the garden.
: It depends on the weather and the size of the waterfall. It will need topping up more often in hot, dry spells, when water is lost to evaporation, and far less often the rest of the year.
: It can, but many people switch it off over the coldest months to protect the pump from freezing weather, and turn it back on in spring.
: Less than you might think. A small pondless waterfall can fit into the corner of a courtyard or a narrow border, and larger versions suit a slope or a bigger garden.
: Birds will come to drink and bathe on the wet stones, but without open water it will not suit frogs and newts in the way a wildlife pond does.

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Water spilling between two boulders into a shallow pool, seen across a bank of moss

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Get In Touch

Tell Us About Your Garden.

Send a few lines and a photograph if you have one. We will come and look, talk it through on site and send a written quotation afterwards.

Arrange A Visit 07568 488223

Where We Work