Hardraw Force

Hardraw Force
Hardraw Force
Location	Hardraw, Yorkshire Dales, England
Coordinates	54°19′16″N 2°12′8″W
Type	Plunge
Total height	30 m / 100 ft

Hardraw Force (OS grid ref: SD869917) is a waterfall on the Hardraw Beck in Hardraw Scar, a wooded ravine just outside the hamlet of Hardraw at the foot of Buttertubs Pass and the head of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales. The Pennine Way long distance footpath passes close by.

Comprising a single drop of 100 feet from a rocky overhang, Hardraw Force is claimed to be England's highest unbroken waterfall – at least discounting underground falls. (The underground waterfall inside nearby Gaping Gill on the western flank of Ingleborough has an unbroken fall of over 300 feet.)

Geologically, the bed of the river and plunge pool is shale; on top of that is sandstone and the top layer is carboniferous limestone.

Public viewing of Hardraw Force is rather unusual, as the visitor has to go through the bar of the Green Dragon Inn public house in Hardraw to reach the falls; an entrance fee is payable on the way through the pub. It is currently £2.50 per adult, £1.50 per child. Access behind the falls is now prohibited.

Hardraw Scar

Hardraw Scar (54.316°N 2.205°W / 54.316; -2.205) is a limestone gorge located behind the Green Dragon inn at Hardraw near Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales. It is a natural amphitheatre and is the site of an annual brass band entertainment contest in September. The contest attracts bands from all over the North of England and is a popular event amongst players and audiences alike.

The gorge is situated alongside the Pennine Way and also has an impressive waterfall, Hardraw Force, at the far end. Access to the gorge is via the nearby public house.

Hardraw Force and popular culture

Hardraw Force, 2004

The falls were used as a location in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, in the scene where Maid Marian catches Robin Hood bathing under a waterfall.

Hardraw Force is the setting for a brass band competition held annually on the second Sunday in September. The competition was first held in the falls' natural amphitheatre in 1884 when six bands took part; the competition lapsed in 1927 but was revived in 1976 and has gone from strength to strength since. In recent years two other musical events have started up at the falls: the Hawdraw Bash is a Folk Rock concert in early July and the Hardraw Gathering is a three-day festival of traditional music at the end of July.

External links

• http://www.hardrawforce.com/ — last updated 2008
• http://www.mikes-walks.co.uk/Walks/Yorkshire_Dales/Selside/Hardraw_Force/hardraw_force.html