Hardraw Force - Izeria

Hardraw Force (OS grid ref: SD869917) is a waterfall on Hardraw Beck in Hardraw Scar, a wooded ravine just outside the hamlet of Hardraw, 0.9 miles (1.5 km) north of the town of Hawes, Wensleydale, in the Yorkshire Dales. The Pennine Way long distance footpath passes close by. Comprising a single drop of 100 feet (30 m) 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 more than 300 feet (91 m). Geologically the bed of the river and plunge pool is shale; on top of that is sandstone and the top layer is carboniferous limestone. It is on private land but public access to the falls is available through a turnstile behind the Green Dragon Inn. The current cost is £4 per adult, £2.50 per child. Access behind the falls is now prohibited.

1. Hardraw Scar

Hardraw Scar (54.316°N 2.205°W / 54.316; -2.205) is a limestone gorge behind the Green Dragon inn at Hardraw near Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales. It is a natural amphitheatre and in September is the site of an annual brass-band contest. The contest attracts bands from all over the North of England and is a popular event amongst players and audiences alike. The gorge is alongside the Pennine Way. Access to the gorge is via the nearby public house. In 1899 a great flood came racing over the waterfall and into Hardraw itself, ruining buildings and uprooting coffins from the graveyard. The lip of the waterfall was demolished by the force of the water and the landowner at the time (Lord Wharncliffe) got his estate manager to repair the lip and it is now held together at the top by metal stakes.

1. Hardraw Force in popular culture

The renowned waterfall has attracted a number of notable visitors over the years. Both J. M. W. Turner and William Wordsworth visited Hardraw Force, with each staying at the nearby Green Dragon Inn. Hardraw Force featured prominently in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, serving as the backdrop for the scene in which Maid Marian discovers Robin Hood bathing beneath a waterfall. The waterfall is also the site of the annual Hardraw Scar Brass Band Contest, held on the second Sunday in September. The event began in the 1880s and, after a hiatus beginning in 1927, was revived in the 1970s. More recently, Hardraw Force has hosted folk-music events. The Hardraw Summer Gathering, a three-day festival of folk music and real ale, was held annually from 2010 to 2014. In June 2013, a separate event, the Hardraw Folk Gathering, took place at the Green Dragon Inn and surrounding area, featuring multiple live folk sessions. Traditional music sessions were reported to have returned to the Green Dragon in 2023.

1. See also

List of waterfalls List of waterfalls in the United Kingdom

1. Notes


1. References


1. External links

Website Video footage of the beck, gill and force

Nearby Places View Menu

Simonstone, North Yorkshire

Simonstone is a hamlet near Hawes and Hardraw Force within the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. The name is first recorded in 1301 as deriving from Sigemund's Rock. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Richmondshire, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. The road heading south from the Buttertubs Pass passes through the hamlet.

Landmark Neighbourhood

St Mary and St John's Church, Hardraw

St Mary and St John's Church, Hardraw (also Hardrow) is a Grade II listed parish church in the Church of England in Hardraw, North Yorkshire.

Church Landmark

Hardraw

Hardraw is a hamlet near Hawes within the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. The nearby Hardraw Force waterfall takes its name from it. The name of the hamlet is first recorded in 1606 as Hardrawe, and derives from Old English Herde and raw, which means the shepherd's houses. Hardraw Force is named with an additional Old Norse word of Fors. The hamlet was historically in the Parish of Aysgarth, within the wapentake of Hang West. A report about Poor Law Unions from 1862, lists the hamlet as having a population of 11, and belonging to Bedale for its post town. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Richmondshire, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. Access to Hardraw Force is via The Green Dragon pub. The old school house, built in 1875, can be seen in the centre of the photograph of the village, and the Pennine Way runs past the west side of this building. Hardraw Church, dedicated in honour of St Mary and St John, was rebuilt by the Earl of Wharncliffe between 1879 and 1881. It is Grade II listed. It doubles as Darrowby Church in the original British television series All Creatures Great and Small. The southern end of the road that leads up to the Buttertubs Pass is at the east end of the hamlet. The long distance path, the Pennine Way, passes through the hamlet.

Church Landmark

Stone House, Hawes

Stone House is a Grade II listed building near Hawes, North Yorkshire, England, in the civil parish of High Abbotside.

Historic Site Landmark