Hardraw Force
{{Short description|Waterfall in North Yorkshire, England}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox waterfall
| name = Hardraw Force
| photo = Hardraw Force Jan 22.jpg
| photo_caption = Hardraw Force
| location = Hardraw, Yorkshire Dales, England
| coords = {{coord|54|19|16|N|2|12|8|W|display=inline,title}}
| type = Plunge
| height = {{convert|100|ft}}
| height_longest =
| number_drops =
| average_flow =
| world_rank =
}}
Hardraw Force (OS grid ref: {{gbmappingsmall|SD869917}}) is a waterfall on Hardraw Beck in Hardraw Scar, a wooded ravine just outside the hamlet of Hardraw, {{convert|1.5|km|order=flip|1}} north of the town of Hawes, Wensleydale, in the Yorkshire Dales.{{cite map |title = Wensleydale & Upper Wharfedale|map = 98|year = 2002|scale = 1:50,000|series = Landranger|publisher =Ordnance Survey |edition = B1 |isbn = 0-319-22698-0}} The Pennine Way long distance footpath passes close by.
Comprising a single drop of {{convert|100|ft}} from a rocky overhang, Hardraw Force is claimed to be England's highest unbroken waterfallOn 6 December 2015 Malham Cove regained its waterfall after a gap of what is possibly centuries. After Storm Desmond, water was seen falling off the {{convert|230|ft|adj=on}} cliff into the stream below, which made it, temporarily, the largest unbroken waterfall in England.{{cite news|title=Malham Cove: Storm Desmond brings 'highest' waterfall back to life|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-35024253|accessdate=11 October 2016|work=BBC News|date=7 December 2015}} – 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 {{convert|300|ft}}.{{cite book |last1=Winn |first1=Christopher |title=I never knew that about Yorkshire |date=2010 |publisher=Ebury |location=London |isbn=978-0-09-193313-5 |page=167}}
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.{{cite web|title=The waterfall|url=http://hardrawforce.com/waterfall.html|website=Hardraw Force|accessdate=30 July 2020}} Access behind the falls is now prohibited.
Hardraw Scar
Hardraw Scar ({{coord|54.316|-2.205|display=inline|region:GB_scale:10000}}) 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.{{cite web|title=Brass Band Entertainment Contest|url=http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/display.var.1689878.0.0.php|accessdate=30 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907094800/http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/display.var.1689878.0.0.php|archivedate=7 September 2008}} 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.{{cite book|last1=Fellows|first1=Griffith|title=The Waterfalls of England: A Guide to the Best 200|date=2003|publisher=Sigma Leisure|location=Wilmslow|isbn=1-85058-767-1|page=132}}
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.{{cite book|last1=Bagshaw|first1=Mike|last2=Mills|first2=Caroline|title=Slow North Yorkshire; Moors Dales and Coast Including York|date=2010|publisher=Bradt|location=Chalfont St Peter|isbn=978-1-84162-323-8|page=82}}
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,{{cite web |title=Hardraw |url=http://www.outofoblivion.org.uk/pdfs/leaflets/hardraw.pdf |website=Out of Oblivion |access-date=11 October 2016 |format=PDF}} with each staying at the nearby Green Dragon Inn.{{cite news |last=Robinson |first=Andrew |title=Dales pub boss exiting the dragon for life on a Greek isle |url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/dales-pub-boss-exiting-the-dragon-for-life-on-a-greek-isle-1-7026923 |access-date=11 October 2016 |work=The Yorkshire Post |date=31 December 2014}}
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.{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Anna |title=Unique Dales 'waterfall pub' on the market for £675k |url=http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/11713466.Unique_Dales__waterfall_pub__on_the_market_for___675k/ |access-date=11 October 2016 |work=The Westmorland Gazette |date=9 January 2015}}
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.{{cite web |title=Hardraw Scar Brass Band Contest |url=https://brassbandresults.co.uk/contests/hardraw-scar/ |website=Brass Band Results |access-date=22 June 2025}}{{cite news |last=Weighell |first=Philippa |title=Brass bands set to compete near spectacular waterfall |url=https://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/23785320.brass-bands-set-compete-near-spectacular-waterfall/ |work=Darlington & Stockton Times |date=14 September 2023 |access-date=22 June 2025}}{{cite web |title=Hardraw Scar Brass Band Festival |url=https://www.primarytimes.co.uk/north_yorkshire/listings/hardraw-scar-brass-band-festival-56780 |website=Primary Times |date=13 September 2015 |access-date=22 June 2025}}
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.{{cite web |title=The Hardraw Summer Gathering |url=https://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/others/hardraw |website=eFestivals |access-date=22 June 2025}} 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.{{cite web |title=Hardraw Folk Gathering 2013! |url=https://www.banjohangout.org/archive/263034 |website=Banjo Hangout |date=14 June 2013 |access-date=22 June 2025}} Traditional music sessions were reported to have returned to the Green Dragon in 2023.{{cite web |title=Green Dragon, Hardraw – Pub Gallery |url=https://www.pubgallery.co.uk/green-dragon-hardraw |website=Pub Gallery |access-date=22 June 2025}}
See also
Notes
{{Reflist|group="note"}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Hardraw Force}}
- [http://www.hardrawforce.com/ Website]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkV0hj3Lu4E Video footage of the beck, gill and force]
{{Waterfalls of Yorkshire}}
Category:Canyons and gorges of England