Hardraw Force, Upper Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, England

            Hardraw Force is a waterfall on the Hardraw Beck in Hardraw Scar, a wooded ravine just outside the hamlet of Hardraw, near the town of Hawes, Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales. The Pennine Way long distance footpath passes close by the falls. 

Comprising a single drop of 100 feet or 30 metres from a rocky overhang, Hardraw Force is claimed to be the highest unbroken waterfall above ground in England. 

Public viewing of Hardraw Force was rather unusual, as any visitor had to go through the bar of the Green Dragon Inn public house in Hardraw to reach the falls; an entrance fee was payable at the bar. Today you have to pay at the cafe and tea room at the rear of the inn. It is currently £2.50 per adult, £1.50 per child. 

Hardraw Scar is a limestone gorge and is a natural amphitheatre. In September it is the venue of an annual brass band entertainment contest. The contest attracts bands from all over the North of England and is a popular event amongst players and audiences alike. The brass band competition is 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.  

In 1899, a great flood caused a wall of water several metres high that raced towards the village along and around the course of Hardrow Beck and over the Scar. The raging flood tore apart the graveyard, washing out coffins and carrying gravestones more than two miles down the valley. A large tree crashed into the wall of the Green Dragon Inn, which sustained the worst damage of any building in Hardrow. This fact was exploited by the Methodist preachers in subsequent sermons about the evils of drink. The flood smashed through the rear doors and windows of the public house and out again in the same manner at the front, taking the furniture with it and destroying most of the stock in the cellar. Pausing only to reduce the pretty stone bridge in the centre of the village to a tottering ruin, the waters raced on to swamp Hawes and other low-lying areas. Hardraw Force was turned into a steep, treacherous slippery slope of mud when the lip of the waterfall was demolished by the force of the water. 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. Visitors are prohibited from climbing behind the waterfall.  

The artist J. M. W. Turner and poet William Wordsworth have visited the waterfall and both men stayed at the Green Dragon Inn. 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.

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / North Yorkshire (show map)

Taken on: April 13, 2019

Tags:

Hardraw

Force

Upper

Wensleydale

North

Yorkshire

outdoors

walking

hiking

scenic

historic

Nikkor

Nikon

5300 « less

Sets appears in: • The Yorkshire Dales • Upper Wensleydale more » • In Explore • Bridges, Rivers & Waterfalls « less

Groups appears in: • England • North Yorkshire more » • Yorkshire • Great Britain • Cool Britannia - The Best of British on Flickr • God's Own County • A Picture of Britain • Yorkshire Life • Pictures Of England • This Is England • england,uk • Images Of England • British Countryside • I love Yorkshire • This Is North Yorkshire • The UK Photographer • this_is_England • "U.K. Photo Gallery" ( All Welcome ) • A Beautiful England • Yorkshire Photography • Days Out In Yorkshire • I love Britain! • yorkshire photography uk • Strictly Yorkshire Photography Group • in explore • 6,000 Views Unlimited 6000 • ❥ BRITAIN + BRETAGNE / BREIZH ❥ pls Comment svp • The Best of Yorkshire • Yorkshire Shots • ★ EUROPE ★ ЕВРОПА ★ ΕΥΡΩΠΗ ★ EUROPA ★ • A YORKSHIRE DREAM • Yorkshire Rivers « less

Camera: Nikon D5300, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, 18mm (=27mm), ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D5300
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	18mm (35mm equivalent: 27mm)
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Windows Photo Editor 10.0.10011.16384
Show full info

Stats: 20,303 views / 15 comments

go back

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: