Hardraw Force

Hardraw Force
Hardraw Force
LocationHardraw, Yorkshire Dales, England
Coordinates54°19′16″N 2°12′8″W / 54.32111°N 2.20222°W / 54.32111; -2.20222
TypePlunge
Total height100 feet (30 m)

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.