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Hardraw Force (Ordnance Survey grid ref: ) is a waterfall on Hardraw Beck in Hardraw Scar, a wooded ravine just outside the hamlet of Hardraw, 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 from a rocky overhang, Hardraw Force is claimed to be England 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 cliff into the stream below, which made it, temporarily, the largest unbroken waterfall in England. – at least discounting Karst topography falls. The underground waterfall inside nearby Gaping Gill on the western flank of Ingleborough has an unbroken fall of more than . (2025). 9780091933135, Ebury. ISBN 9780091933135
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.
The gorge is alongside the Pennine Way. Access to the gorge is via the nearby public house. (2025). 9781850587675, Sigma Leisure. ISBN 9781850587675
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. (2025). 9781841623238, Bradt. ISBN 9781841623238
Hardraw Force featured prominently in the 1991 film , 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.
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