Cotter Force is a small
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
on Cotterdale Beck, a minor tributary of the
River Ure
The River Ure in North Yorkshire, England is approximately long from its source to the point where it becomes the River Ouse. It is the principal river of Wensleydale, which is the only major dale now named after a village rather than its ...
, near the mouth of
Cotterdale
Cotterdale is a small side dale and hamlet on the north side of Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, England.
The dale lies to the west of Great Shunner Fell. It is drained by East Gill and West Gill, which between them have nine waterfalls. They ...
, a side dale in
Wensleydale
Wensleydale is the dale or upper valley of the River Ure on the east side of the Pennines, one of the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England.
It is one of only a few Yorkshire Dales not currently named after its principal river, but th ...
,
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
, England.
The Falls and Cotterdale Beck
Cotterdale Beck has several other smaller falls in its course before joining the Ure, but Cotter Force is the largest.
The force is not visible from the road, but it takes only a short walk to reach it. It comprises a series of six steps each its own small waterfall with the largest single drop being about . The force is narrower at at the top widening to at the bottom. A short path allows easy access from the
A684 near Holme Heads Bridge approximately west of
Hawes
Hawes is a market town and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England, at the head of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, and historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The River Ure north of the town is a touri ...
.
After the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust carried out an upgrade to its footpath, Cotter Force is now accessible to wheelchair users and less mobile visitors.
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References to the Force
The artist J. M. W. Turner sketched here in July 1816 for his Yorkshire Sketchbook.Richard Samuel Chattock
Richard Samuel Chattock (23 August 1825 – 30 January 1906) was an English printmaker, painter and etcher.
Biography
Chattock was born in Solihull (then in Warwickshire), the third son of Thomas Chattock, a solicitor. After studying at ...
is known to have created two works of Cotter Force in 1864. Both etchings now reside in The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.
References
External links
The Walking Englishman
{{Waterfalls of Yorkshire
Waterfalls of North Yorkshire
Wensleydale