Cotter Force

Cotter Force is a small waterfall on Cotterdale Beck in North Yorkshire. It lies near the mouth of Cotterdale, a side dale in Wensleydale. The beck is a minor tributary of the River Ure. Several smaller falls appear along its course, but Cotter Force is the largest. The force itself is not visible from the road. The waterfall is worth the journey for its series of six steps, each forming its own small waterfall. The largest single drop measures about five feet. The force narrows to thirteen feet at the top and widens to forty-three feet at the bottom. A short path leads from the A684 near Holme Heads Bridge, about two miles west of Hawes. The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust upgraded the footpath to make it accessible to wheelchair users and less mobile visitors. Visitors find a clear path to the waterfall from the road. The six steps of the force create a stepped cascade of water. Turner sketched the scene in July 1816 for his Yorkshire Sketchbook. Richard Samuel Chattock, a noted 19th-century etching artist, created two works of Cotter Force in 1864. Both etchings are now held in The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.