Cotterdale and Cotter Force

Cotterdale and Cotter Force - 8 miles.

Our first featured walk of 2025 - and the first of many more to come - took us to the lesser known valley of Cotterdale.

Our good friend, Kim, joined us on this lovely 8 miles circular walk that began in the quaint hamlet of Hardraw, near Hawes.

Having parked up on the road we passed the Green Dragon pub in Hardraw, over the bridge passing the church.

On the edge of the hamlet, a right turn takes us up the Pennine Way, a track we followed for one mile before branching left and following the trodden path along the western slopes of Little Fell.

Just short of two further miles, passing through some lovely fields and little new woodlands, we descended in to the hamlet of Cotterdale, a quaint little place of around a dozen impeccably maintained country homes. Emerging from the other end of the hamlet we found the wonderful Cotterdale Woods with a few picnic tables, which enabled us to find somewhere practical and comfortable to eat out lunch we had packed!

After a short break we continued on our way, taking a brief detour through the edge of forest before joining the main lane that runs through the valley from the main road. It is a very pretty lane that dips and winds with the contours of the landscape. We were fortunate to see a heron flying over the meandering Cotterdale Beck, various cute lambs and we heard the call of a pair of Curlews.

Having crossed over the cattle grid and back on to the main road, we followed the road east for half a mile until we reached the lay-by that provides car parking for visitors to Cotter Force. This is one the Yorkshire Dales' most accessible waterfall. Pushchair and wheelchair-friendly, there are no steps just a solid well laid path to the falls. We didn't have swimwear or towels with us which was a pity as the pool was so clear and it was calling us. In any case it was time to head back to Hardraw and the car.

Although for much of the walk the skies were grey and cloudy, the weather was quite mild throughout the walk with just a drop of rain near the end.

#cozyholidaycottagesdales #yorkshiredales #walkingholiday #thepennineway #walkthedales #dogfriendlyholidays