Child standing in front of the tallest waterfall in England with blue skies and rocky sides

Shaw Gill Woods and Hardraw Force

Hardraw Force is the highest waterfall in England, and has the tallest unbroken drop over ground at 30m.

But this walk not only takes you to see the spectacular waterfall, it has SO many more to find too! Calling the wild waterfall hunters, this one’s for you!

(Oh and there’s a toddler version too!)

You may have heard of Hardraw Force, but there’s so much more to find!

Hardraw Force is a pretty famous waterfall, just outside of Hawes in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales. People flock to see the record breaking falls in their thousands, but did you know that high above, well before the water cascades over the edge of the humungous amphitheatre, the beck has more secrets to discover.

Hardraw may be the tallest, but the cascading falls found in Shaw Gill woods above the famous falls are beautiful. Well worth the adventure! This walk gives you waterfalls, views, cafes, walking sticks, friendly sheep, geocaches and epic pooh stick bridges. Oh and an historic pub at the end too!

What’s not to love eh?

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Thank you for taking the time to have a look at my website and for reading this now!

I set up the Reluctant Explorers and maintain the website and attached social media accounts in my spare time, around mum-life and two jobs. It was designed to provide access for parents to free resources to help get more families outside and exploring in nature. These walks have all been created by myself and the kids and we have walked each one ourselves (and re-walk them regularly to keep the information as up to date as we can).

If you would like to support us and can afford a few pennies, you can make a donation to our ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ page. Simply tap the button below to head there!

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Child standing looking at a waterfall in winter on a wide beck

One of the upper water falls in Shaw Gill Wood

Walk Details for Hardraw to Shaw Gill Woods

Distance: 6km (around 3-4 miles) less if you don’t do the upper route at Hardraw Force. I’d describe it as a figure of 8 walk!

Terrain: Well signposted and waymarked, but can be muddy underfoot. There is some ascent at the start to the woods up a hill, but this section of ascent is short lived. There is a very short section of road walking. This road can be quite busy, but the time spent on it, is less than 2 minutes.

Parking: Hardraw for layby parking on the way out of the village. If you have very little adventurers and fancy cutting the route a little shorter, then there is limited parking for 4-5 cars outside Simonstone Hall before you head into Shaw Gill Woods. Just start the walk at point 5 in the walk instructions.

Public Transport: It is possible to get the bus to Hardraw via the Little White Bus. Check out the bus timetable on the Dales Bus Website.

Dog friendly? Yes, dogs to be kept under close control and there are grazing sheep on this walk.

Location: Hardraw, Wensleydale.

Toilets/ Baby Change: Hardraw Force visitor centre has toilets.

Nearest Cafe/ Amenities: Hardraw Force Visitor Centre, Green Dragon pub and Simonstone Hall

A signpost on a dry stone wall and a child walking down a footpath in the distance

The footpath from Hardraw Force car park towards Simonstone

How to walk to Shaw Gill Woods from Hardraw

Directions to be used in conjunction with a map.

  1. Starting from the lay-by parking area, to the west of the Green Dragon Pub, head into Hardraw and to the PUB! No. Not yet… you will need to turn left just after passing the pub (as if you are going into the car park) and then keep your eyes peeled for the footpath sign which says ‘Simonstone’. It’s on the right hand side of the access road to Hardraw Force/ the pub car park, there is a red Hawes Circular Walk way marker on the post.

  2. Follow the signpost, stepping up a little step and then along narrow ginnel behind the gardens to a row of cottages, follow it around an outbuilding then onto a flagged path. This heads through a wooden gate and then up the hill ahead.

  3. There is a carved memorial bench towards the top, with some spectacular creations to see. A great place to pause to take in the view (and a snack - there has been an up-bit!) Behind the bench is a dry stone wall and a mosaic tile, which forms part of the larger Hawes circular mosaic route. To the right of the bench is a gate, head through that and into the field ahead. On your right is a farmhouse that when we walked the route had some pretty epic walking sticks for sale for just a few pounds in the honesty box!

  4. You will pass through a stile and gate into the yard of the farm (where you’ll find the sticks). Here, take the access road away from the farm, which meets up with the main road. Simonstone Hall is to your right, a super special place to stop for a fancy family friendly meal (a Mother’s Day treat for me!)

  5. Turn left. Be mindful that this road can get busy, it heads up to Buttertubs pass which forms the main route between Wensleydale and Swaledale. Your time on it is thankfully short though, as you will soon see the walled stony path descending into the woods, signposted (helpfully) Shaw Gill Woods! Just to make that super obvious!!

  6. Follow the stone path as it descends then turns right. It meets a wooden pooh stick bridge. Cross this (after a game…. or seven) and head through the gate to the right on the far side. There is a Woodland Trust sign on it. Here, it is very easy to navigate your way through the woods along the path. You’ll find a few stunning cascades along the beck and a geocache if you’re collecting them. This is the beck that feeds Hardraw Force and it has a LOT more to offer than just the main event for sure!

  7. The path meets a wooden bridge to you right that will take you back along the other bank, but before you do, it’s worth a little detour to the left to see the upper falls before following the heading back along the beck to the wooden pooh stick bridge.

  8. Hear, retrace your steps back to the road and then return to the walking stick farm, where you’ll retrace your steps to Hardraw. You can obviously end the walk here if you’d rather not go and see Hardraw Force. An entry fee does apply. But if you’re here and you’ve not seen it before, then it’s well worth a stop to see the country’s tallest waterfall.

  9. If you do want to go to Hardraw, then grab a trail map on your way through the visitor centre. There are low and high options. The low route takes you directly to the falls or there is a high route, which involves a bit more up (but takes you to the top of the falls which is pretty cool to see!)

  10. For the full Hardraw Facts, head to our dedicate page (but it’s all self explanatory when you get there!)

Last walked January 2026.

Child looking at mosaic of woman in dry stone wall

The mosaic in the wall above Hardraw

Child standing looking at a waterfall in winter in woods
Child pulling out walking sticks from a stall next to a fence with £3 label on it

The walking sticks for sale at West House Farm

What’s great for kids on this walk?

✨Hardraw Force is where ‘that’ shower scene was filmed in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. Yes, that’s a film from’t 90’s and yes, that *ahem scene might not be all that relevant to the kids. I like it though, so the fact stays! RHPOT fan? Pair it up with Aysgarth Falls down the road where they filmed the Little John fight scene. Check out the details of Aysgarth Falls here.

👻 Not content with the Hollywood history? Well Hardraw Force is reportedly haunted….. and you know I love a good old fashioned ghost story! The story goes that one stormy night back in the day (technical historic term there…), Hardraw Force was the scene of a dastardly murder. The victim was found in the water at the base of the rocky cliffs that surround Hardraw Force. It was believed that this was a suicide until further investigation found evidence of a fight and a melted dagger….. bizarre eh? Reportedly, the shouts of the argument between the men can still be heard on stormy nights echoing around the rocky clearing….. spooky! You can read more ghost stories of the Dales by heading to the blog. Admittedly, I’m not winning here on the kid stuff…

BUT!

🚶‍♂️Walking sticks! A STICK MAN!! Yes there are some mighty fine walking sticks to get your mitts on! £3 a pop (be aware that this was at the farm on the walk, it may be that they go on holiday, or I don’t know, decide that walking sticks aren’t really their thing anymore, so don’t pin your dreams on them, but they are a pretty cool little find!)

🍦Head to the visitor centre for ice cream or a cake. OR you can head 5 minutes down the road into Hawes where you’ll find a whole ICE CREAM PARLOUR!

🛝 And the play park!

🌳 In need of some walking distractions? Then why not check out one of our printable scavenger hunt or another of our walking games?

💦 Hardraw force stands at 30m of unbroken waterfall, which makes it the tallest single drop waterfall in England. Overground that is, because underground Gaping Gill absolutely smashes it with 100m single drop (just through a massive black hole into a huge chasm that you can only see a couple of times a year!) Cascade waterfall? Then look no further than… The Yorkshire Dales AGAIN. Because Cautley Spout holds the record for the tallest cascade waterfall in the country.

🍻 Did somebody mention pub? The Green Dragon at Hardraw is an historic pub selling pub grub and local beer. The Inn dates back to the 13th Century and is SUPER cosy. It used to actually be the entrance to the waterfall back in’t day, but now that’s been taken over by the visitor centre.

Walking into the The Green Dragon pub door at Hardraw with ivy covering the building
Ordnance survey map with tracked route on it

Want to grab the route?

Head to the Ordnance Survey Navigation App where you can download the route! Here’s our route taking in Shaw Gill Woods and the Upper Trail at Hardraw Force. There are many combinations of this walk so it’s here as a guide!

(Always carry a back up map and know how to use it)

Image is Copyright of Ordnance Survey

Tap here to head to the Ordnance Survey Route

Helpful Information!

For more helpful information head to our safety tips and advice page.

⭐ We hope you enjoy our walks, but please exercise common sense as routes can change with the weather conditions and seasons! The routes have been walked by our own two feet, but you know your own limits. Always take a back-up map, don’t rely on GPS alone, wear appropriate clothing for the weather and take adequate snacks and refreshments with you (although as a parent, I know you already know that bit!)

⭐ Leave no trace! Take nothing away and leave nothing behind, take all rubbish home with you.

⭐ If you choose to paddle, be aware of bio security. Always wear clean dry water shoes (if worn) to avoid cross contamination of species between watercourses, this is a particular issue in the Yorkshire Dales, to help protect the white clawed crayfish.

⭐ If you decide to paddle, be aware that wild water can be dangerous, and water levels will vary season to season. Always supervise children around water. Check out the safety information on the Royal Life Saving Society website.

A child with a walking stick walking along a wooded gorge with a waterfall in the distance

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