I picked this walk from the book Yorkshire Dales - 40 Favourite Walks by Alastair Ross. It is a circular route starting in the picturesque village of Hawes and round to the tallest waterfall in England, Hardraw Force before returning the village.
The book has this as a 2 hour walk, but I would recommend giving yourself 4-5 hours to make sure you enjoy everything the walk has to offer.
There are two reasonably large car park to use in Hawes and parking is reasonably priced at £4.50 for 12 hours - but the machines only take cash at this point in time. The village itself has a good selection of cafe's and pubs as well as a Spar, local Chemist, Antiques stores and plenty of stores dealing in walking paraphernalia.
The walk proper starts near the Dales Museum, site of the 2nd car park. We didn't have time to visit this one, we wanted to make the most of the weather. You then pick up the River Ure as it winds its way out of the village, crossing a picturesque road bridge with some good photo opportunities either side.
After that it is across several fields until you climb to the Hamlet of Skeldusk. Here is a small village green with some benches for a rest. You then set off across more fields eventually coming down into Hardraw itself and the very lovely Green Dragon Inn, a perfect stop for refreshments or a bite to eat. Once rested you go to the back of the Green Dragon to access the Waterfall via the cafe (there are some public toilets here too) at a cost of £2.50 for adults and £1.50 for children.
The lead up to the fall is well managed, and ignore the lack of signs as which ever way you take will bring you to the falls. Plenty of photos opportunities here and check out the fossil at the side of the pool.
You can spend a good hour here paddling, or just watching the falls - but once you are done its back across the fields to pick up the River Ure again and back into Hawes.
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