Editing High Force

{{Short description|Set of forces in Northern England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox waterfall
| name =High Force
| photo = High Force Waterfall (geograph 7027112).jpg
| photo_caption = High Force
| location = [[Middleton-in-Teesdale]], [[County Durham]], England
| coords = {{coord|54|39|1|N|2|11|15|W||display=inline,title}}
| type = Curtain
| height = 21 m
| height_longest = 
| number_drops = 
| average_flow = 
| world_rank = 
}}

'''High Force''' is a [[waterfall]] on the [[River Tees]], near [[Middleton-in-Teesdale]], [[Teesdale]], [[England]].<ref name=WB/> The waterfall is within the [[North Pennines]] Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty ([[AONB]]) and the [[European Geopark]]. The whole of the [[River Tees]] plunges {{convert|70|ft|m}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/sevenwonders/north/north_pennines/02.shtml|title = BBC - Seven Wonders - High Force}}</ref> over a precipice (an almost vertical cliff edge) in two stages. After heavy rainfall the river will also flow over the usually dry right-hand side channel, creating two falls. Very occasionally the river level will be high enough to flow over the central section of rock; the last recorded time this happened was in December 2015 after [[Storm Desmond]]. In harsh winters the falls have been known to freeze, creating cathedral-like ice formations.<ref name=EE/>

Access to the northern bank is via a private footpath on the [[Raby Castle|Raby estate]] for which a fee is charged. The southern bank can be reached free of charge via the [[Pennine Way]] public footpath which crosses the [[Moor House-Upper Teesdale]] National Nature Reserve.

==Geology==
[[File:High Force from the Pennine Way - geograph.org.uk - 1726862.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A view including the now rarely seen second fall on the right]]
[[File:High Force after a storm - geograph.org.uk - 111699.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Storm conditions in 1968]]
High Force was formed where the River Tees crosses the [[Whin Sill]] – a hard layer of [[igneous rock]] (also seen at [[Hadrian's Wall]] and other locations). The [[waterfall]] itself consists of three different types of rock. The upper band is made up of [[whinstone]], or [[dolerite]], a hard igneous rock which the waterfall takes a lot of time to erode. The lower section is made up of [[Carboniferous Limestone]], a softer rock which is more easily worn away by the waterfall. Between these two layers is a thinner layer of Carboniferous sandstone, which was baked hard when the Whin Sill was molten 295 million years ago. The wearing away of rock means that the waterfall is slowly moving upstream, leaving a narrow, deep [[Canyon|gorge]] in front of it. The length of the gorge is currently about {{convert|700|m}}. The [[bed load]] (rocks that the river is carrying) is mainly composed of large boulders, which are rolled along the river bed. Upstream of the waterfall, the river is narrow; downstream, it widens and meanders.

==Relative height==
Despite popular belief that it is the highest waterfall in England,<ref name=wain/> at {{convert|71|ft|m}}, others have a longer fall: [[Cautley Spout]], in [[Cumbria]]'s [[Howgill Fells]], is almost {{convert|590|ft|m}} high, and [[Hardraw Force]], in [[North Yorkshire]], has an unbroken drop of {{convert|98|ft|m}}. Underground, on the flanks of Ingleborough, Fell Beck falls an unbroken {{convert|315|ft|m}} down the [[Jib Tunnel]] of [[Gaping Gill]] Hole. However, High Force does have the largest volume of water falling over an unbroken drop when in full spate, thereby earning its Nordic name "High Fosse".

== In popular culture  ==
Stock footage of the waterfalls was featured in the 1969 film ''[[Mackenna's Gold]]''. Although the story of the film is supposed to occur in the American Southwest, stock footage of High Force was used.<ref name=imdb/> High Force also appeared in ''[[Emmerdale]]''<ref>{{cite web |title=This County Durham landmark appeared in dramatic ITV episode last night - and people are loving it |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/19660058.high-force-county-durham-appears-dramatic-emmerdale-episode/ |access-date=6 June 2022 |website=[[The Northern Echo]] |date=20 October 2021|first=Jim|last=Scott}}</ref> in 2021.

==Notable visitors==
The painter [[J. M. W. Turner]] arrived at High Force at 10:00&nbsp;a.m. on 3 August 1816 to sketch the scene. He then travelled upstream to [[Cauldron Snout]] and eventually made his way to [[Dufton]], across the fells, in inclement weather.<ref name=turner/>

[[Arthur Young (writer)|Arthur Young]] came with his wife on horseback from [[Durham, England|Durham]] in 1771 and made the following comment:<ref name=myers/>
<blockquote>The whole river (no trifling one) divided by one rock into two vast torrents pours down a perpendicular precipice of near fourscore feet: The deluging force of the water throws up such a foam and misty rain, that the sun never shines without a large and brilliant rainbow appearing...

After preaching at Cuthberton and in [[Teesdale]], I went a little out of my way, to see one of the wonders of nature. The river Tees rushes down between two rocks, and falls sixty feet perpendicular into a basin of water sixty feet deep ...</blockquote>

==See also==
* [[List of waterfalls]]
* [[List of waterfalls in the United Kingdom]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=WB>{{cite web|title=High Force, Low Force and the River Tees from Bowlees|url=http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/walks/walk_b/3099/|website=Walking Britain|access-date=28 June 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=wain>{{cite book|last1=Wainwright|first1=Alfred|title=Wainwright on the Pennine Way|date=1985|isbn=9780718124298|page=[https://archive.org/details/wainwrightonpenn0000wain/page/114 114]|publisher=[[Michael Joseph (publisher)|Michael Joseph]] |url=https://archive.org/details/wainwrightonpenn0000wain/page/114}}</ref>
<ref name=EE>{{cite book|last1=Jackson|first1=Michael|title=Exploring England|date=1979|publisher=Collins|isbn=9780831757731|page=102}}</ref>
<ref name=turner>{{cite book|last1=Dixon|first1=Christine|title=Turner to Monet: The Triumph of Landscape Painting|date=2008|publisher=National Gallery of Australia|isbn=978-0-64-254163-5|page=104}}</ref>
<ref name=myers>{{cite book|last1=Myers|first1=Alan|authorlink=Alan Myers (translator)|title=Myers' Literary Guide: The North East|date=1995|publisher=Mid Northumberland Arts Group|isbn=9781857541991|page=94}}</ref>
<ref name=imdb>{{cite web|title=IMDb - Filming Locations for Mackenna's Gold movie|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064615/locations|website=IMDb|access-date=12 July 2016}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{commons category|High Force}}
* [http://www.northpennines.org.uk North Pennines National Landscape]
* [http://www.happyhiker.co.uk/MyWalks/Co.Durham/HighForce/Hiking%20Pages%20-%20High%20Force.htm Walk to High Force]

[[Category:Waterfalls of England]]
[[Category:Force (waterfall)]]
[[Category:Tees catchment|WHighForce]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in County Durham]]