Hardraw
North Yorkshire
DL8 3LZ
01969 667392
Not many pubs have their own waterfall, but behind the Green Dragon is the spectacular Hardraw Force which at 100ft is England’s highest unbroken waterfall (photo 2). The pub is an attractive 18th century ivy covered building in the tiny village of Hardraw, just over a mile from the town of Hawes in Wensleydale (photo 1).
The characterful bar has oak beams, stone walls and a flagstone floor and is used as the interior of the Drovers Arms in the new series (2020) of All Creatures Great and Small, the Channel 5 drama about a vet in the Yorkshire Dales. The exterior of the Drovers is the Devonshire in Grassington, and if you remember the original 1980s series, the Drovers, both inside and out, was the Kings Arms in Askrigg.
Both the painter JMW Turner and the poet William Wordsworth stayed at the Green Dragon when they were visiting the waterfall. And Hardraw Force featured in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves where Robin uses the waterfall to take a shower. A brass band contest which started in the 19th century and was revived in 1989, is held at the falls every September. To get to Hardraw Force you no longer have to go through the Green Dragon, but through a cafe behind the pub. There is a fee which at the time of writing is £4.
The pub serves up to 5 cask ales, usually including Theakston Best Bitter and Old Peculier, Taylor’s Landlord and beers from local breweries like Wensleydale and Yorkshire Dales. Food is available most of the day apart from a late afternoon break on weekdays. Eight en-suite bedrooms are available, plus a bunkhouse.
Every Wednesday there is an open acoustic music session in the main bar which you’re welcome to join or just to listen to (photo 3). The pub has a large room at the back (‘Hardraw Hall’) with its own bar which hosts live music acts at weekends and is also available to hire for parties and events.
Outside the pub is a 19th century CTC (Cyclists Touring Club) “winged wheel” plaque which was used to indicate that the pub welcomed cyclists (photo 5). They’re still welcome today of course!
And what of the pub name, the Green Dragon? Is there a connection to mythology or a tale of some dashing knight vanquishing a Wensleydale dragon? Sadly no as the name is almost certainly heraldic, honouring a local lord or possibly a well known national figure whose coat of arms features a dragon. In medieval times dragons represented valour and were a popular emblem for the nobility.
Andrew Hields who runs the Green Dragon also owns the famous Tan Hill Inn, 12 hilly miles north of Hardraw. Both pubs are on the Pennine Way long distance footpath and Andrew has created the Dragons Ascent Challenge between the two for walkers and fell runners.
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