High Force © DCC 2007

High Force lies in the parish of Romaldkirk, upstream from the small town of Middleton, in Teesdale. It is believed to be the highest waterfall in Britain. The river Tees, which rises several miles further up the dale, flows down the valley until this point, where the hard whin sill rocks give way to the softer limestones of the lower part of the valley. The river suddenly plunges over 20m into a large pool. In dry weather the river flows through only one major channel, but when the river is swollen by rain it also flows through a second smaller channel. It is now an important tourist attraction on the Raby Estates. A footbridge crosses the river allowing visitors access to the best views of the falls. A number of other bridges nearby, such as {Holwick Head Bridge] allow access to the farms on the other side of the river from the main road. As is common elsewhere in the North Pennines, there are a number of quarries nearby, such as {High Force Quarry D4535} and {High Force Hotel Quarry D4551}, which provided road stone. Lead mining is confined to the higher hillsides of Teesdale; the area around High Force itself is dominated by sheep and arable farming. A whitewashed 18th or 19th century stone barn stands at Bridge House Farm. {Sheep folds D4506} and washfolds can also be seen nearby.