{{Short description|Waterfall in North Yorkshire, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Use British English|date=November 2019}} {{Infobox waterfall | name = Catrake Force | photo = Catrake Force - geograph.org.uk - 519367.jpg | photo_caption = Catrake Force | location = [[Swaledale]], [[North Yorkshire]], [[England]] | coords = {{coord|54|24|4|N|2|10|0|W||display=inline,title}} | type = Step | height = 10 m / 30 ft | height_longest = | number_drops = 4 | average_flow = | world_rank = }} '''Catrake Force''' is a [[waterfall]] on the [[River Swale]] in [[North Yorkshire]], England.<ref name="walkingenglishman"/> It is not visible from the road but is accessible via a campsite in [[Keld, North Yorkshire|Keld]].<ref name=google /> It comprises a series of four steps, each its own small waterfall, and each with a very different character – the largest single drop being about {{Convert|20|ft|m}}.<ref name=gunnerside/>
It lies just upstream of Keld, downstream from [[Wain Wath Force]]. The next waterfall downstream is [[Kisdon Force]].<ref name="yorkshiredales"/> Waterfalls in the north of England are often termed ''Forces'' after the Norse word ''Foss'' which means waterfall,<ref name=Cosimo /> whilst Catrake derives from the Latin ''cataracta'' (waterfall) via Middle English.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=A. H. |title=The place-names of the North Riding of Yorkshire |date=1969 |publisher=English Press Name Society |location=Nottingham |isbn=0-521-07502-5 |pages=242–243}}</ref>
==East Gill Force== [[East Gill Force]], a nearby waterfall on the tributary of East Gill just above its confluence with the Swale, is more obvious and accessible (being on both the [[Pennine Way]] and [[Coast to Coast Walk]]) and is often mistaken for Catrake Force.<ref name="eastgill" />
==See also== * [[List of waterfalls]] * [[List of waterfalls in England]]
==References== <references>
<ref name="walkingenglishman">{{cite web|url=http://www.walkingenglishman.com/dalesguide/waterfalls/master.htm|title=The Complete Guide to the Yorkshire Dales - Top 30 Waterfalls|work=Walking Englishman|date=28 November 2005|accessdate=2 November 2008|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709070504/http://www.walkingenglishman.com/dalesguide/waterfalls/master.htm|archivedate=9 July 2013}}</ref> <ref name=gunnerside>{{cite web |url=http://www.gunnerside.info/Archives/HGTS_Content_p57-64.html |title=Handy Guide To Swaledale contents |publisher=www.gunnerside.info|accessdate=8 May 2009 |pages=57–64}}</ref> <ref name=google>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9aXViqDsmOUC&q=Catrake+Force&pg=PA126|title=The waterfalls of England: a ... - Google Book Search|isbn=9781850587675|accessdate=8 May 2009|last1=Fellows|first1=Griffith J.|year=2003}}</ref> <ref name="eastgill">{{cite web |url=http://myyorkshiredales.co.uk/water/waterfalls/catrake-force/ |title=Catrake Force |date= |publisher=My Yorkshire Dales |accessdate=23 August 2020 |archive-date=21 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421141026/http://myyorkshiredales.co.uk/water/waterfalls/catrake-force/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> <ref name="yorkshiredales">{{cite web|url=http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/index/learning_about/landscape_character/dales_character_areas/swaledale_and_arkengarthdale_character_areas.htm|title=Swaledale and Arkengarthdale|work=Yorkshire Dales National Park|date=17 February 2006|author=Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority|accessdate=2 November 2008|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028013759/http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/index/learning_about/landscape_character/dales_character_areas/swaledale_and_arkengarthdale_character_areas.htm|archivedate=28 October 2007}}</ref> <ref name=Cosimo>{{cite book|last1=Skeat|first1=William W.|title=A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language|date=2005|publisher=Cosimo Classics|location=New York|isbn=1-59605-092-6|page=194|oclc=318273}}</ref>
</references>
{{Waterfalls of Yorkshire}}
[[Category:Waterfalls of North Yorkshire]] [[Category:Keld, North Yorkshire]] [[Category:Force (waterfall)]]