High Force is to appear on a new set of Special Stamps unveiled today by Royal Mail that showcase some of the UK’s most enchanting and spectacular waterfalls.
The 10 stamps in the set feature photography of waterfalls from all four nations of the UK, capturing the power and beauty of some of our most dramatic natural landscapes.
High Force
As the River Tees comes hurtling down from its North Pennines source, it plunges about 21 metres over an almost vertical cliff. After heavy rain, the peat-laden river splits, forming two falls divided by a protruding buttress, but even this rock can be covered in exceptional weather. England’s most powerful waterfall in terms of volume, High Force is slowly moving upstream as it erodes the sedimentary rocks beneath the Whin Sill – the hard-wearing layer of rock over which the River Tees initially flows.
Other waterfalls shown on the stamps are:
– Rogie Falls
– Pollnagollum Cave
– Aysgarth Falls
– Pistyll Rhaeadr
– Becky Falls
– Hardraw Force
– Rhaeadr y Graig Lwyd / Conwy Falls
– Fairy pools of Glen Brittle
– Ess-na-Larach
David Gold, Director of External Affairs & Policy, Royal Mail, said: “The British Isles are rich in natural beauty and these stamps highlight some of the UK’s most striking waterfalls in all four nations. They showcase the richness of our natural environment which has been shaped by water over thousands of years.”
Andrew Lindsay, General Manager, High Force Hotel, said: “We are absolutely delighted to see High Force featured as part of Royal Mail’s Waterfalls stamp collection. High Force is one of England’s most spectacular natural landmarks, attracting visitors from across the UK and beyond who come to experience its beauty, power and unique geological significance. It is a wonderful recognition not only for High Force itself, but also for the outstanding natural landscapes of Upper Teesdale and the North Pennines. We hope the stamp inspires even more people to discover this remarkable part of the country for themselves.”
Waterfalls:
Waterfalls are among nature’s most awe-inspiring spectacles: an explosion of power as a river suddenly loses height.
Many of the falls found in the UK are the result of differential erosion of horizontal bands of rock – where an upper, harder rock type withstands the erosive force of the water but a lower, softer layer is steadily worn away, creating a point where the river has to ‘step’ down.
In some places, glaciation has created hanging valleys, which act in a similar way, causing watercourses to plunge over their edges.
Variations in rock types and geological processes mean that no two waterfalls look the same. Some, like Hardraw Force in North Yorkshire, form single, slender ribbons of white water; others cascade over tiers of rock or create curtains covering a cliff. Several are found along the UK’s coast; some form underground.
Features common to most include plunge pools at their bases, famously at Glen Brittle’s Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye.
The names given to waterfalls often reflect their location, including ‘force’ (from the Old Norse ‘foss’) in the north of England, ‘rhaeadr’ in Wales and the Gaelic word ‘eas’ (or ‘ess’) in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The stamps, and a range of collectible products, are available to pre-order from today (18 June) at www.royalmail.com/waterfalls and by telephone on 03457 641 641. A Presentation Pack including all 10 stamps is priced at £14.45. The stamps go on general sale from 23 June.