[1] Cotterdale Beck has several other smaller falls in its course before joining the Ure, but Cotter Force is the largest.

It comprises a series of six steps each its own small waterfall with the largest single drop being about 5 feet (1.5 m).

[4] A short path allows easy access from the A684 near Holme Heads Bridge approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Hawes.

After the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust carried out an upgrade to its footpath, Cotter Force is now accessible to wheelchair users and less mobile visitors.

[7] The noted 19th-century etching artist Richard Samuel Chattock is known to have created two works of Cotter Force in 1864.