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" Stanley Gill Force Walk "

Date & start time: Thursday 14th April 2016, 4.10 pm start.

Location of Start : Trough House Bridge car park, Eskdale, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 171 003 )

Places visited :      Stanley Gill Valley and waterfalls.

Walk details :          2.1 mls,  300 feet of ascent / descent, 1 hour 20 mins.

Highest points :    The waterfalls and the pub afterwards.

Walked with :         Hilary and Richard, Ann and our dogs, Harry and Dylan.

Weather :                Overcast but dry and just that touch of coolness.

© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Licence number PU 100034184.

 

A second walk in the mid-afternoon takes us up the hidden valley of Stanley Gill

to the waterfalls tucked away in the side of the main Eskdale Valley.

Famous for its firns and trees, this is a delightful area of 'temperate rain forest' and offers a lovely extra little walk today.

The signs seem to want to call it Dalegarth Falls.

[ sounds like it's been sponsored by the railway company ]

 

. . . but we've always known it as Stanley Gill Force.

( the waterfall on the Stanley Gill or river)

 

Whatever you call it, we parked at the end of the road

and walked up the slightly muddy track a short distance

to the gate into the wooded valley.

This is the first time we have been when the Rhododendrons are in flower.

A delicate pink colour on the flowers in bloom.

A bumble bee kindly came along to add interest to the photo.

The riverside path, slightly reminiscent of New Zealand tracks . . .
. . . leads you up into the valley past the 'turtle rock'.

Stop the world for a moment . . .

Stanley Gill flowing down over the boulders, the water blurred by the long exposure.

Hold your cursor over the picture to try and stop time for a moment.

The damp conditions allows the greenery to thrive . . .
. . . and everything has a rich cover of vegetation.

The forest floor is green with young growth.

Dylan encourages us onward and upward across the many bridges.

The final one has a stile and notice in the middle of it . . .
. . . so that you can't fail to read the warnings.
   
The steep and slippery path to pool at the base of the falls . . .
. . . Hilary managed it despite the health and safety warnings.
   
The main falls from below . . .
. . . and above after I climbed past another notice.
   

The path up the side of the waterfall is now totally non-maintained and is particularly steep, wet and complicated by fallen trees.

Richard and I clambered to the top of the falls but it does match the 'health warning - path closed' scenario . . . so follow it at your own risk.

The upper falls, hidden from view from below . . .
. . . the lower falls taken in close-up on the way back down.

It just remained for us to reverse out outward route

and cross all the bridges again on our way back down the valley.

The Koru . . . a classic Maori symbol of re-birth . . .
. . . seen here in the very English ferns of Stanley Gill.

- - - o o o - - -

After reaching the car and changing our boots it was time to adjourn for something to eat.

The Brook House Inn . . . that will do nicely.

With the extra walk it nicely coincided with an early supper time.

That will save cooking and washing up when we get home . . . and it allowed the conversation to continue for longer

as Richard and Hilary would be heading a different direction to us once the day was done.

Mmm . . . . Wild Mushrooms

[ They were actually quite calm till you prodded them with the fork ;o) ]

. . . followed by a lovely seafood platter

 

The whole experience

was rounded off with a sampling of

Loweswater and Yates Beers

and a speciality cider for Hilary

 

- - - o o o - - -

 

 

Full marks to The Brook House again.

 

 

- - - o o o - - -

 

 

A most agreeable end to a lovely day on the fells.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Canon Sureshot SX220, or my Canon 1100D Digital SLR.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . . a change of seasons and new flowers to study.

Go to Top . . . © RmH . . . Email me here

Previous walk - 14th April 2016 - Hard Knott and the Eskdale Needle

A previous time up here - 10th November 2012 La'al Ratty and Stanley Gill Falls

Staying in the area or just fancy other ideas - Walks from Dalegarth Station