Seen from Lanthwaite Green, Gasgale Gill appears as a gateway to the unknown. It is inviting, but it does contain a few obstacles. At its foot the ravine is narrow and twisting, hiding its true beauty and keeping the walker guessing of what lies ahead.
The usual Lakeland Way route turns left after crossing the footbridge and follows a high-level traverse above the gill. However, for a more interesting route that follows the waterfalls and cascades of Liza Beck, turn right after the footbridge.
The ravine is very steep-sided, and both traverses include some rocky sections, however, it’s the lower traverse (purple) that should be respected the most and should be avoided in damp conditions.
In dry conditions, the short rocky scrambles are a fun playground for the family.
Initially the path undulates through heather and over some small rock sections.
After a short distance the main waterfall is reached. This is a wonderful location to bathe those aching feet, especially during very hot weather.
Note the rock face on the left; this short but steep scramble is the main obstacle on the alternative route and should only be attempted when the rock is dry.
Just beyond the rock face the path reappears and continues along Liza Beck. Don’t forget to look down though, or you’ll miss Turtle Rock taking a dip!
The deepest pool of all is located a little further up the gill from Turtle Rock.
The rocky sections are now complete and the path is much easier to negotiate. However, care still needs to be taken on some of these scree slopes.
Some sections of the path have given way to small landslips. This is more apparent deeper in Gasgale Gill and beyond this ‘alternative’ section, where much larger landslips have taken the path completely away.
Jaclyn is seen here approaching the point where the lower traverse (alternative route) merges with the higher traverse (Lakeland Way path).
A sneak peak around a rock face reveals the continuation of Gasgale Gill, where it widens and rises more gently to higher ground and beyond to Coledale Hause. Emily, Tika and Jaclyn, however, seem keen on walking the whole route to Braithwaite!
I finally managed to gather up all members of the Jennings family, and now we are heading back to Lanthwaite Green via the higher traverse. These following images will show the difference in height between the higher traverse and the alternative route below.
This rock face is the same one we climbed earlier and is the continuation of Whin Ben’s south ridge. Where the bottom route was a short scramble up, this one is more of a rocky traverse. Tika found this moment appropriate to bring us a stick!
