Newlands Beck Gill Exploration

I’d been eyeing up the top (exciting) parts of this gill for ages during my ascents and descents from various parts of the Newlands Round.  Last year I finally got around to having an explore – I’d waited for a dry spell but it didn’t help with some of the waterfalls!

All photos:
my Zenith manual film SLR

It’s probably a couple of miles along the valley to the start of the gill where there is a huge waterfall which, unfortunately, has to be circumvented on the ‘new track’ to the left of it – I say new track as it isn’t really the route but just where people have been going wrong over the last couple of years… The real track comes down from Dale Head Tarn on a gentle rake well above the valley and is a very ancient and lovely route – I’m sure it would have been the ones used by the miners in the area.

Miners Crag and Newlands Gill

After circumventing the bottom fall, you come to what I call ‘the Water Slide’.  On looking at this in the past I thought it was best to cross the beck at a huge boulder sticking out of the water (in the photo below) but I was soon to regret doing so… From the other side, I couldn’t get back into the gill until after the whole of the waterslide so I was a bit miffed – the original side looked to have had opportunities.

For some reason, I don’t seem to have taken a photo of the main fall midway up the gill which was my primary interest.  This splits into two waterfalls either side of a rocky ridge and my aim was the easy left-hand fall, especially as this would now be fairly ‘dry’.

I scrambled up the rocky ridge until the split and then branched off to tackle my route – it didn’t have much water coming down it… However, it was solid moss and, no matter how I struggled to get my feet to stay still for the easy moves, I couldn’t.  I was actually getting better footing in the bits with running water (they are generally cleaner and less slippery).  In the end, easy scramble or not, I could see I wasn’t going to get up without a fall so I’m afraid I chickened out and climbed out up the steep rocks at the side.  I was quite miffed though… Maybe I’ll go back for another go sometime…

I had to leave the gill in a couple of places but generally only briefly.  Unusually for a gill exploration, I was on the left-hand side of the gill all the way up and only crossed (erroneously) onto the right-hand bank at the slide.  Below is a bypass fall (for me anyway…)

There was nothing of any event for a while so I’ll just let the next couple of photos speak for themselves – one is looking back down obviously…

As the route flattens out you come to a spectacular gorge! 🙂  This was so good I think I’ll nip in often when the weather is dry and I’m ascending that way.  It is very awkward though but that’s the idea really…

Not far into the gorge, there was a huge, deep pool with just rock walls either side.  I have to admit I don’t generally swim in my gorge explorations as I’m doing a round of hills afterwards so don’t want to be soaking wet even in good weather… This is where my long legs came in very useful indeed coupled with a bit of my climbing experience…

Far across the pool was a little buttress which was only around 6 feet high and had a foothold near the bottom.  I thought that, if I could stride across the pool in one move and hit the tiny foothold and then drag myself across onto my foot, I could ascend the mini buttress and see how it went from there…

After a slight hesitation I made my lunge – I was nearly at full stretch but managed to hit the foothold.  I must still have quite good core muscles as I managed to move across onto my foothold and get a couple of handholds near the top of the buttress.  It was reasonably easy to clamber up the tiny buttress and study what happens next…

Luckily there was an easy downclimb the other side and a bit more rock to walk on at the edge of the beck.  I hadn’t really worried about the difficult move as I would just have got very wet if I’d fallen off – the pool was probably around 6 foot deep – but it would have been inconvenient.

The gorge was easier for a while until another very awkward set of moves towards the end.  I was elated when I came out the other side though as it had been very interesting and definitely the best part of the gill.  I took a couple of photos looking back – the first near the end and the second after I’d exited the gill.

It had been a dull day weatherwise until I exited the gill and set off up the slopes of High Spy and then, suddenly, the sun came out.  I looked behind me to see all the Scafell range lighting up…

Glaramara and Comb Gill

I met a guy coming the other way at the summit and said he was lucky as the scenery was just improving dramatically – he grinned and said he’d noticed.

Skiddaw from High Spy summit

It’s a very easy romp along the ridge to Maiden Moor – nice views across to Greenup and Langdale (Pike O’ Stickle sticking up in the far distance – middle of photo)

Looking back along ridge to High Spy and Dale Head…

I’d been debating whether to add in Catbells – as it’s an easy walk from the col I decided I would (after all, I’m a bagger at heart – if it’s there you’ve got to do it (again… and again…)

It’s almost never completely deserted on Catbells so I didn’t stay long – more great views on the way back down to the col…

The Newlands Round Fells

Scope End always looks great from the return to the carpark

Another great day in the hills – while loading these photos I’ve seen yet another gill! 🙂

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