Stanley Ghyll Force from Eskdale

Stanley Ghyll Force sits in a narrow, wooded ravine a short distance from Boot in Eskdale, about 600 metres up Stanley Ghyll Beck by Family Walks and Pubs in the Lake District’s account. The going is rougher than the short overall distance suggests: the track follows the beck upstream, crossing it on several wooden footbridges, through increasingly steep-sided woodland.

The Wandering Wildflower records the ravine as designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its rich mosses, liverworts and ferns. The reward is a narrow ravine where mosses cover the boulders, and Countryfile says the falls feel miles from the tourist trappings found in much of the Lake District. Stone steps climb through the gorge to a cantilevered viewing platform above the falls.

The route described here is out and back, returning down the ravine to the Dalegarth car park; Family Walks and Pubs in the Lake District puts that out-and-back at no more than 2.4km, and published loops of 5km to 6.6km from Dalegarth also exist. The combination of a rough track, footbridges and steps at the end makes this an easy walk to underestimate: it does not suit pushchairs, and the rocks are slippery when wet, so take care with very young children on the final approach to the falls, even though nothing here requires fell-walking experience. The walk is listed as suitable for dogs throughout on thelakedistrict.org, and the Lake District National Park asks that dogs be kept on a lead near livestock.

For anyone based in Eskdale wanting a short outing between the valley’s two fells, Harter Fell and Illgill Head, this is the obvious low-effort choice, so long as sturdy footwear replaces any expectation of an easy, level path.