Scale Force Waterfall Walk

 4.5 miles from the walks to waterfalls book, Mapmywalk shows 4.6 miles

I’m going to be truthful about this walk, I’ll call it the unmissable waterfall that we missed 🙂 We have a book called Walks to Waterfalls, its walks to 10 waterfalls in the lakes; we choose this walk, as it was not too far from Dalebottom. We put the postcode of The Bridge Inn, in the satnav which was where the walk started from, one of the roads we came across on the way had a width restriction on it, but Evie was just under, the road was narrow, but there wasn’t many cars on the road and we flew though, it was alongside Crummock Water.

The carpark was a national trust carpark and wasn’t huge, so we were glad we got there early as it’s not that easy to park Evie in a smallish carpark. So with rucksack on back and book in hand, (well Steve did again) we set off. We read the 1st part of the instructions and turned out of the carpark, and were supposed to turn immediately to the right, to us it just looked like it went into a farm yard, so we thought it must be wrong, we should know by now to go and have a good look instead of thinking it’s not the right way straight away. We decided to head for what looked like the hub of the village and found a sign pointing to Scale Force Falls so off we went, great we thought a well sign posted walk, the views again were lovely, we eventually came to a stream and a stone bridge which when you went over it was like a T junction, there was no signs saying which way at all, so much for the well sign posted route, so we looked at the book according to that it said to head right, bearing in mind that we had missed most of the other instructions in the book as we didn’t find the turning that we should have taken in the beginning, however according to the small map in the book, we needed to be heading to the right

We headed off again, there was a clear stony path, it opened up to a view of Crummock Water and some glorious mountains on both sides of the water. Now on the only sign we saw it said the waterfall was a mile and a quarter from that point, we came across some wooden bridges and some very boggy ground which were mentioned in the book, we couldn’t see that there could be a waterfall anywhere and we had already gone more than a mile and a quarter, so of course the only logical thing would be starting to head up, we saw a man heading up on a path so presumed we must be right, so off we went again, it was not an easy trek up as some fences had fallen down and it was quite a scramble, we watched where the man went and headed that way, we lost site of the man as we stopped to take photos.

We came across another thin wooden bridge that looked like if you crossed it, it would take you in a wooded area which didn’t look like waterfall friendly at all, the book mentioned loads of names, none of which were backed up by any signs along the routes (we now know that hidden amongst those few sparse trees was Scale Force Falls with no clear path leading to them, duh). We carried on heading up and up and up, the weather by this time was turning really warm, we eventually came to a small gate with a path leading into the hills, but also a path leading up before the gate, so now we had no idea which way to head, Steve sprinted up the path to see what he could see, he also sprinted back down, he looked like a fell runner and sounded like one too with his huffing and puffing, he can’t remember the last time he ran anywhere 🙂 the only thing he could see was more hills.

We decided to have a sit, have a drink and enjoy the views and decide what to do, I didn’t want to carry on as we had no idea how long we would have to walk for and even if we could find the waterfall, we had another look at the book and couldn’t figure out where we were, we set off back down and just enjoyed the views again, don’t get me wrong we enjoyed the walk, but it would have been better to find the falls. As we walked along we had a right old moan about the lack of sign posts, moaning about how wrong the book was, a man and a dog followed us down so we asked him about the falls, at first he said that we were in completely the wrong area, well we knew we weren’t that wrong, he then went on to say that it was the other way and that we couldn’t miss it!!.We carried on back towards the stone bridge and thought we should have turned left there; we decided that we would do it again another time and write it off as a bad job or walk L. By this time it was getting really busy and there were cars parked everywhere, there was a nice looking pub in the village, but we decided to get back to Evie and get to the campsite, rather than stop and have a well-earned lager. We got back to Evie and set off once again to the campsite.

The Lake District

 

12th, 13th & 14th July 2019

Steve’s Birthday Weekend

I had planned this longish weekend round about January for Steve’s birthday, we had our very first holiday in the lakes and we had said we wanted to go back.

When it got to about May I started to look into dates, areas, campsites, walks in that area that suited us, I enjoy doing that research, you discover things that you have never heard of. I made a list of a few sites that looked like we would like. My first thoughts were around the Grizedale Forest area, it had places and walks that we would enjoy. The forest had a sculpture walk that looked interesting. At the end beginning of July I phoned The Grizedale Forest Campsite, but they were fully booked up, the next few I phoned were fully booked to (should have phoned the end of June), I started to look at different areas.

I finally managed to find what looked like a lovely small campsite called Dalebottom near Keswick, I phoned and booked 2 nights, it was £25 per night for 2 people with EHU, it was more than we usually pay, but for where it was situated and the time of year it wasn’t too bad.

I’d booked the Friday off work and we decided to go very early on the Friday rather than the Thursday night, with Evie all packed and ready to go, we had an early night, maybe too early as the plan was to wake up at 4am for a 5am set off, that way missing the M6 traffic, as it was we woke up at 3am and were setting off by 4am, definitely missing the traffic. It was a good journey with no hold ups, not even road works so we were up in the area by about 6.30ish, we had heard about a road called Kirkstone pass which sounded interesting and a little bit hair raising, it started at Troutbeck and ended at Patterdale, we had heard that it was quite tight for a motorhome, but it was fine and Evie managed it well, we had been advised not to drive down a road called ‘The Struggle’ a cut though from Kirkstone Pass to Ambleside so we gave it a miss.

We had put Kirkstone Inn in the satnav which is the 3rd highest pub in Britain; the pass had stunning and very dramatic views. We stopped at the inn, which I might add wasn’t open at 6.30am, the carpark is across the road from it and had quite a few campervans/motorhomes that had obviously stayed the night as their curtains were closed, as not to wake them we shut Evie’s doors quietly to go and get some photos of the scenery, we even whispered as not to disturb anyone.

After taking the photos we set of again and soon came across a lovely little carpark where we stopped for some breakfast and it couldn’t have been a better place to have a bacon butty and a cuppa, the views were lovely again looking down the valley to Ullswater. We had a bit of a wander across the road, over a small wall were there was a little stream which was another good photo opportunity, it started to drizzle a bit and was cold so we headed back to Evie to start the journey to our next desination, which was Buttermere to walk to Scale Force Falls one of the longest waterfalls in The Lakes.

After the walk, we had to tackle the narrow road back which was a bit busier than when we arrived but all was good again as most drivers are courteous and squeeze in. The journey to Dalebottom Campsite was lovely; again with amazing views of The Lake District National park, the site was a five min drive from the center of Keswick. As we pulled into the site the reception was clearly marked, so I went in and spoke to a lovely young couple who was very helpful, he was from America and was helping out along with the daughter of the couple who ran the site, I paid him, and she showed us the area where we could park and we could choose our pitch, she described where the toilet, shower block and washing up facilities were and left us to park up. The site was clean and tidy, it had the usual facilities that are needed for a motorhome/caravan, water to fill up, which were actually dotted around the site so you didn’t have to walk or drive to far to top up, electric hook ups, waste water (although we didn’t have to use it on this occasion) and toilet waste disposal. We were on a hard standing pitch, the motorhomes/caravans were parked on the outside of a big grassy area, which was kept especially for tents which there was quite a few when we got there and also filled up during the evening, if you enjoy people watching this is the site for you, there was a diverse lot of people from groups, couples, families and single people, big tents, small tents. Also a diverse range of vans, motorhomes, etc., they had quite a few touring caravans that looked like they were stored and used when the owners had time off. Also there was a good few big static caravans which you could book.

We settled down got the outside chairs out and just relaxed for the evening, we had the go to curry for tea with mounds of rice as I’m hopeless at judging rice, we had so much that I thought of taking it around the site to see if anyone could use it 🙂 I must buy boil in the bag for next time. There was no TV signal, but our aerial is not very tall, so it might have been the problem as other vans had their aerials quite high. Anyway we read, people watched and discussed what we were going to do the next day, Keswick looked lovely so that was the decision, we would leave early to make sure we could park, as Evie is not as easy to park as a car. We chose to have an early night, now this site is busier than we usually go for and we didn’t know if it was going to be noisy or not, especially as during the evening a load of bikers came in, pitched their tents virtually opposite us, a few more people came, parked up or pitched their tents, people had dogs and there was a lot of children around, but by about tenish the site was so quiet you could hear a pin drop or an owl hoot. After a great night’s sleep we got up early, had a light breakfast and shot off into Keswick, the site was a hub of hustle and bustle as people got ready for their days out or just chilling on the site. Steve had found a carpark by Keswick water which was when we got there massive and most of all empty, or virtually, we noticed a couple of motorhomes which by the looks of it parked overnight. There were no restrictions for overnight parking that we could see. We decided to pay for 6hrs to be on the safe side as we hadn’t planned what we were going to do, it cost us £7.80, and there were of course other prices depending on how long you wanted.

With ruck sack on back (well Steve again), I did take my small one 🙂 cameras round necks (again), we headed towards the lake, it is a stunning site as you start to get close to the water, it is so still and surrounded by mountains and everything is so lush this time of the year. There are a couple of jetty’s jutting out into the lake and a load of rowing boats which you can hire, we noticed a poster about boat trips around the lake, the first trip was at 10.00am, it was only half nine, so we decided to do the trip, I paid and got the tickets and went to queue, we were there first and enjoyed the views and the ducks while we waited, we were even entertained by a couple of lads who had obviously never rowed before taking a rowing boat out and after colliding with almost every other boat there and the jetty numerous times eventually got the hang of it, they might have been rowing backwards with the pointy end in the wrong direction but they were making steady progress 🙂

Ten soon came round and also a few people had joined us in the queue. We took our seats, and as we were first onto the boat we headed to the front, big mistake, you always think that the best place is at the front of somewhere, but on this occasion it wasn’t, I will explain later why.  The captain said his safety talk and the boat started up and turned around, it started to pick up speed and as a result the spray coming of the front of the boat sprayed up and over and on to me :(, for some reason Steve was ok, but I think it was because I was sitting the closest to the outside of the boat. It was quite a spray so I was getting quite wet, Steve offered to swap, but there was no point in two of us being soaked, I put my coat on which helped.

There was various stops round the lake as you can walk round the whole of the lake and people must set of at different places, the first stop was a couple of mins after setting of and a couple of people got off. As soon as the boat started going in a different direction and a bit slower the spray stopped and I was able to enjoy the rest of the trip without water in my face, it also started to get really warm, so the coat came off, also my jumper which was wet. The sunshine made the lake look gorgeous and it was a great way to see the view’s surrounding the lake, we took some great photos, it lasted for 50 mins and cost £11.50 each, we thought well worth it. As we headed back, the lake was getting quite busy with all kinds of different sized boats, paddle boarders and even swimmers, rather them than me, brrrrrr. We arrived back at the jetty, disembarked, and then we discussed what to do next.

There was a short walk to a view point which we did next and of course took more photos, by this time everywhere was getting busy and people were enjoying the sun. The famous pencil museum is in Keswick so we headed there next, it was a good walk from the lake into keswick, after seeing a sign for the museum we headed that way and soon discovered it was definetly the wrong way (not sure what it is with us and signs) Keswick is a well-known town in the lakes and had started to get really busy from when we drove in that morning.

We eventually found the museum, turns out someone had pointed the signpost in the wrong direction, the entrance fee was £4.50 each and went in to one large room with a lot of information about the history of the pencil and lots of other things to do with the pencil factory that was based in Keswick, it’s not a huge museum, but is very informative, it’s a great place for children, they do a quiz as you go round which a questioner is offered when you pay, Steve and I declined, but plenty of adults were doing it with their kids, also some without, I’m not sure what you get if you complete it, I forgot to mention that when we paid they also gave you a free pencil each. We were there for about three quarters of an hour, then after a wander around the shop of which there were lots and lots of very expensive things to buy we headed back out into the sunshine

Steve had spotted a fish and chip shop as we looked for the museum so that was our next port of call, we spotted a market there so decided to look around the market first, there was a lot of stalls selling various things, we passed a fruit and veg stall and bought some strawberries and I nipped to a small convenience shop and got some cream. We ordered our fish and chips from the chippy and went back to Evie to eat them, it was lovely and it is so nice to be able to sit at a table at any time, any place and eat your meal, that’s the beauty of having a motorhome.

The carpark was by now full, with cars going around in circles trying to find a free space, so we were so glad we had come early. We decided to head back to the camp and have a chill in the sun, the site was quiet when we arrived back, but got busier as everyone arrived back from their days out, the bikers were still there and looked like they had had a chilled day. The chairs came out again and we just chilled for the rest of the afternoon, I read, while Steve sketched the view from the site. The sun was in and out of the clouds, when it was behind a cloud it was really quite cold, but when out it was boiling.

The bikers had lit a little barby which caused quite a bit of smoke, but was quite amusing to watch, as they were waving there arms about like mad trying to redirect the smoke away from the tents. As the afternoon went on it got cooler and cooler so we went and sat in Evie, as we were still full from lunch we just picked at bits we had in the fridge and watched Fisherman’s Friend which was a really feel good film. Later on we had a game of cards then went up the weary ladder to bed.

We woke up late-ish had bacon and egg baps, then made sure everything was packed away, there is nothing worse than setting off and a cupboard door opening and loads of things falling out, we have done that a couple of times. Everyone else on the site seems to be packing away too, the weekend over and people going back to their weekly lives. Our destination was our next waterfall which was the Howk in Caldbeck it was a 3 mile walk along a river, passing an old mill and onto open country side. It was a lovely drive over the fells this time, by the looks of it there are a lot of different walks as there were a lot of cars parked on the side of the roads and all carparks were full, also we noticed quite a few wild camping spots too. We came into Caldbeck a small conservation village and drove round looking for the carpark we had a job to find it, but that’s us for you, we had passed it twice while looking for it, duh. Luckily there was space for Evie, it was only a small carpark and you left a donation in a box situated not far from the entrance. With rucksack on back (Steve again), cameras around necks, book in hand, we set off

Walks to be uploaded soon

With walk completed, we set off on the long journey home reflecting on the lovely weekend we had just had. After we arrived home, we unpacked Evie and I gave her a good clean the next day so she is all ready for the next adventure.

Llithfaen Walk

3 and a half mile circular from Walks on the Lleyn Peninsula book, it took us 2hrs 50 mins at a gentle pace, taking photos then the steep hill back to the carpark, time based on the Map-My-Walk App.

The day was a lot cooler than the day before, but it was quite muggy, we packed our wet walking gear just in case the sky decided to open up. The walk started from the carpark and was signposted well, the first part of the walk is reasonably flat and across open ground, then through some fields, again with sheep. The views are amazing looking out to the north coast of the Lleyn. We started to drop down, which of course means an up somewhere along the way. We had the book with us and on the very few occasions had to check we were going the right way. We walked along a farm track and passed some farm buildings which are being renovated and they are very nice, one of them is a holiday home. The path was quite faint and very winding which was a good job as it was very steep as you looked down and there would be no way you could walk straight down safely.

As we worked our way down we could see the shingle beach below us, behind us were mountains, in effect we were walking round those mountains as the carpark was on the other side. When we got down to the beach we looked up from where we came from and if you didn’t know there was a path there you wouldn’t have known there was a path there (if that makes sense). On the beach there were the remains of some of the buildings and machinery from when they used to mine there. This makes for a good photo stop, again the beach was quiet and we had only met 2 people on the path. As we walked along the beach we could see the path up to the visitor center, this was quite a steep climb too. Here we stopped for a well-earned break and a scone, it was a bit busier here with visitors choosing to drive down to that section and then back up, missing out on the chance to take more in by walking.

We then prepared ourselves for that big walk back to the carpark. It is steep, but we took our time and of course took photos of the views. The road was busyish with cars coming up and down and if we had had some roller skates I think we would have grabbed on to a passing car going up. The road zig zagged all the way back to the top carpark and Evie sure was a pleasant sight to see coming around the last corner just as it flattened out again

Traeth Penllech walk

4.13 miles, there and back, it took us 3hrs 43 mins, that’s a gentle pace with stops for photos, based on the Map-my-walk App.

It was a gorgeous day, we learnt later that it was one of the hottest day in June, the start of the path down to the coast was only about a five minute walk from the site, all of it was well signed posted, which we actually looked for this time, as sometimes we think we know the way we are supposed to be going but always seem to end up going back. It was slightly muddy in parts, but we had that really heavy rain a few days earlier, but it was passable, we went over a few fields with the odd sheep in, so if you had a dog with you, you would have to have it on a lead at that point.

We came to a divide in the path and decided to head to the right of the little wooden bridge, we were now on the coastal path and the views were amazing, it was quite steep in some places it was a well-worn path and easy to follow, the sea was sparkling in the sunshine and quite a few boats bobbing about (sounds like a novel coming on:)), but that’s what it was like. We kept on the path and of course had quite a few stops to take photos, there was hardly anyone around, apart from a fisherman standing on the rocks way below us, and we couldn’t see how on earth he got down there.

Traeth Penllech came into sight, it is a huge sandy beach, there were quite a few steps going down to a tiny harbor called Porth Colmon and a small carpark, but there are only a few spaces. We walked up the other side which wasn’t to steep, we came to quite a steep bit which lead down to a small gate, when you go through the gate you can either carry on to the beach, we decided to do a short cut though the rocks, there was a bit of clambering but it was fine, this lead onto Traeth Penllech beach, a gorgeous place and still hardly anyone around, apart from a few jet skis that broke the silence, and reminded us of being home on a Sunday morning where everyone seems to want to get their strimmer’s out.

It was here we found a comfy rock, if you can have a comfy rock and had our coffee, despite the heat, and our butties and it’s with regret I announced that I had forgotten to pack the crisps, how on earth can you eat a butty without crisps but we coped. We sat for about an hour and just enjoyed the views and of course had a paddle before heading back the same way. We do usually like a circular walk and there was one, but we were unsure of how long it was. It is definitely a place we would go back to and do a little more research into the circular one.

Glanrafon Fawr Site

Well here goes…. our very first blog, we decided to start from our last weekend away which was 2 weeks ago, weekend 22/6. When we go away I do quite a lot of research into the area we are going to and the walks we can do, we use a lot of various forums to do this, google, park4night, britstops, and some Facebook, free and cheap camping spots overnight is a good one, plus you can ask for ideas on there, I also use a lot of good paperback books for walks in different areas in Britain, we also watch other Youtubers (that are all mentioned in the links section) and I sit there with my five year agenda book that was a present from Amazon and jot stuff down, i.e. campsites, places to walk, etc.

I do like to plan our weekends, well that’s more me than Steve, he would get up and go on a Friday after work and just take to the road, I like to be a bit more organized, think it’s a woman thing, well it’s my woman thing, we try to go after work on a Friday, but we are lucky that we can get away by late afternoon, we pick places that are 1 to 2 hours away from home just for these short weekends, of course a lot further afield when we have our longer holidays, we pick an area we fancy going and the search begins.

This weekend we decided to go to the Lleyn Peninsula, as there was a walk we had wanted to do called Nant Gwrtheyn, we are not huge lovers of the big campsites with clubs, pools etc., we look for quiet sites preferably farm out of the way ones. Its personal choice i think, we have no young children to entertain, just the 2 of us, so it’s a bit easier to do quiet sites with no particular facilities for children, we don’t really look for sites with Wi-Fi or a tv signal, if it has them when we get there it’s an added bonus.

The site we choose was Glanrafon Fawr, a small site on a farm, perfect. We decided to go non hook up, as we have 2 new leisure batteries. When reading the about on the site website, it said it was in walking distance of the coastal path, but that could mean a long or short walk before even reaching the path, there was nothing to say how far it was, but it didn’t really matter, a walk is a walk.

We set off on Friday after work and thankfully the A55 was ok with no hold ups, the journey took approx. 2hrs, once you hit the Peninsula you start to hit narrow lanes and little villages with cars parked either side of the road, but it was all doable in Evie and we saw bigger motorhomes and caravans, we actually passed the site entrance as the sign was after the turning, but it was a blessing in disguise as we actually found a place to turn round which was actually the path to the coastal path, so bingo a bonus, we knew where our walk was the next day.

We turned into the site, it was tidy with lots of flower baskets around, so lots of colour, there is a sign saying enquiries, I popped to the house and was greeted by an old Jack Russel who liked his bark, a lady came to the door, she remembered my name, which was lovely, told me exactly where our pitch was and took the money. We pulled into a large flat field and pulled onto our hard standing pitch, it was by the toilet block, but there was a massive hedge so you wouldn’t know you were so close, there were a lot of touring caravans parked round the edge of the field, but it was so quiet, these caravans are parked there all the time we got to learn later as you do, we checked the toilets out and they were spotless with a washing up facility too. The field was basked in sun and as you do the kettle went on.

The site was unbelievably quiet when we arrived, but I can imagine it would be a different story in the height of summer, but as it was we got talking to a couple who had their caravan there all the time and they were saying that yes it is busier in the holidays, but surprisingly quiet except for the odd late barby. We got our chairs out and sat outside for a good while before tea.

We usually do something quick and easy for that first night, as we are both usually knackered, so I do something like burgers or bacon baps, but as we are trying to be healthy :), I did steak, new pots and a tin of peas and carrots, which took no longer than a burger. After a few wines and a couple of lagers we walked up the long weary ladder to bed.

After a lovely quiet night we woke up to silence, except for a lovely dawn morning chorus, it was the Saturday that the weather people had promised hot weather and oh boy it was hot, we had decided to do the coastal walk, so after breakfast al fresco and healthy again:), we sun creamed up, with a flask of coffee and a couple of butties, back packs on and cameras round our necks we set off.

Getting back to the site and seeing Evie was a welcome sight as it was so hot and we were exhausted and we were ready for a cold drink. After downing a can of cold coke I was in desperate need of a shower, so with towel and shampoo I headed off to the toilet block, while Steve got the chairs out. The shower was heaven, lovely and warm and a good powerful spray, there was also a toilet and a sink in the same unit and plenty of room to get dried and dressed.

Despite the hot weather, we had chicken curry for tea, it’s a quick and easy meal to do in Evie and with rice and prawn crackers, a wine and a lager went down a treat. We sat outside for a good while, moving the chairs to chase the sun, it started to cool down about nineish, so we opted to go and sit in Evie and as there was no tv signal we watched a film.

After a good night’s sleep again we woke up bright and early so we could have an unhealthy breakfast of bacon, sausage and egg butties, heaven, we didn’t have to be off the site till 11.00am, so we had plenty of time to clean Evie, we usually do her as soon as we get home after every trip, it did save us some time when we got home though.

We set off for the carpark of the second walk, which was about a forty mins away, the drive was lovely and we saw the views we hadn’t seen on the way to the site. The carpark at the start of the walk is huge, there is one at the actual visitor’s centre at Nant Gwrtheyn, but we had read that the road is so steep it is not suitable for the larger motorhomes so we opted for the top carpark. We also noticed that there are no signs for no overnight parking, so may be somewhere to stop overnight in the future. There were two walks on the information board in the carpark, both were longer than the one we had planned to do, the one we were doing I found in a book called Walks on the Lleyn Peninsula.

We set off, rucksacks on backs, well Steve did, my stuff was in his, no flask this time, just a couple of cans of coke, there is a cafe half way through the walk, so we planned on stopping there if we wanted a hot drink, we did stop there, it is a lovely cafe with good views and a good menu, we didn’t have a hot drink, just a scone, jam and cream and very nice it was too and it was needed for the walk back up the hill, apparently it’s the steepest hill in North Wales, we managed it, we took our time, the views are amazing as you climb up, it was a relief to see Evie again though.

We had a sit for a while just enjoying the view before setting off home, unpacking Evie which involves taking the rubbish, clothes, food etc. out and of course emptying the loo, then taking Evie back to the storage where we keep her.

In all it was a lovely relaxing weekend, both walks can be found in the walk section of the blog