Map: OS Explorer OL4

         The English Lakes North-western area

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Parking: We started from Chapel House Farm campsite where we stayed.

If you are coming into the valley for the day, you can park all the way up in Seathwaite, removing the walk element. It is roadside and you are competing with walkers heading for the popular, higher summits so don't leave it too late. Another option is to park on the track opposite Mountain View cottages. Follow the road through Rosthwaite, past the campsite and around a few bends. At the houses, just before the bridge, turn left and follow the farm road to a small layby with room for about half a dozen cars. You can easily pick up the route description and walk up to the start of the scramble.

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Route:

From the campsite, turn left and walk a short distance up the valley road. There is a small footpath. At Mountain View cottages, turn left just before the bridge on the main valley road and follow the tarmacced track. You will soon pass the carpark described above.

From the carpark, continue along the tarmac. The track turns right towards the farm and you turn left on the marked footpath. Follow the footpath, which is well marked and well used, along the boundary of fields and fell side. This will bring you out at Seathwaite Farm. 

Turn right towards the farm and then turn left through an archway in the farm buildings to follow a walled track to a footbridge. Over the footbridge and then pause to sort out your gear for the scramble. We scrambled in our walking boots and normal walking clothes. O course, scrambling in the wet in your only pair of walking boots is dangerous at the start of a week long holiday (!) so you may want to bring along spare trainers or wellies but we felt the boots would grip better and provide more confidence. You may also choose to put on waterproofs to guard against spray but this probably means that the water levels are a bit high for the route to be fun and safe.

We entered the stream bed by the second footbridge where the boulders are quite large. The initial section is not steep and is a good warm up for getting used to scrambling and for getting your balance on the rock. 

Now simply follow the stream uphill! We managed to climb all but the steepest waterfall sections (these are obvious!) and any sections we didn't like the look of we simply by-passed by climbing out on the right hand side of the stream, following the grassy path up a bit before re-entering the stream bed. If you are careful and take your time you can probably climb most of this scramble.

The top is obvious as there is a steep section that you will by pass and then the terrain levels out. Continue well into the flat area so that you are away from the waterfall top before crossing the river. There are several crossing points. Once you have crossed to the South side, head back towards the valley and you will find the path down. Just through the wall, the path turns sharp left along the wall and there are some rocky outcrops to rest on with a good view down Borrowdale.

When you are ready, begin the climb down. Descend with care as your boots may still be wet and this can make the rock slippery. It is steep in places so take your time. At the bottom, retrace your steps along the valley path to your start point. 

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Verdict:

This was great fun on a warm, sunny, summer day! Although this was an afternoon activity for us, it could easily be expanded to fill a whole day - explore further into Gillercomb at the top or throw stones in the river at the bottom. The walk in was a nice warm up and the scramble itself starts easily and is only as difficult as you chose to make it. The Little Chaps loved this because it was something very different and the idea of scrambling up a river is a novel one that will really excite your Little Ones too.

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