Gorge Walking in the Lake District

Key Facts

• Locations: Church Beck, Esk Gorge, Tilberthwaite Beck, Stickle Ghyll, Tarn Beck, Duddon Tour and Black Hole, all in South West Lakes
• Progess to: Adventure days and premium days
• Duration: ½ day activity other than adventure days and premium days which are full days
• Minimum Age: 10 (6-9 year olds can do Stickle Ghyll and Lower Tilberthwaite)
• Premium/Adventure Days available: Esk Gorge Walk (wet gorge), Stickle Ghyll and Jacks Rake (drier scramble), Tarn Beck mountain day
• Per person prices: offers and prices

Gorge Walking involves walking and scrambling through water, traversing above pools and climbing up waterfalls. There are lots of exciting opportunities to have fun swimming across pools, jumping in them and sliding off rocks and waterfalls.

Gorge Walking happily runs from Easter until just before the October half term and the Esk Gorge is available from the 21st April till the 21st Sept. Half day Gorge Walks can still be done outside of these periods for groups on the understanding that the water will be very cold!

Gorge Walking Availability

Gorge Walking Details

Gorge walking takes you up a steep sided beck (Lakeland river), walking in the path of the water, scrambling over rocks, traversing above pools and climbing up waterfalls. Generally with gorge walking there are some ‘Jacuzzis’ and not so hot tubs en route, we swim across pools, jump in them and slide off rocks and waterfalls.

You may know that sometimes it rains in the Lake District, and if it is going to rain, then you will get wet and if you're going to get wet, you might as well have lots of fun at the same time! This is basically what gorge walking is - getting thoroughly soaked with a big smile on your face! Don’t worry about the water though because for gorge walking we provide a wetsuit, cag and buoyancy aid and other safety gear, so you won’t be too cold or uncomfortable.

Our range of gorge walking venues include some which are wetter, some which are wilder and some dryer with more scrambling. We also do a full day wet gorge walk and 3 full day drier gorge scrambling adventure days.

What do we do in a typical Gorge Walking session

We have a variety of terrain in the different venues used for Gorge Walking, but our regular sessions are usually in Church Beck, Coniston, take half a day with one or two roped climbs one or two deep pools and element of swimming and of course walking over rocky uneven terrain (the river bed), with some scrambling and traversing along the gorge sides. The overall distance covered in Gorge Walking is only around 600m but because of all the activity involved, it takes around 2 hours to cover this distance.

Full day Gorge Walking trips usually involve more swimming and climbing with a greater distance travelled.

All our outdoor activity sessions include elements of fun, learning new skills, going on a journey, adventure and coaching. Each session will have one of these elements as its main focus, either because the activity naturally offers it, (eg. journeying up the gorge), or to tailor the session to the groups aims. Be sure to let our office/your instructor know if there is something you would like to learn, do or have concerns about. We will always remember that you are doing the activity as part of your time off and so your enjoyment will always be our priority.

Through years of experience providing quality outdoor activities we include all those small things that make your holiday so unique and memorable. Such as average instructor to customer ratios of 1:5 (so you have more time and are not rushed) complimentary hot drinks, and much more.

Premium Days

Adventure Days

"Give it a go" Days

Why go Gorge Walking in the Lake District?