Sourmilk Ghyll Scramble

Sourmilk Ghyll being one of my favourite scrambles, not that it offers a hard challenge, as it is graded at a grade one, but because of the nature of the scramble, being so pleasant in one of the Lake Districts most beautiful areas.
To start the scramble head into Grasmere and park in the car park near the Co-op The price here is £5 for the day where as the other main car park is just over £7 for the day. From the car park head back to the main street and cross over.
After a few minutes walk you will come to Easdale Road on your right.

Follow the road up until you come to a foot bridge that crosses the stream. Cross the bridge and follow the path until you see Sourmilk Ghyll straight ahead.

Continue through a opening in the stone wall and follow the path up left until you come to a gate.
From here turn right into the field staying close to the wall as the ground is very wet. Follow the wall round to the stream, and over a log to start the scramble.

After crossing the log drop down into the ghyll and follow the ghyll to the first main obstacle, the waterfall, this can be scrambled by going directly up the middle, or if the water level is to high by scrambling up either the left or right side.
After the water fall continue this pleasant scramble up over a series of small falls until you come to a larger water fall with a large drop pool.
This can be scrambled again directly up the middle or on it’s left if the water level is high.

Once you have overcome this continue up until you reach another large fall that offers no direct scramble on the water fall it’s self but does offer a fun alternative.
Approach the fall and head over to the large boulder on the right, climb up and over this and drop down behind it before making your way up to the top of the fall. In very high water conditions this passage could be done but you would most likely have wet feet as this route is an obvious third fall from the stream above.

After this follow the stream up until it levels out and this is the end of Sourmilk ghyll scramble. From here you can head up left to the main path and continue on to Easdale tarn. But if you have not had enough scrambling for one day, you can continue from here on to Easdale Ghyll and or Belles Knot. On this particular day we did all three by lunch time, and enjoyed the rest of the day walking across the tops back to Grasmere