taken 3 years ago, 4 km NW of Greenholme, Cumbria, England
Wasdale Beck
Wasdale Beck in high water is an alpine-style grade 4-5 descent taking maybe an hour (with minimal inspection) from the A6 down to the Shap Wells Hotel. Needless to say it needs a lot of water and doesn't stay up very long. Seen here after some rain (the fells were pretty boggy underfoot) but with nowhere near enough to paddle, the nature of the bed becomes clear - a maze of tough Shap Granite boulders and some bedrock falls. Low footbridges and sheep fences with a dire lack of eddies are among the hazards, but lower down there's a decent size fall and a potentially nasty weir. At one time it would have the potential to be a tree-filled ditch, but recent clearcutting of the forest has at least reduced that risk somewhat.
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