Part two of our Gorge scrambling blog talks about Church Beck in Coniston.
This is located in the centre of Coniston village and flows out of the Coppermines valley. It can feel like a strange juxtaposition when starting in the centre of a bustling village yet 10 minutes later being surrounded by nature and the sound of fast flowing water. Church Beck has lots of opportunities to jump into deep water and still offers great scrambling up cascades and over rocky outcrops. It truly is an adventure into a hidden ravine of great beauty.
An impasse is reached and this marks the end of the lower gorge scramble, this is the most popular route and most suitable for youngsters. An easy scramble leads onto the bank and up to the footpath. For families with youngsters under 10 years old this is usually the best place to finish the trip. With older children and adult only groups it’s now a good idea to venture into the upper gorge, where the jumps get bigger, much bigger!
A 5 minute walk up the footpath leads to the Miners bridge, just above here is where we re-enter the gorge. Now heading downstream we start with a dramatic abseil through a waterfall and this is quickly followed by a jump into a deep pool. The jumps get bigger and the finale is ‘the slide’. This is about 5 metres high and plunges us into deep water, simply amazing.
A journey through Church Beck can be anything from 1.5 – 3 hours in the water.
Access is easy, with an approach walk of around 10-15 minutes. There are public loos in the centre of Coniston (fee) and lots of eateries for afterwards.
We offer Gorge Scrambling at this venue from the end of March until the end of October.
Equipment
To help ensure our customers enjoy the best experience
when Gorge Scrambling with us, we have invested in top quality wetsuits. These are 5mm full body suits. For colder days we also have additional 3mm over-jackets giving 8mm of neoprene insulation to the upper body. We don’t usually offer cagoule type jackets as whilst these do help a little on windy days, they are quite a hindrance when in the water and they usually fill with water straight away. We also provide standard safety equipment including a helmet, buoyancy aid, 1st aid kit and anything else deemed necessary.
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