Taylor Gill Force

Borrowdale Valley / Keswick / Lake District National Park, England, UK (Great Britain)

About Taylor Gill Force

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

The Taylor Gill Force Waterfall was said to be the tallest waterfall in the Lake District of Northern England.

It was said to have a 140ft drop, which made me wonder whether they were talking about a particular section of this cascade or if the name really did pertain to the entire cumulative drop.

Taylor_Gill_Force_004_08182014 - Looking directly at what I think is the Taylor Gill Force in context
Looking directly at what I think is the Taylor Gill Force in context

Whatever the case, I wasn’t sure if the mountain cascade pictured above was indeed the Taylor Gill Force or if there happened to be another nearby one that I somehow missed.

Nonetheless, I had read that this spot was the rainiest part of England, and perhaps fittingly, my visit was met with a pretty persistent rain as well.

Experiencing the waterfall

This cascade that I’m proclaiming to be the Taylor Gill Force was pretty easy to experience once we made it down the narrow roads from Keswick towards Borrowdale Valley by the Seathwaite Farm (see directions below).

From there, I was able to see the cascade from right off the end of the road, but there were lots of stone fences in the way.

Taylor_Gill_Force_005_08182014 - Walking along the Seathwaite Farm in pursuit of a way to get closer to the Taylor Gill Force
Walking along the Seathwaite Farm in pursuit of a way to get closer to the Taylor Gill Force

So that was what prompted me to explore the Seathwaite Farm for a bit until I found a gate that we could open and close.

That gate didn’t look like a public access route as it stumped a handful of other people also wishing to get a closer look at the falls.

Anyways, beyond the gate, the trail headed towards the base of the cascade while crossing a bridge over the start of the River Derwent.

By the way, that river ultimately made its way further down the valley towards the Derwent Water lake near Keswick.

Taylor_Gill_Force_029_08182014 - Looking upstream towards the head of Borrowdale Valley from the footbridge over the River Derwent
Looking upstream towards the head of Borrowdale Valley from the footbridge over the River Derwent

Up until the base of the Taylor Gill Force waterfalls, the walk was pretty short and flat as it passed right through the Seathwaite Farm.

As I looked in the upstream direction, I could see where the Borrowdale Valley stopped as the surrounding hills closed in on it.

However, the path then became a steep ascent after crossing over a stile (a steep pile of stones) before climbing quickly alongside the cascade.

Because it was raining pretty hard during my visit, this stone path became very slippery and dangerous.

Taylor_Gill_Force_042_08182014 - Looking across part of the Taylor Gill Force from as far up its trail as I was willing to go
Looking across part of the Taylor Gill Force from as far up its trail as I was willing to go

So I was only able to get roughly half-way to two-thirds of the way up before I was content with my partial view of the Taylor Gill Force waterfall as well as the gorgeous views looking back down towards Borrowdale Valley.

The trail kept going up, but given the dangerous conditions (thanks to the rain) I didn’t keep going.

In hindsight, perhaps I never got to see the 140ft section that the literature tended to show or talk about regarding the Taylor Gill Force.

In any case, I didn’t feel like I really missed out on much so I carefully made my way back down into the valley.

Taylor_Gill_Force_048_08182014 - Looking back down into Borrowdale Valley as I was carefully making my way back down alongside the Taylor Gill Force
Looking back down into Borrowdale Valley as I was carefully making my way back down alongside the Taylor Gill Force

After a little over an hour, I rejoined Julie and a napping Tahia who were sheltered from the rain in the parked car.

Authorities

Taylor Gill Force resides near Keswick in Cumbria County, England. It is administered by the National Trust. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: borrowdale, keswick, lake district, national park, cumbria county, england, uk, united kingdom, waterfall, derwent, seathwaite, castlerigg



Visitor Comments:

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Wrong waterfall, Sourmilk ghyll August 30, 2018 8:07 pm by Benjamin Foster - I'm pretty sure you've got the wrong waterfall here. This looks like sour milk ghyll. You started off correctly, through the farm, over the river, but then turn left and follow the river southwards. This provides the best view but becomes a serious scramble as you climb up the RIGHT hand side of the fall.… ...Read More

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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.