Stanley Ghyll Waterfall

Nice walk through the forest, lots of fallen trees but still can get to the top platform. We went with our 2,5y old twins and our doggie and it took us 4.5 hour all together.

Simply stunning a beautiful cantilevered bridge goes out over it a slice of heaven good for most abilities would 100 recommend if you are close by

Fantastic walk up to the falls seeing all the destruction mother nature can do with rock slides and tree damage. Once at the top stunning views from the new viewing platform. Definitely worth the walk up.

Lovely walk through the gorge. It’s just a shame the lower falls path was closed (May, 2022)

Stanley Ghyll is now open again after a major project to bring back its natural wildlife and its view.
Stanley Ghyll is “one of the finest waterfall ravines in the Lake District”. The humid, sheltered conditions within the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) protect a rich community of mosses, lichen, liverwort and notable rare ferns. The Beck, the waterfall and adjacent woodlands form the most important habitat for these plants in southwest Lakeland. Moreover, the awe-inspiring landscape and unusual biodiversity motivated exploration en-masse and Stanley Ghyll became a popular destination for tourism and artistic endeavour in the late Georgian and early Victorian eras.

The site was purchased by the Lake District Special Planning Board (which later became the Lake District National Park Authority) from the Ponsonby and Dalegarth Estate in 1994, with the object of preserving nature conservation interests and providing access opportunities for the public. From various historical documents and drawings we know that prior to the 1850s, rhododendron did not exist on the property. Bare granite and native species dominated the landscape and the waterfalls could be viewed and heard from a great distance.

About this time, the property served as a nursery for the gardens of Muncaster Castle and the Victorian fascination with rhododendron saw the planting of many different species throughout the site in the spring of 1857. The common, invasive ponticum variety thrived in the steep sided ravine of Stanley Ghyll and in less than one hundred years, the property was a sprawling mass of densely packed, unchecked rhododendron growth; poisoning the soils, shutting out the light and the views and preventing the natural progression of the native species.

Beautiful spot, did about a 4-5 mile circular from dalesgarth station. Lower viewing bridge closed at the moment but we walked up to the top to the new viewing platform. Gorgeous waterfall, would love to see it when there has been some heavy rainfall. Even saw a red squirrel 🐿

Lovely big waterfall. Nice walk up, the bottom of the waterfall is closed at the moment so you can only see it from the top viewing platform but it is worth a visit. Great views on the way to the waterfall too.

It's a bit of a walk to get to the waterfall, but it's a nice and scenic walk. It was quiet when we went so we took turns to go to the edge. Be careful if you are Acrophobic