Not sure where I found out about this hike but it was saved as a Lake District walk to a waterfall and plunge pool at Hell Gill. It was only when I researched the waterfall on OS Maps I found out it was called Whorneyside Force. For the remainder of this writeup it will just be called “The Force”.
Parking at New Dungeon Ghyll, the hike follows a fairly level road/track for most of the way. It’s only when you get close to the falls that the terrain turns to a path that also doubles as a stream bed when it’s been raining recently. Things then go a bit uphill as you approach the waterfall. The route is a fairly straight line with the return route taking the same path.
Not a bad view of Side Pike from the New Dungeon Ghyll car park.
And in the other direction, Raven Crag.
Leave the car park and head west along the side of the B5343 for a very short distance, turning off the road, right at the New Hotel carpark. It’s then a nice grassy path through a few fields of sheep and alongside the beck until you approach Middle Fell Farm.
As you get to Middle Fell Farm follow the track left over this stone bridge.
Straight after the bridge, as the track joins back onto the B5343, take a right turn down this tarmac road.
Follow the tarmac road for a while, crossing the beck just before Stool End Farm, you then pass through the Farm itself – it’s well signposted.
Just as you leave the Farm you get to this footpath junction. Take the left hand path here, nice and level along the side of the beck at the valley bottom.
Follow the gravel track with Oxendale Beck on your left.
Obligatory animal pic, quite a mix in this one, cows and horses.
Keep following the path with the beck on your left, don’t cross this footbridge, I just used it for a photo op.
With the beck and waterfalls on your left continue following the path, after a short distance it starts to get a little uphill.
The path gets quite stoney and can be a bit of a stream itself in places. This pic is looking back down the path/stream.
This sheep also added to the list of obstacles on the path.
Continue up the path/stream and cross a small wooden footbridge and then you’ll come across this fork in the path. Take a right, following the stream up Hell Gill.
Just a short distance from the waterfall now, the path is quite an easy, dirt path which follows the beck on the right.
Here is the first glimpse of “The Force”
And here is “The Force” in all its glory.
It’s then a simple case of heading back the way you came, taking care on the downhill stream path. Here’s a view of the way back along the valley showing the path and beck.
All the Lake District hikes: