Cooling off in the Heatwave...
- Wednesday, 10 August 2022
- Written by Kestrel Lodge
In the shadow of the Old Man of Coniston, just off the Torver to Coniston trail, is Banishead Quarry, the remnants of an old slate mine with crystal clear water and a lovely waterfall at one end.
Unlike most waterfalls this one was created by us—humans. When miners were quarrying for slate, they had to be careful not to dig too close to the streams that flowed off the Old Man. One of the largest mountainside streams flowed here and eventually, the miners at the Banishead Quarry got too close and a section of the riverbank collapsed. Water was diverted into the quarry, flooding it and ending all mining activity here. Fortunately, most of the slate at the bottom had already been taken, so water is able to escape through the permeable sandstone rock which had underlain the slate and keeps the quarry in a state of equilibrium, so the water level remains roughly constant.
As you may know, Louise and I do love a good swim, pretty much anytime, but when the temperatures begin to climb you'll find us heading away from Kestrel Lodge and Bassenthwaite in general and looking for a quiet place, off the beaten path whenever possible, to enjoy our favourite form of chilling out!
When we first arrived there were two other chaps who got there at the same time, but left before us, then we had the whole quarry to ourselves for as long as we wanted. Magic.
As you can see from my pics, Banishead Quarry is an absolutely beautiful place to swim, but fair warning, the route down isn’t the easiest. The cliffs are pretty high, fenced off, and have warning signs all around them about falling rocks and such like. The path down is loose soil, shale, and scree, so please only attempt the scramble down if you are wearing good sturdy footwear (sandals, flipflops, and the like need not apply), have a decent sense of balance, and are in good health/fitness level to be able to get back up again after your swim.
This is truly a special place to swim and somewhere I think we shall return to again and again. It’s easy to get to from the Walna Scar car Park above Coniston Village—about a mile walk each way along an undulating trail with stunning views across the Southern Lakes and up to the Old Man as you go.
Caution: the water is very cold, as always with quarries, and people have lost their lives jumping into the water from the cliffs. Please exercise your own judgment and common sense when entering the water or accessing wild swimming locations.
We also advocate following the country code of leave no trace, so please folks, take only memories and leave only footsteps!
Enjoy the swim!
