Taylor Gill Force
Getting there, parking, where to stay and the fells you can walk straight from Taylor Gill Force.
Summit forecast
Scafell Pike summit, verdict for 27 October: Save it for another day · Too windy for the tops
9°C at the summit, gusts 68 mph
Weather on the tops, not whether a route suits you. One summit, the highest within 5 km, not the valley · scored for 27 October by the site’s own scorer · all 214 ranked · Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)First light
The sun reaches the Seathwaite (Borrowdale) start about 10:55 in October · sunrise 07:42
From the terrain around the start (Copernicus GLO-30), mid-month · how we work it outTaylor Gill Force at a glance
Taylor Gill Force is the big, wild one: Styhead Gill plunging ~140 ft (often cited among the Lake District's tallest single falls) through a rocky chasm above Seathwaite at the head of Borrowdale. It has none of the honeypot furniture — no tea room, no viewing platform, no easy path — and that's exactly why people who know the district rate it. Be clear-eyed about the trade: the approach is a genuinely rough mountain path with exposed, scrambly sections, in the wettest inhabited corner of England. This is a fall you earn.
Quick facts
| What it is | Styhead Gill falling ~140 ft through a chasm below Styhead — among Lakeland's tallest falls |
|---|---|
| The walk | ~1.5 miles from Seathwaite by the path on the western side of the valley; the close-up path is rough with exposed, scrambly sections |
| Difficulty | A proper fell walk, not a stroll — boots, weather-sense, and comfort on rocky ground required |
| Can you swim? | No — mountain chasm, cold fast water, no safe access to the fall's pools |
| Dogs | On leads — working farmland at Seathwaite, then open fell; the scrambly path suits agile dogs only |
| Pushchair / family | No — mountain terrain; confident older children only, in dry conditions |
| Getting there | Seathwaite, Borrowdale — free verge parking at the farm lane end, fills very early |
| Best time | After rain (which Seathwaite rarely lacks); the gill runs hard most of the year |
| The fells above | Base Brown, Green Gable and Great Gable |
Where is Taylor Gill Force?
Taylor Gill Force near Seathwaite, Borrowdale, in the Lake District. Zoom and pan to explore — or see every Lake District waterfall on one map.
The walk in
From Seathwaite farm, cross the footbridge just west of the farm and follow the path south along the western side of the valley; it climbs the north-west side of Styhead Gill past the Force — this is the Taylorgill side — and rejoins the main Styhead path at the footbridge below Styhead Tarn. The standard path from Stockley Bridge stays on the other bank and only glimpses the fall. The path narrows and steepens into the chasm section, where it picks across rocky, exposed ground with the gill below — short scrambly steps, big consequences for a slip, and genuinely intimidating in wind or wet. The full-height view of the Force opens ahead, white against the dark rock, with Great Gable's pyramid rising beyond — a fine waterfall setting.
Most walkers on the standard Styhead path (the east side) only glimpse the fall across the valley — a fair consolation if the close-up path is beyond the day's conditions or company. Honesty note for route-planners: our planned Seathwaite, Green Gable and Base Brown route Planned climbs from the same farm but via Gillercomb, not the Taylorgill path.
Routes that start near Taylor Gill Force
| Route | Distance | Ascent | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glaramara, Allen Crags via Stockley BridgeStart 1.5 km away (straight line) · not yet walked | 9.74 km | 826 m | ~3¼–4½ h |
| Allen Crags & GlaramaraStart 1.5 km away (straight line) · not yet walked | 10.94 km | 853 m | ~3½–5 h |
| Scafell Pike via the Corridor RouteStart 1.2 km away (straight line) · not yet walked | 15.84 km | 949 m | ~4¾–6½ h |
Routes starting within about 2 km of Taylor Gill Force, or on its doorstep at one of its car parks. Each time is the whole route’s, from a fast to a steady pace, and takes no account of stops, conditions or daylight — a guide, not a schedule.
Fells & walks near Taylor Gill Force
Straight-line distances from the centre of Taylor Gill Force — the nearest summits with a full guide on this site.
Places nearby: Honister Pass · Seatoller · Borrowdale · Stonethwaite
All walks near Taylor Gill Force → — the routes we have mapped and every Wainwright and Outlying fell within about 5 km, ranked, with today’s conditions.
When to go
Seathwaite is famously the wettest inhabited place in England, and Taylor Gill Force is where that reputation goes to show off — the fall runs impressively most of the year and thunders after real rain. The catch, as always on this one: the wetter the fall, the greasier the scrambly path beside it. A bright day following rain is the sweet spot. In a hard winter the fall can freeze into one of the district's celebrated ice climbs — a spectacle worth the walk to look at, from the standard path, for everyone who isn't a roped ice climber.
The setting
This is the mountain Lake District at full volume: the head of Borrowdale funnelling into the pass at Styhead, with the Scafells beyond and Great Gable dominating everything. The fall's chasm is the gateway between the farmed valley and the high wilderness — below it, walled fields and the old farm; above it, Styhead Tarn and the biggest hills in England. Down-valley, the softer side of Borrowdale waits at Grange-in-Borrowdale, with the gentler Borrowdale fells round Planned above it.
The name & its story
"Taylor Gill" (also written Taylorgill) names the western flank of the gill the fall drops through; the beck above is Styhead Gill, draining Styhead Tarn. Unlike its literary neighbours this fall gathered no famous poems — its story is the plainer, older one of the packhorse ways: the path past it climbs to Sty Head, for centuries the great crossing between Borrowdale and Wasdale, and the fall was simply the loudest landmark on the hardest mile. "Force" is Old Norse fors, a waterfall; "sty" is the old word for a climbing path — the Sty Head is literally "the top of the path."
Family, dogs & accessibility
Not a family waterfall by the close-up route: the chasm path's exposed steps are no place for small children, unsteady walkers or nervous dogs, and there's no fence anywhere near anything. Families with older, surefooted kids can get a fine distant view by walking the standard Styhead path to where the fall shows across the valley — a good mountain day in itself from Stockley Bridge. No pushchair or wheelchair access beyond the valley track to Stockley Bridge (which is itself a lovely, level-ish walk with the bridge as a destination). Dogs on leads through the farm and on the fell.
The fells above
Base Brown stands directly above the fall's western side, with Green Gable and mighty Great Gable at the head of the gill — all three linked by our planned Seathwaite, Green Gable and Base Brown route. Across the pass rise the Scafells via the Corridor Route. For gentler water, the rest of the district's falls are in the Lake District waterfalls guide.
Getting there & parking
Without a car: The nearest stations as the crow flies are Ravenglass (20 km away) and Drigg (20 km away). The bus map has every stop we hold.
Seathwaite is at the end of the lane from Seatoller, at the head of the B5289 Borrowdale road from Keswick. Parking is free verge space along the farm lane — famous, informal, and full before 9am on any fine weekend, since this is also a popular start for Scafell Pike and Great Gable. Arrive early or come by the 78 Borrowdale bus to Seatoller and walk the mile of lane to the farm — honestly the more reliable plan in summer.
Parking near Taylor Gill Force
Toilets, food and shops near these car parks
Toilets: Public toilets (opens in new tab) (about 188 m from Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (free verge), straight line, free)
All the car parks around Taylor Gill Force on the parking map →
Straight-line distances from the centre of Taylor Gill Force. We publish whether a car park charges, and who runs it, but never the price — tariffs change and a stale one is worse than none, so check the sign or the operator’s own site on the day.
Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Events across the Lake District
Planning a trip around a show or festival? See our Lake District events & festivals guide for what's on near Taylor Gill Force — traditional Lakeland sports, agricultural shows and seasonal events, month by month.