Searching for More Waterfalls in Lead Mines Clough

Click on each picture to see an enlargement.

On this walk my original intention was to walk up through Lead Mines Clough and then onto Anglezarke Moor, with the possible destination being the Bronze Age burial mound known as Round Loaf. In the event I changed my mind and instead went in search of more waterfalls in the clough. The result was an interesting walk with the occasional scramble and, for me, a rather scary moment.

As on a previous occasion I parked in Knowsley Lane, where Brett and Sam waited expectantly whilst I put on my walking boots.

We crossed over the road and went through the gate to the path past the overflow channel from Yarrow Reservoir.


After a short but, for me, a hard breathing climb we reached the path near Yarrow Reservoir and turned left.


This path lead us to Parsons Bullough Road, where we turned right to Allance Bridge.


On reaching Allance Bridge we went through the gate and onto the path leading to Lead Mines Clough.


After crossing a fotbridge over Limestone Brook we continued up a short climb to reach a second footbridge at the junction with several other paths. At the junction we went through a gate in the fence immediately ahead and onto the right hand bank of the river.


This is a short but very pleasant path that takes you to yet another footbridge. Incidentally, there is a parallel path on the other river bank that takes you to the same footbridge.


Just before reaching the third footbridge we took a narrow path off to the right. It's not very obvious in the picture but it is easily spotted when you reach this point.


The path meanders alongside the brook, gradually climbing and needing the occasional scramble to negotiate your way around trees, roots and some boggy bits.


Very soon we reached the main waterfall in Lead Mines Clough and, as you can see, the path is very close to the edge of a sharp drop into the ravine. As you can also see in the picture, the path ahead was rather boggy, though it can be negotiated with a little care.


This is a short video taken from the same spot as the previous picture. Brett seems intent on getting me to throw his stick into the river, but it's too high a jump even for a daredevil like him. In the meantime Sam has scrambled down onto the top of the waterfall.

That made me wonder if there might be a way down to the river bed to get a better picture, so I made my way onto the top of the waterfall and sought out a path on the other bank that would take me a little way downstream.


Well I found a path of sorts and began making my way dowstream above the waterfall. This is a rather shaky video of the waterfall, and the tree in the right of the picture is the only thing stopping me plunging about 50 feet into the ravine. Not the smartest thing I've ever done, expecially as I don't like heights. So it wasn't surprising that, on finishing the video and glancing downwards I suddenly felt rather uneasy.

Some folk may think I'm being a little dramatic but, for me, it was definitely a brown underpant moment.


After finally scrambling down I walked upstream along the bed of the brook. It's not an easy walk, with plenty of fallen trees and boulders in the way, not to mention the occasional moss covered stone waiting to make you slip into ankle deep water. And of course I did.


However, the scary moment and the stumble along the river bed were all forgotten on reaching the waterfall to get this lovely picture. I bet this would make an even better picture after several days of rain, though I wouldn't be quite so keen to stand in the bed pf the brook then.


And here is a short video of the waterfall taken from the bed of the brook. Whilst Sam decides to cool his paws a little, Brett tries to hide himself in the undergrowth on the side of the ravine.


After completing the video we went back downstream a little way before climbing up onto the right hand bank. As you can see, the path is not very distinct but it's not very difficult to find your way through.


A little way upstream from the main waterfall I came across this tiny one.


Once past the tiny waterfall we crossed over to the other bank for a little bit of easy walking.


The easy walking soon petered out and it was back to the right hand bank again. A little farther upstream was another tiny waterfall.


At this point there was a choice between continuing to make our way along the bed of the brook or taking the overland route. I chose the overland trek, but you do have to be careful here as well. There is plenty of tussocky grass on which to sprain an ankle and also the occassional boggy section, or even a deep trench hidden in the grass to trap the unwary.


At last we came to the top of Lead Mines Clough and the final waterfall, as Limestone Brook trickles down from Anglezarke Moor. From here we took the somewhat easier route back via the path along the edge of the woods that we had walked on our last visit here.