The little known waterfalls of Birkside Gill create a series of small but stunning plunge pools and you’re all but guaranteed to get them to yourself. The views are gorgeous and on a sunny day the water shines a luminous golden green. It felt a bit like straying into an Enid Blyton novel and were you reading about the pools you might daydream about visiting. They are not the best to come to if you’re hoping for a proper swim, but if you simply want to have a plunge and then relax on the grassy verge in the sunshine, this is the place for you.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Birkside Gill.
The walk to the Birkside Gill plunge pools
The stats
Distance: 1 mile (1.6km) each way
Elevation gain: 120m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Trailhead: Wythburn Church, Thirlmere
Summary: The walk to the foot of the gill is all on a maintained path. There’s a bit of an uphill climb before it flattens all the way to the bottom of the gill.
Reaching the waterfalls involves climbing uphill on steep grass, but there is a fence running along most of the hill if you want some extra stability.
Cutting across the bracken to the larger waterfall is a bit overgrown and gets very narrow, so care is required. You’re not on the edge of a cliff but you would roll down a very steep grassy hill if you slipped.
The walk
From the Wythburn Car Park (full parking details below) you head through the gate on the left side of the car park to begin the walk. Before doing so you could pop into Wythburn Church which is located beside the car park.
The church is quite simple inside and has no electricity, but it’s a lovely old building and also tells the story of the Thirlmere dam inside.
Back to the trail and you’ll pass through two gates directly from the car park and immediately bear right into the woods. The trail is uphill from the off and relatively steep.
The path is a mix of stairs, cobblestones and rocky gravel track, but none of it was slippery when dry.
The wood is very pretty and it’s just a 270m climb before you emerge out into the open and turn right.
You’re now following a wide gravel track with increasing stunning views of the surrounding fells. The majority of this section is flat with a very gentle descent as you come towards the gill, though you barely notice it in either direction.
At the 1.4km mark you will see a gate on your left and pass through it to reach the foot of the gill. From here you leave the maintained path behind.
Climbing up to the pool number one
The easiest way to reach the pools is to climb up the grassy hill on the left side of the gill. It’s steep but not hard to climb up, though you could use the fence for some extra stability if needed.
You’ll see the first biggish cascade quite early on but the pool is tiny.
Continuing for 100m from the bottom of the gill will see you to the turn off for the first slightly larger pool - but remember all the pools are small!
There is something of a worn path through the bracken leading directly to the pool. It’s uneven in places with a few stones and not always clear underfoot, but you can see where you’re going and it’s only 50m to the pool.
Swimming in the first pool
While you can’t really swim, this first proper plunge pool makes up for that with its spectacular golden green water and ferny embankment.
The view over the fells from inside the pool is also glorious. It’s a serene spot and though I was a touch disappointed I couldn’t actually swim, that soon wore off as I fell under the spell of its storybook charm.
It’s easy to enter the pool as you can step off the surrounding stones into shallow water. It’s deeper by the waterfall itself but large rocks inside the water make it better for sitting than any real attempt at a swim.
Continuing to the bigger waterfall
The first and second pools are roughly 50m apart.
Rather than going back onto the main grassy route up, you can simply cut uphill from the first pool to the second. There’s no path but it’s easy enough to walk up the hill picking the path of least resistance through the bracken.
Watch out for the stones they are hiding underneath which could be a trip hazard.
There is a little bit of damp ground just to the left of the first pool when going uphill but it wasn’t slippery. As you get close to the second waterfall there is a little bit of a dodgy patch.
It’s probably only a couple of metres, but as you near the falls, the area you can walk on becomes very narrow and there’s a steep bracken covered drop to the right. Just tread carefully and I would avoid doing this bit if it’s wet.
Swimming at the second falls
The pool at the second waterfall is tiny but the cascade is much higher. The water is a deep green in colour and the waterfall is surrounded by steep walls which make it very impressive.
Getting into the pool is a little trickier as you have to scramble down a little bit of damp rock, but it’s not difficult with care. However, this pool wouldn’t be one you would want to attempt if the flow of the falls is powerful as you could be swept over the lip.
The pool is quite shallow, a little above waist height on me, but there are rocks either side where you can sit and take in the majestic views. Just watch for the rocks inside the pool which are very slippery.
We did climb a little higher but didn’t come across any further pools, however, you can continue on to higher fells, including Helvellyn, if you wanted a longer walk.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the area, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Where to park for the Birkside Gill pools
The closest car park to the gill is Wythburn Car Park in Thirlmere, postcode CA12 4TW, you can see it on Google maps here. It’s run by the Lake District National Park and fees apply.
Currently the minimum car parking charge is £5 for five hours. It’s a bit pricey if you’re only going to the pools, but it does go towards maintaining the park so you can see it as a charitable donation!
Despite offering access to a route up Helvellyn, we had no trouble parking in the middle of the day in August.
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