Future water...

Crammel Linn on the Irthing.

Yesterday I said that I would be going paddling today. I lied; I never did go paddling. There had been a long term plan to go and paddle the Irthing over on the English/Scottish border in Northumberland. For the entire week I had a constant eye on the weather forecast and I thought that it may have been a goer today. However, it was all cancelled at the last minute and I was left with no real plans. I set about finding some people to paddle with, in order to make use of the heavy rain that was falling for most of the evening. That showed some signs of success. However this morning, the text with the final plans came through rather late and didn't bring the desired effect. A trip down the Greta, a river I had done only one week ago, instead of what may have been a bash down the Swale or a slide down Langstrath Beck. I resounded myself to a day away from boating, and half way through the afternoon, in a bid to while away the time, I set off, alone, to the Irthing, to scout it out for a future descent.

I looked over the bridge at Gilsland. There wasn't that much water coming down the river channel, but comparing it with what's written in the guidebook I reckon it could have been on. I headed further up the valley to hunt down the drop I had studied so often of late in pictures and videos on the web. It goes by the name of Crammel Linn and is one of the bigger drops in the Lake District area. This is what had attracted me to this particular river and probably will draw me back again, and again until I eventually hit it at the perfect level and fire off the lip into the pool at the bottom.

I may try and get out in a boat tomorrow. Who knows?

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain