GUIDE TO CROGLIN BECK
NAME OF RIVER: Croglin Beck.
WHERE IS IT?: Tributary off the river Eden. You can walk up from the Eden and it is about half way down the Lazonby to Armathwaite stretch. This is the nunnery walks that you walk up and it is about a 5 minute walk to where you start.
PUT-INS/ TAKE-OUTS: Walk up the nunnery walks/ or down I guess, for about 5 minutes and you will pass some waterfalls the start is a 25/ 30 foot straight drop.
APPROX LENGTH: Less then one mile.
TIME NEEDED: 30 mins whilst on the Lazonby to Armathwaite stretch on the Eden.
ACCESS HASSLES: You have to get some sort of access agreement to get on the Eden (read that report to find out).
WATER LEVEL INDICATORS: Not really any. You have to run straight after it has been raining a while as the water level drops fast. You want the waterfalls to have a nice brown colour :D
GRADING: The 4 falls range from grade 5-3 and then it's just dodging rocks.
MAJOR HAZARDS/ FALLS: The starting two falls are dangerous and must be inspected. Personally I would inspect the third one down too.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: My friends and I came accross this small river when we were doing the Lazonby-Armathwaite section of the Eden and were looking for excitement. This was a small tributary on the river right about halfway down the stretch.
You could also get to it if you followed it on the map until you get to a village. If you walk to the top it takes about 5 mins and you pass 4 falls (the grades are only estimates).
From the top going down they are:
* Big 25/30 foot straight drop into big plunge pool. The lip of the fall is on a bend which could be tricky to shoot. The side walls seem to be undercut on the pool and should be avoided. (grade 5)
* about 30m downstream is a twisty double drop. This is two 1.5/ 2m falls. The first goes into a small pool about the length of a boat and then down the next. A tree usually covers the exit which you would have to dodge. You have to shoot it straight or could get caught in difficulty in the plunge pool. (grade 4+/5)
* About 15m downstream is the 3rd fall. This is about 12ft high and should only be run in high water. There are covered rocks on river right but if you shoot it diagonally you should make it down the main chute. There is a big log, submerged in high water which usually stops you going down the right. (grade 4 or 3)
* The last drop is a simple river wide 1.5m high ledge which has no problems in high or low water. The plunge pool is deep enough and there was no towback at all. (grade 3) After this amazingly steep gradient the beck levels out and you just have to dodge rocks until you join the Eden again.
Video of Croglin Beck from Dave Tinnion.
Dave Tinnion (Jan 2006)..."The waterfall shown in the film is 10 metres high and has an awkward lead in. The level on the video is low as it was during the summer so the pool wasn't too aerated and a couple of face slaps were taken. The pool appears to be undercut but after running it a few times and jumping off and swimming around it seems to be fine, although the water can pin you against the walls if you capsize. It would be possible to run the fall with a medium level but I would stay clear in high levels.
There is also a constricted double drop (Grade 4) roughly 20 metres downstream which is a nice section but does have a bit of a cave on river left after the 2nd drop. This was no problem at low levels but may be with more water. The remaning drops have already been covered."
OTHER NOTES: We only did the two bottom falls as we are young and hopeless. In high water all the drops seem very possible. The thin double drop is always a bit tedious though. We did these drops in small boats and were fine.
Have fun and just remember if you are going down the Eden, why not be a bit adventurous!
CONTRIBUTED BY:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - www.carlislecanoeclub.org.uk, also Dave Tinnion.