I drove round the back of Thirlmere to get a photo of Mines Gill across the lake from near Dob Gill. Then I parked at Wythburn behind the church and was happy to find that the pay and display machine was out of order - and so were three other parties! We started up the bridleway which leads through the forest but when we came to the signpost after a few hundred yards we turned north through the gate and reached the bottom of Mines Gill in just over half a mile. The bottom of the gill is cleared of trees and is fenced off. A kissing gate took us into the cleared area and we turned up on a faint path through the mine spoil and then bracken. Mark Richards in his "Near Eastern Fells" mentions a stile. The bracken was too high and we never saw it. But we did see a small gate to the right by the forest fence. It was locked (why?) but I climbed over it and was soon at the mine incline. Mark Richards used a path above the gill, avoiding the incline on the north side of the stream. I chose to ford the stream and climb the incline.

The incline was easy walking and at the top the gill was easily navigated, first on one side and then on another until we passed to the right of a huge spoil heap which forced the gill underground. To the left above the spoil heap was a dry gill choked with mine spoil. By now the gill was little more than a trickle but the route continued upwards until it became completely dry. After a hundred yards or so of the dry gill a very faint dry (but moss covered) "leat" trended upwards to the right. This was no more than a scrape engineered by the old minders with a pick axe. It lead to Brownrigg Well - the highest spring in the Lakes at 2822 ft. This drains into Welpside Gill but a dam (now long gone) would have diverted water down the leat I had climbed and into Mines Gill. I doubt if there would ever have been enough water to drive machinery but it must have been a welcome source of drinking water at the top of the dry bit of Mines Gill on hot days.

Brownrigg well was just a short walk from the summit - and (surprise, surprise) the clouds dropped and the wind rose just as I reached the cross shelter! Time for windproof trousers and a bite to eat. I was joined in the shelter by a Irish lad whose dad now lived in Penrith. He asked directions to the descent to Striding Edge and after lunch I walked with him to the Gough Memorial and pointed out the path descending to the Edge - and as if by magic, the cloud lifted to enable him to see where he was going.

I headed down to Swallow Garth (great viewpoint for Striding Edge) and then down the Birkside path - which had had a lot of restoration since I was last on it. It is now a very quick trip down to Wythburn.

The whole trip including lunch only took me 3.5 hours and my GPS said I had been moving for just 3 hours. Having said that, it must be just about the shortest circuit on the mountain - just 5 miles.

The Gill surprised me. It wasn't as steep as I expected. On reflection I think this is because there are no flat bits at all - it is just a constant angle upwards until it eases when you reach the leat. In fact it would be quite easy in descent - providing you can find Brownrigg Well to pick up the faint line of the leat- not easy in mist unless you have it programmed into the GPS. One great thing about it was how sheltered it is to all but a west wind. It came as quite a shock when the wind hit me near Brownrigg Well.

Enjoy the pics.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/560106441PYsjQE

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