WASTDALE HEAD. 165 



base of their prodigious sweep ! The lake is three 

 and a half miles long-, and has The Screes for its 

 south-eastern shore. The line of this singular 

 range is almost unbroken. The crags are hidden, 

 about a third of the way down, by the slope of the 

 many-coloured debris which slants right into the 

 lake. The summer-thunderstorm and the winter- 

 tempest sometimes shiver the loosely-compacted 

 crags above ; and then, when a mass comes thun- 

 dering down, and splashes into the lake, the whole 

 range feels the shock, and slides of stones rush into 

 the water; and clouds of dust rise into the air.* 



* This account of some fine features of Wastdale Head is com- 

 municated. — " At Wastdale Head there are two water-courses as 

 well worth seeing as any in the district : the one, Pease Ghyll, a 

 very long and deep ravine under Great End in Scawfell ; and the 

 other Greta Force, a lofty waterfall. This latter is formed of 

 two sister falls, each, considerably higher, and having a much 

 larger body of water in it, than Scale Force : but not perhaps 

 falling quite so sheer. A narrow tongue of land divides their 

 leaps; but the two streams meet together in the chasm below, 

 which would itself be considered fine were not Pease Ghyll so 

 near a neighbour. There is no unfortunate woman to be satisfied 

 with a shilling here, — no steps cut out in the rock, — no little 

 gateway closed to the guideless adventurer. On the other hand 

 it is proper to state that two streams have to be crossed before a 

 good view of Greta Forces can be obtained; ladies therefore 

 should choose dry weather, when the passage is easy enough, for 

 this expedition. Starting from Ritson's, we take the old road 

 towards Sty Head down in the valley ; cross the stream where it 

 is most convenient, and steer for the junction of Pease Ghyll and 

 Greta Force. We cross here to the left bank of the latter, and 

 ascending it to the point opposite the foot of the tongue, get on 

 to the same, not without a little difficulty, and are rewarded not 

 only with a good view of the falls (which indeed can be seen even 

 better from below) but with a fine sight of all the Wastdale 

 amphitheatre. Descending to the junction of the streams where 

 we crossed before, if it be tolerably dry weather, we clamber up 

 the bed of Pease Ghyll, hemmed in by the grandest natural walls 

 on either side, and by the terrible precipices of Scawfell imme- 



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