Gorge Walking is known by many different names including 'Gorge Scrambling', 'Ghyll Scrambling', 'Gill Scrambling', 'Gully Bashing' and 'Stream Walking', but essentially, all of these names the same thing – to travel up or down a watercourse on foot, tackling any waterfall climbs, plunge pool jumps, rock slides and caves.

Tacking more difficult gorges that require abseiling down waterfalls, jumping off really big cliffs and using complex rope work technique are normally known as Canyoning or Canyoneering. Canyoning is normally undertaken by more experienced gorge walkers and is more common in Scotland and abroad in places such as the French Alps.

Gorge Walking is one of the most popular activities in many outdoor centres, and has featured on several recent TV programs including Country File in March 2010, which was filmed in the Lake District near Keswick in a gorge called Stoneycroft Ghyll.

There is a short video of some gorge walking in Stoneycroft Ghyll below, this gorge includes the famous “Washing Machine”, a jump and plunge pool, where the way out of the pool is to climb through and under the waterfall.

In the video above, the gorge walkers are descending the gorge. The gorge has been formed from the natural bedrock layers eroded away by many years of water to form narrow gorges with numerous drops, beautifully sculpted walls, and spectacular waterfalls. With the right technique and instruction, gorge walking is a...more