Coniston's Hidden Gems Banishead Quarry and High Pike Haw.

A la'al wander from Walna Scar Coniston with Tracey and Billy to bag an unclimbed Birkett Fell High Pike Haw with a detour via the very beautiful Banishead Quarry. Banishead Quarry is the remnants of an old slate mine with crystal clear water and a beautiful waterfall at one end. Unlike most waterfalls this one was man made, When miners were quarrying for slate, they had to be careful not to dig too close to the streams that flowed off the Old Man. One of the largest mountainside streams flowed here and eventually, the miners at the Banishead Quarry got too close and a section of the riverbank collapsed. Water was diverted into the quarry, flooding it and ending all mining activity here. Fortunately, most of the slate at the bottom had already been taken, so water is able to escape through the permeable sandstone rock which had underlain the slate and keeps the quarry in a state of equilibrium, so the water level remains roughly constant. #mountains #rivers #hills #hillwalking #fellwalking #waterfall #lakedistrict #cumbria #lakedistrictnationalpark #nature #uk #hiking #lakedistrictuk #thelakedistrict #adventure #lakes #getoutside #gitinamamgit #lake #outdoors #thelakes #walking #britain #travel #wainwrights #birketts #hewitts #marilyns #wellbeing #alfredwainwright #billbirkett #camping #rab #scarpa #lowalpine #northface #berghouse