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Dist:0.2km<br/>This south Lodge of the Rokeby Park Estate, next to Greta Bridge, is now cut off from the Park by a dual carriageway section of the A66
©Hugh Mortimer
Dist:0.2km<br/>A view of Greta Bridge village, the old coaching station, from the west. The road on which Greta Bridge stands has now been bypassed by a short length of dual carriageway on the A66, Scotch Corner to Penrith road.
©Oliver Dixon
Dist:0.2km<br/>Before the A66 dual carriageway
©David Brown
Dist:0.3km<br/>In contrast to the elegant and much painted old bridge [[[67609]]], themodern A66 dual carriageway crosses the River Greta a short way downstream, and carries a constant stream of noisy traffic, giving only the barest glimpse of the river from the slow lane (just enough for a canoeist in the passenger seat to get a quick estimate of the level). The river level as seen here is way too low for paddling, as this is an exciting river that needs a lot of recent rain to bring it to life.
©Andy Waddington
Dist:0.3km<br/>The Morritt Arms (Hotel, Bar-Resuarant). This former coaching Inn stands on the old (by-passed) A66 west of the River Greta.
©Hugh Mortimer
Dist:0.4km<br/>The inns adjacent to the crossing of the River Greta provided the traditional second overnight stop of the mail coach from London to Carlisle. At one time there were three inns, two of which were mentioned by Charles Dickens in Nicholas Nickleby. The Roman station nearby is evidence that the river has been crossed here since Roman times. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Bridge
©Mick Garratt
Dist:0.6km<br/>View north from the lane to Mill Wood across the field lying to the east of Hell Cauldron, the rapids of the River Greta. Greta Bridge hamlet is in the distance.
©Mick Garratt
Dist:0.6km<br/>After [[[1673372]]], the river curves right, with cliffs to the left, and a blind bend ahead. Land right to inspect (a wise precaution if you haven't paddled the river before, and sensible if you have - trees can wash down and be a significant hazard here). An easy path leads through a gate and along the right bank to the photographer's viewpoint. On the river, there is a large rock just in the middle of the river as it turns the corner, which is passed on the left at low levels, and on the right in flood. A brief calm stretch then leads to a narrowing and steepening of the river in the rapid culminating in Hell Cauldron. In low water, this entails a couple of narrow chutes, then a fast schuss down a large slab and hopefully through the big standing wave that forms at the bottom. Seen here at a high level (1.25m on the EA gauge at [[[1196116]]]), the rapid is a continuous series of very big crashing waves, with a tendency to push the paddler towards the left, where the final wave (out of shot to the right) is definitely out to get you. Keeping some semblance of control early on enables one to push to the right through a curling stopper and reach a big eddy below, where swimmers and other debris may be retrieved.
©Andy Waddington
Dist:0.7km<br/>
©Dave Bailey
Dist:0.7km<br/>The "Rokeby Venus", the famous nude by Velazquez, was so-called because it hung in Rokeby Hall until acquired by the National Gallery in 1906.
©Oliver Dixon
Dist:0.7km<br/>
©Lambert
Dist:0.8km<br/>
©Lambert
Dist:0.8km<br/>Looking west along the A66, the busy trunk road from Scotch Corner to Penrith which dominates this square. In the foreground is the western end of the short length of dual carriageway which bypasses Greta Bridge
©Oliver Dixon
Dist:0.8km<br/>The Tees Greta is a very fine sustained grade 3 paddle from [[[1247322]]] to Greta Bridge, but if you continue the extra distance to join the River Tees at Meeting of the Waters, it has a sting in the tail in the form of this grade 4 rapid ending under the Dairy Bridge. This was a good level for the rest of the river, but is perhaps a bit low for the final rapid, as there are no clean lines through. We tried two different lines on this trip. In this photo, the paddler, in one of the other paddlers' boats, has just dropped through the first slot river right, which is obstructed by a rock just visible on the left of the photo. The same paddler had earlier (in his own boat) paddled the line directly in front of the green boat on the bank upstream, which avoids a nasty stopper river left, and drops into the big boil behind and to the right of the big foreground rock. A bit of frantic back-paddling got him back river right, to flush down the chute at bottom left of the picture, the same way on as reached by the line being paddled in the photo. Once down this last flush, there remains only a series of big standing waves to reach the quiet pool below the Dairy Bridge. The nature of the top drops, and the seriousness of a swim down the rest of the rapid persuaded the other two paddlers to portage on river left. The portage (and indeed, any inspection) would be more difficult with a higher water level, but the rapid is technically easier at higher levels as more of the rocks and awkward slots are covered.
©Andy Waddington
Dist:0.8km<br/>After the flat section [[[1191536]]], the River Greta enters a deep valley with cliffs one side or the other, and a series of wooded islands. Every island has trees which have been washed down and stranded on the upstream ends. Often the main channel is blocked by fallen trees, and some quite thrutchy manoeuvring is required to get past the trees or down the minor channel. Currently the final island is passed by the main channel on the right, which is clear, though a bit rocky. On a couple of previous descents we have been obliged to use the narrower and shallower left channel (directly behind the paddler). From this point, the river has a single channel, with a couple of exciting rapids before the first available get-out at Greta Bridge.
©Andy Waddington

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