Scandale Beck arises in Lake District National Park on Bakestones Moss, west of Kirkstone Pass, and flows south for much of its length of six and a half kilometers.

It flows under High Sweden Bridge,[1] a 17th-century packhorse bridge, past High Sweden Coppice and Low Sweden Coppice, before turning west for a short distance north of Papermill Coppice, and turning south to join the River Rothay east of Ambleside.

The Rothay flows only a short distance south before emptying into Windermere, the largest natural lake in England.

[2] In August 2011, Ellergreen Hydro Ltd proposed a 900 kW high head hydroelectric scheme for Scandale Beck.

[3] Despite opposition for some quarters, for example, the Angling Trust,[4] planning permission for the development was granted in April 2012.