Distance 12 miles
Climbing 1755 ft
Weather Mainly sunny with some cloud
Difficulty Moderate
Click on photos to expand
Climbing 1755 ft
Weather Mainly sunny with some cloud
Difficulty Moderate
Click on photos to expand
Today’s walk of 12 miles to Keld was the shortest of our trip so far and I think that this was the day that I was least looking forward to after hearing tales of long wet treks over boggy moorland, but I was looking forward to visiting the Nine Standards and possibly a little later in the day, Coffee and cake at Ravenseat farm. It was also the day that would see us back in Yorkshire, not to mention reaching the halfway point of the entire walk.
Once we arrived at Kirkby Stephen we had to walk through the town centre for a short distance, stopping at a cash point on the way. When we reached the Market Square we turned off the main street and took the very narrow lane known as Stoneshot, crossed Franks Bridge to follow the lane to Hartley leaving Kirkby Stephen behind us almost immediately. The lane skirted a huge quarry before continuing to Hartley Fell and on towards the Nine Standards climbing steadily all the way, first, first of all through agricultural land but after a mile or so this began to give way to open moorland. Eventually the Nine Standards began to dominate the Skyline, and as we drew near we could see that there were several other walkers in the area including one larger group, some of whom seemed to be quite elderly. This was my first visit here so I spent some time wondering around taking photos before settling down behind a ruined wall to shelter from the wind while we had a short break. Just as we were setting off again I spotted what must have been a photo opportunity of a lifetime, a group of about 15 ramblers were walking along the skyline all evenly spaced, but by the time I had taken out my camera they had bunched up and the moment was lost.
We were now faced with what I expected to be the most uncomfortable part of the day, if not the entire walk. From what I had read in the various guides and reports I was expecting to be faced with a a large expanse of trackless boggy ground but in fact in spite of the recent wet weather, conditions were a lot drier than I thought they would be. Of course there were some difficult spots but for the most part they were negotiated without too much difficulty and as for navigation, the route was well marked by stout wooden poles driven into the ground and at least one was visible most of the time.
After a while we reached Whitsundale with its beck winding along the valley floor, our path followed the right hand side of the valley in the general direction of Swaledale, breaking our walk once again to enjoy a very reasonably priced cream tea cream tea at Ravenseat Farm. As we approached the farm we passed a sign as warning motorists to ‘Slow down. Free range children’, we counted nine including the young lady who served us and as soon as we had been attended to she immediately ran off to fly a kite in the next field leaving us in the company of a small, scruffy, but very friendly dog with a liking for scones.
After leaving Ravenseat we made for Swaledale where we passed by Wain Wath Force. I often cycled here when I rode with the Teesside Tourists Cycling Club back in the late sixties. Back then we often went skinny dipping in the pool under the waterfall relying on the dark peaty water to preserve our modesty. The thing I remember most was how cold the water was. A little further and we arrived at Keld waiting for John to collect us and take us back to our 5 star condemned caravan at Reeth where we enjoyed a bottle of Black Sheep while John prepared our meal
Once we arrived at Kirkby Stephen we had to walk through the town centre for a short distance, stopping at a cash point on the way. When we reached the Market Square we turned off the main street and took the very narrow lane known as Stoneshot, crossed Franks Bridge to follow the lane to Hartley leaving Kirkby Stephen behind us almost immediately. The lane skirted a huge quarry before continuing to Hartley Fell and on towards the Nine Standards climbing steadily all the way, first, first of all through agricultural land but after a mile or so this began to give way to open moorland. Eventually the Nine Standards began to dominate the Skyline, and as we drew near we could see that there were several other walkers in the area including one larger group, some of whom seemed to be quite elderly. This was my first visit here so I spent some time wondering around taking photos before settling down behind a ruined wall to shelter from the wind while we had a short break. Just as we were setting off again I spotted what must have been a photo opportunity of a lifetime, a group of about 15 ramblers were walking along the skyline all evenly spaced, but by the time I had taken out my camera they had bunched up and the moment was lost.
We were now faced with what I expected to be the most uncomfortable part of the day, if not the entire walk. From what I had read in the various guides and reports I was expecting to be faced with a a large expanse of trackless boggy ground but in fact in spite of the recent wet weather, conditions were a lot drier than I thought they would be. Of course there were some difficult spots but for the most part they were negotiated without too much difficulty and as for navigation, the route was well marked by stout wooden poles driven into the ground and at least one was visible most of the time.
After a while we reached Whitsundale with its beck winding along the valley floor, our path followed the right hand side of the valley in the general direction of Swaledale, breaking our walk once again to enjoy a very reasonably priced cream tea cream tea at Ravenseat Farm. As we approached the farm we passed a sign as warning motorists to ‘Slow down. Free range children’, we counted nine including the young lady who served us and as soon as we had been attended to she immediately ran off to fly a kite in the next field leaving us in the company of a small, scruffy, but very friendly dog with a liking for scones.
After leaving Ravenseat we made for Swaledale where we passed by Wain Wath Force. I often cycled here when I rode with the Teesside Tourists Cycling Club back in the late sixties. Back then we often went skinny dipping in the pool under the waterfall relying on the dark peaty water to preserve our modesty. The thing I remember most was how cold the water was. A little further and we arrived at Keld waiting for John to collect us and take us back to our 5 star condemned caravan at Reeth where we enjoyed a bottle of Black Sheep while John prepared our meal