Length: 18.1 km (11.2 mi) or 29.3 km (18.2 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 584m or 899/819m
Net Walking Time: ca. 5 hours or 8 hours
Toughness: 6 out of 10 or 9 out of 10
Take the 08.24 Leeds train from Carlisle, arrives Kirkby Stephen
09.20 (being an Off-Peak service, Senior Railcards are
valid).
Return trains from Kirkby Stephen: 15.02, 17.06, 18.32, 20.01.
Return trains from Garsdale: 18.20, 19.49. Buy
a Garsdale Return for the Garsdale Ending.
This is relatively short excursion up to a magnificent viewpoint at the
top of Hartley Fell, overlooking the North Pennines and the Upper Eden Valley,
also with views across to the Howgill Fells and the Lake District, despite only
reaching the modest height of 660m above sea level. The top is graced by nine
enigmatic differently shaped cairns up to four metres high, the Nine Standards.
They are at least 500 years old and believed to be markers of the historic
boundary between Westmorland and the North Riding of Yorkshire.
En route you experience an exciting stretch of the Eden River, where the water
noisily tumbles over exposed rock slabs, down rock faces and a tight gorge,
where water and gravel have created holes, cup-shaped incisions and mini-gorges
in the river bed. Further along, you follow a narrow woodland path along the
rushing Ladthwaite Beck, which speeds down a chute at the bottom of a high rock
face and down a waterfall.
The route then joins the Coast to Coast Walk and heads to the top along a good
track. The descent leads through some upland peat bog (on a decent path) before
entering limestone country with shake holes and swallow holes and follows dry
paths around the stunning Dukerdale and around or over Tailbridge Hill. The
final descent down Nateby Common provides for fine views across a patchwork of
pastures to heathery commons and into the Eden Valley, before passing a tea
stop in Nateby, about 30 minutes before the end.
An Alternative Descent leads through Kirkby Stephen town, cutting
out Dukerdale and Nateby Common.
An Alternative Ending leads over exposed high ground along the British
watershed to Garsdale Station.
For More Walk Options, see the webpage or the pdf.
Lunch: Picnic
Numerous
options in Kirkby Stephen on an alternative route from
the top to and through the town. See the walk directions for details.
The Moorcock Inn on the Garsdale
Ending is unlikely to be open when we get there.
For walk directions, maps, height profiles, photos
and gpx/kml files click here. #2026-07-31T08:24 t=swc.416
3 comments:
N=18 walkers, with at least 3 others in town, but either doing their own walk, resting after a rough night, or going home to London after an even rougher night.
There was only sparse water in the Eden and sometimes none in the many tributaries that we followed or crossed, so that the often cacophonous noise of the waterfalls and gushing and rushing of the cascades was totally absent, unfortunately.
The good news about that was what it said about the upland peatbog: it would be a doddle.
And so it was, especially as the route up, where it joins the Coast to Coast National Trail, is now fully engineered with flagged paths and new raised footbridges. Up at the 9 Standards at 12.30 where we had our (first) lunch break, in the wind mostly.
A little later, 5 forked left to walk the long ending to Garsdale, while the others walked the Main Walk, stopping at the Bull Inn for a drink, and taking the 17.06 from Kirkby.
On the Garsdale ending, we enjoyed great views ahead to the Yorkshire Peaks, while the Howgills and Lake District were mainly in the clouds , some looking very heavy with rain (remember rain?).
The timekeeper kept up the pace, aiming for the 18.20, and we reached the platform at 18.19!
A w=great-day-for-walking, with equal parts of cloud cover, passing clouds and sun, and even a short shower! All this in mid teens temperatures and with a fair breeze.
We saw a large number of grouse, flying away in panic as we approached, one group numbering 20 birds (it's a Black Grouse regeneration area). Endless numbers of rabbits (dead and alive), heard and saw plenty of upland birds (curlews and plover apparently?).
Addendum: 2 of the main walkers walked the higher route across Tailbridge Hill and also did the loop through Kirkby Stephen village.
Solo walk from Irthington via HW route to Greenhead. Caught the HW1 minibus from Carlisle to start & finish. Obviously introduced for HW walkers. Quite a few refreshment stops along the way. Did not come across anyone walking east, but passed many heading west. Impressed by the amount of wall still remaining.
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