COAST TO COAST MAY 2015 DAY ONE

KIRKBY STEPHEN TO ROBIN HOOD'S BAY

DAY ONE - KIRKBY STEPHEN TO KELD - 11.3 MILES

 

I undertook this walk with ten other members of the Eastleigh Ramblers. We had completed the section from St Bees to Kirkby Stephen in September 2014 and were returning to complete the task. We opted to employ Coast to Coast Packhorse to sort out the accommodation and transfer the baggage on both trips. http://www.c2cpackhorse.co.uk They also had a secure place to store our cars while we were away although you can get to Kirkby Stephen by train.

The first night was spent in the Jolly Farmers Guest House https://thejollyfarmers.wordpress.com/  and had our evening meal in the Kings Arms. Fortified by a substantial breakfast we set off into the centre of Kirkby Stephen  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkby_Stephen

 

The route east leaves the town via Frank's Bridge over the River Eden and a sign saying 108 miles to go and initially follows the river.

 

The path leaves the river and climbs towards the village of Hartley

A back street in the village of Hartley. 

From here you join a road for a couple of miles steadily up hill.

The road passes along the north side of the Hartley Quarries http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/thelakes/html/lgaz/lk05029.htm

The road goes towards and around Birkett Hill

The view to the south

When the tarmac road ends a roughly surfaced bridleway track continues uphill.

Dunkerdale is to the right and Hartley Fell to the left.

Still a mile short of the summit we stopped for coffee and there was some merriment when one of the party decided to try his hand at repairing a stone wall - much harder than he expected.

 

This lovely bridleway was left at a signpost marking the start of a moorland path towards the summit which follows Faraday Gill.  Richard Faraday was a respected local tradesman. Richard's younger brother, James, was for some time the blacksmith in Outhgill

Even as we neared the summit ridge you could still see back to Kirkby Stephen.

Our target was the Nine Standards http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Standards_Rigg which you can see on  clear day from Kirkby Stephen

 

See it on video - some background noise https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGbwNtqQCtQ

We then set off south south east towards a Trig Point and White Mossy Hill.

There is a track for three miles but it is punctuated by bogs and we passed from Cumbria into Yorkshire.

It was windy but clear - it would have been tough in bad weather!

 

Our target was to connect with this footpath which connects Birkdale to the west with our route via Whitsun Dale.

Lunch was taken out of a strong wind in a shooting hut nicely fitted out with tables and benches.

From there a now grassy track descends into Whitsun Dale.

Crossing Ney Gill

 

The route goes via a lonely farm at Ravenseat. http://www.ravenseat.com/index.html

On the descent towards the farm the free range chickens all come rushing up the hillside to meet us.

After passing through the farm we followed the east side of the beck downstream, pausing for a drink stop to look down on this waterfall.

These are How Edge Scars, cliffs above a steeply eroded gorge way down below.

 

Whitsun Dale Beck joins this the River Swale and our path followed the moorland edge high above it

View down Swaledale from above Cotterby Scar

The descent into West Stonedale.After crossing Park Bridge the route was along the B6270 to Keld Lodge where we were to stay the night. http://www.keldlodge.com/

This was the  view from the bedroom window of the sheep and lambs in the adjoining field.

 

The faces of the participants have been blurred to protect the innocent, the famous and the infamous.