You may have noticed a distinct lack of summits in my walking so far, so it must be time to make up for that. It's odd to find that when you mention that you have taken up walking, people tend to wonder what you have been up rather than where you have been, and you have to explain that there's quite a distinct difference in discipline between walking up and walking along. I might have walked over 100 miles but people are unimpressed that I haven't done the Yorkshire Three Peaks yet, actually, I'm disappointed that I haven't summitted any of them so far, but Ingleborough had too much snow, and I had too much upset stomach for Whernside. Anyways, I've got my Spring Holiday on the immediate horizon and I need to get a bit of ground knowledge in before then, so onward to Kirkby Stephen!
Active May: Day Three
Tailbridge Hill & Nine Standards Rigg. 12.3 miles
 |
| Nine Standards Rigg & Tailbridge Hill |
Seems like ages since I was last out with the FOSCL group, and here's a new pair of leaders to introduce myself to, M&A, but we can't spend too long on pleasantries as an arrival at Kirkby Stephen station at 10.35am means you are already well into the day and have to get a move on. At least I can demonstrate to the leader that I can point to where we're going and our party of 11 can move on, and the co-leader can find out who this suspiciously young person who has joined their party might be. The first section is somewhat frustrating as getting from the station to Nateby doesn't have a direct path and you have to take a circuit via Halfpenny House, before going south to the only available bridge over the Eden and up over the limestone strewn fields into the village. Our leader, M, likes to keep us informed of fun things to see in the landscape, such as field terracing, geological synclines and fossil structures in the dry stone walls, He also likes to support local business so we stop for a rather early ice cream break.
 |
| Tailbridge Hill |
Out of Nateby on the Birkdale road, and soon depart to the parallel path to get a rather more rapid ascent and to avoid the traffic that doesn't expect walkers in the road. It's a long haul, and the going gets pretty soft in places, but you're sound so long as you keep your feet on the reeds and long grass, but the sight of boob-shaped Tailbridge Hill loom prominently so you can never be in too much doubt of your destination. I'm so glad we got a nice day of sunshine and broken cloud, as the view back into the Eden Valley gets more impressive as you ascend, and the distant Howgills and the ski-slope face of Wild Boar Fell appearing ahead of you. Our leader is a swift type, but lets us all be assured that it isn't a race to the top, but the 80 metres of sharp climb has me slowing down markedly after all the squishy walking, and I find walking in a broad zig-zag is a lot easier than going straight up. The wind hits you hard once you meet the summit plateau, and you make for the cairn to join the swifter members of the party, and despite being only 547 metres high, it's location at the top of Birkdale, between High Seat and Hartley Fell gives a panoramic view worthy of a loftier summit. I'm good to identify most of what I can see, but still let the leader give the visual tour of the Cross Fell range, the Eastern Lakeland Fells, Great Shunner Fell, and 'that peak that looks nothing like Whernside'.
 |
| High Dukerdale |
Too breezy up here to stop for lunch, so the party heads off over Nateby Common to dodge the shake holes and limestone clints, and also wild flower spot, to find a wholly more sheltered eating spot, and this is to be found by Rigg Beck at the top of High Dukerdale. A most impressive little dale of limestone cliffs and a gently curving bottom with a sweeping beck, which has the sort of appearance too inspire spontaneous applause (to paraphrase Douglas Adams). Such a nice view and landscape and only visible to walkers, which makes it that bit more of a treat, and it'll linger in the memory as we head for out for our second summit and the paths to Nine Standards Rigg feature a lot of marshiness and more dark peaty soil than you could ever want. Thankfully the ascent is pretty gentle otherwise it would feel like a real slog, and it feel like a landscape that could get dangerous really quickly if you wandered too far from the path. The wind doesn't make things easier and the stream crossings are no fun at all, and aiming for a ruined shelter is the first target, and then its a haul over more peat and marshiness before the summit trig point almost takes you by surprise. Of course this isn't the sort of peak summit, more a highest point on this edge of the larger upland bulk of Hartley Fell, and the panorama view opens out to offer views to Stainmore and the North Pennines (England's great unknown wilderness), and to the Vale of York.
 |
| The Nine Standards |
The summit isn't the interesting part though, the fun is slightly to the north, namely the nine cairns which give Nine Standards Rigg its name. Their age is uncertain and their purpose even more mysterious, are they boundary markers or sentinels to imitate a standing army? Or are they just the work of bored shepherds? Who knows, and indeed who cares, they are things of mystery and wonder and are in surprisingly good conditions, clearly they are resistant to weather and vandalism. Sadly we don't get long to loiter here as we are not quite half way in our walk and we have to start the long descent to Kirkby Stephen in a relative hurry. Onward down alongside Faraday Gill, and looking back you see the Nine Standards disappear and appear with the contours and the guide cairns marking the way for the ascenders. Our leader points out possibly the most interesting sheepfold in Westmoreland, and the path descend to meet the route of the Coast to Coast path, which we might meet again if we're mad enough to walk it. Enjoy the views back up Dukerdale and forward to the rolling hills above Kirkby Stephen and note signage at the top of Hartley Road indicating that the hillside appears to be for sale, a unique tourist development for those so inspired (!), and continue down to observe that Gorse bushes are particularly attractive when you don't have to go near them, and to see that Llamas are being farmed at Fell House.
 |
| Llama Farming |
It's a long drag down around Hartley Quarry, still an active source of Red Sandstone, and once at the bottom you realise that it felt like a long way because it was. Spot the Viaduct trail, and file that thought away for reference in a couple of weeks time, and then go down into Hartley village (v. pretty) before we head towards parkland by the River Eden and cross at Frank's Bridge (which surely demands a musical queue?), and then it's into Kirkby Stephen by the most inauspicious of routes, by the back of a Chinese Restaurant, to land in the Market Place. I'm not of a mood to water at the Black Bull, with the drag up to the station still to walk, so the leader directs me to see the hilarious tariff board in the Market Square and also St Stephen's Parish Church 'the Cathedral of the Dales'. Nice town, I conclude from my brief foray, best characterised as 'Hanging in there'.
 |
| The Devil's Grinding Mill |
Deciding to aim for the earlier of the two available trains home, our leader take us out of town on the Nateby Road and then down the paths in the apparent opposite direction of our destination, down to the riverside and then into Stenkrith Park, the sort of hidden away country retreat that everyone should find on their travels. The river has carved a wildly entertaining channel through the Brockram, the local brand of sandstone, and the rapids earned their name of the Devil's Grinding Mill (over which the Nateby Road bridge somehow perches), there's also a poetry path and the whole place smells ripely of wild garlic! Such a gorgeous place at once peaceful and dynamic, and a spot to loiter when not in a hurry. On the path back to Halfpenny House I feel the group starting to get away from me, and the path up to the station feel a whole lot more uphill than it did on the outward trip, and the co-leader waits for me at the station gate wearing that 'hurry up, will you!' expression. I'm all prepared to miss the 4.39pm train, but despite my best efforts I make it with three minutes to spare!
1,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 126.8 miles
No comments:
Post a Comment