Monday 13th April 1998

Leave Kirkby Stephen following a path to the pleasant village of Hartley. Follow steep road out of village, which turns into a rough track. This is followed all of the way to the summit of Nine Standards Rigg. There then follows a choice of routes over remote moorland to Ravenseat. I chose the old route, which was deserted, as I had hoped. From the remote farmhouses at Ravenseat, a track is followed above the attractive Whitsundale Beck to the Swaledale valley road. Take this to the remote hamlet of Keld passing the beauty spot of Wain Wath Falls along the way

Route: Kirkby Stephen to Keld via Hartley, Nine Standards Rigg, Ravenseat, Wain Wath Falls.

Distance: 12.5 Miles

Grade: Moderate with long climb up to Nine Standards Rigg otherwise straightforward walking over remote moorland and tracks to Keld. .

 Facilities: Very Limited: There are one or two guesthouses and a youth hostel plus a public phonebox. However, the lack of facilities in the village will not affect you if you happen to stay at Doreen Whitehead’s B&B ‘Butt House’, as she serves three course meals (bookable in advance) and has a drinks licence. Do not plan an overnight stop in Keld without making provision for food and drink. You will not be able to ‘sort it out’ when you get there. The nearest pub is four miles distant.

Day Six

I left Kirkby Stephen after stopping off at a post office to send postcards home. The weather was fine but still cold with a lot of cloud but also the odd sunny spell. I felt sure that today I would be able to get to the summit of Nine Standards Rigg, one of the high points of the walk and also the Pennine watershed. From here the rivers would now flow east and I would also be entering my second National Park, The Yorkshire Dales. This was going to be a day for landmarks for upon reaching Keld I would also be at the halfway point in the walk. I soon reached the pleasant village of Hartley before beginning the long haul up to the summit on a steep road. This soon turned into a rough track and as I climbed views quickly opened up of the countryside I had crossed the previous day. The ground underfoot was frozen solid and I was grateful for this as I was now walking on peat, which can be tricky, when it is wet. I was enjoying the climb now and I could now see some of the nine massive cairns high above on the summit. At last, I thought, I am finally going to reach one of the high points of the walk. The Lake District had proved a disappointment in that respect at least but I suppose it had given me the excuse to go back in the future and do the walk again. (Above: Looking East from Nine Standards Rigg)

Soon, I was on the summit surrounded by the huge cairns and taking in the marvellous scenery. To the west I had my last view of the Lake District mountains and to the east the Pennines including a snow covered Cross Fell. I set up my camera so that I could get myself in the picture and after a break set-off once again across the moors to Ravenseat. Soon, I was on the summit surrounded by the huge cairns and taking in the marvellous scenery. To the west I had my last view of the Lake District mountains and to the east the Pennines including a snow covered Cross Fell. I set up my camera so that I could get myself in the picture and after a break set-off once again across the moors to Ravenseat. In Wainwright's guidebook, which I was using, there is an old route over the moor marked on the map and as I reached the fork in the path I could see the new route clearly forging a way over the moor. On the spur of the moment I decided to take the old route which I guessed would be less frequented. Although the weather was now very overcast and cold it did not appear to me that it was going to rain (or snow) and as I was enjoying the peace and quiet so much it appealed to me more to take the least used route. As it turned out I made the right decision as I saw no one else at all for the rest of the walk until I reached the road at Wain Wath Force. Eventually, I reached the remote outpost of Ravenseat where I picked up the path above the picturesque Whitsundale Beck following this all of the way to the valley road at Wain Wath Force. I stopped for a while at this beauty spot which, even in this cold cloudy weather still had people wandering around exploring the picturesque falls backed by low limestone cliffs.

I then made my way to the village where I located Butt House, a guesthouse run by Doreen Whitehead . I had seen her in a documentary being interviewed by Wainwright regarding an accommodation guidebook she produces for the CTC. She turned out to be a larger than life character and as soon as she had shown me to my room, gave me instructions to be in the lounge in five minutes for tea. I did as I was told and as I sank into the sofa in front of a blazing fire she re-appeared with a large tray of tea and cakes. I relaxed there alone enjoying this unexpected treat reading some of the many walking books on the bookshelves and quietly dozed off in the heat from the fire. When I eventually woke up, I retired to my room for a long soak in the bath and later went downstairs once again to the dining room. Two elderly walkers called Alan and Barbara who were walking sections of the CTC joined me at dinner and they turned out to be marvellous company. I had ordered a roast beef dinner, which was excellent, and I washed it down with a couple of pints of beer. After dinner, Allan and Barbara asked me to join them in a bottle of wine and the three of us retired to the lounge. We were joined by Doreen and the four of us spent the evening chatting with Doreen recounting tales of the days when she ran a farm on the other side of the valley with her husband. Eventually, after an interesting evening spent in good company, I retired to my room feeling glad that I had a fairly short walk the following day.