Length: 33.0 km (20.5 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 1048/999m
Net Walking Time: ca. 8 ½ hours
Toughness: 10 out of 10
Take the 08.24 Leeds train from Carlisle, arrives Langwathby at 08.51 (an Off-Peak service, Senior Railcards are valid).
Return trains: 15.16, 17.17, 18.46 and 20.15 (42 minutes journey time). Buy an Appleby return.
This route follows the Pennine Way (PW) across Cross Fell and Great Dun Fell (with Little Dun Fell squeezed in), the highest hills along the Pennines and therefore the highest in England outside the Lake District. They are part of a more than 12 km long ridge, the largest area of continuous high ground in England, forming part of the English watershed. The tops are often windswept and foggy, with snow clinging on into May. Cross Fell is an iconic structure of a broad-based and mighty flat plateau top with boulder-filled slopes sitting on a long ridge, and the only place in Britain with a named wind, the Helm Wind. The views from the top (in good weather) include The Lake District Fells, Solway Firth, Scottish Uplands, Tyne and Tees Valleys and the Pennine Ridge. Great Dun Fell is dominated by large Air Traffic Control radomes, guiding transatlantic air traffic.
Navigation is relatively straight forward, even in bad weather, due to good tracks and engineered paths on the ascents/descents and numerous cairns and shelters on the high ground. Flora and fauna include upland hay meadows, rare arctic and alpine plants on the top plateau, curlews, grouse and golden plovers in season.
All hills on the walk have been mined over millennia for lead, iron and limestone, and scars of those activities – some quite picturesque – are still very evident, especially on the extended version via Threlkeld Side.
The hills are far from any train station, making this a very long walk. Only taxis or car shuttles can reduce the length substantially.
Walk Options:
A Taxi or organised car shuttle to St. Lawrence’s Church in Kirkland cuts the initial all-tarmac 7.9 km of the route, giving a 25.1 km/15.6 mi walk with 932/972m ascent/descent and an 8/10 rating.
Three different descents from the ridge after Great Dun Fell are described:
· The Shortcut: initially following the tarmac service track from the radar station, through a beautiful gorge below Green Castle Crag and along the rim of the Knock Ore Gill, then down rough pastures and along paths to the PW (cut 500m and 50m ascent);
· The Main Walk: follow the PW over The Heights and Green Fell mostly with clear and good paths and then descend with the PW along good paths and tracks;
· The Extension: from Knock Fell, continue across the mostly pathless moorland plateau to Great Rundale Tarn and pick up a shooter’s track down Threlkeld Side with its disused mines past Dufton Pike to Dufton (map-and-compass navigation skills are advised). Add 1.2 km but cut 30m ascent.
A more strenuous outing continues even further over the open moorland plateau to High Cup Nick where you can pick up one of the SWC’s High Cup Nick Walk routes for a descent to Appleby.
Finish the walk in Dufton at the very agreeable Stag Inn or the Post Box Pantry and get a taxi to pick you up (cuts 5.7 km).
Add an out-and-back down into Appleby’s town centre at the end of the walk past more tea places (see route map for details).
Lunch: Picnic.
Tea: The Stag Inn (open from 17.00, food from 17.30) and The Post Box Pantry in Dufton (5.7 km from the end of the walk). The Midland Hotel Freehouse, right by the station (no food). Plenty of options in Appleby (adds 1.2 km), see the pdf for details.
For walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. t=swc.414