Length: 23.9 km (14.8 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 748m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 ½ hours
Toughness: 8 out of 10
Take the 09.25 Leeds train from Carlisle, arrives Appleby-in-Westmoreland at 10.07.
Return trains: 16.24, 18.19 and 20.51 (from 44 minutes journey time).
This is an exhilarating exploration of one of the finest natural features in northern England, the spectacular High Cup Nick, an almost geometrically perfect U-shaped glaciated valley, deeply incised into the Northern Pennine scarp, from Appleby, a market town on the River Eden in Cumbria, famous for its annual Appleby Horse Fair, with views across the Eden Valley to the Lake District and the Howgill Fells.
The High Cup valley is shielded from view from most points below in the Eden Valley by adjacent hills, so its outline and full splendour only reveal themselves over time on the outbound route, as you cross the mildly undulating landscape at the foot of the Pennine Range, consisting of pastures and woods, before starting the steep ascent to the top of the valley along a good track. You then walk along the ledge on top of the V-shaped rim of the valley, passing waterfalls, rock stacks, boulder fields and shake holes.
From the halfway point at one of the most-photographed spots in Outdoor Britain, three different return routes are described:
· medium high or high routes along the flanks or over the top plateau of Murton Fell,
· a more demanding and longer route via the High Cup Plain and along Maize Beck into the MoD Warcop Live Firing Range (see the notes on access on the webpage or in the pdf) and then across an upland watershed into the dramatic and haunting Scordale with some high cliffs on the side of the deep-cut scenic valley framing views into the plain and to distant fells.
Walk Options:
On the High Route (aka the Main Walk), cut the out-and-back to the top of Murton Pike: cut 900m distance and 76m ascent.
Medium High Descent (aka the Shortcut) – return more direct and at lower elevation. Cut 2.5 km/1.5 mi and 83m ascent: 7/10 rating.
Extension – return from High Cup Nick along a longer route, first across the High Cup Plain plateau with the Pennine Way, then – at times pathless - along Maize Beck into the MoD Warcop Range and up along Swarth Beck (this stretch is very energy sapping and frequently pathless) across the watershed including some limestone pavements, high grass moorland and blanket bog, into the dramatic Scordale (mostly with paths or tracks) with its disused lead and baryte mines and to Murton. Adds 5.8 km/3.6 mi but no ascent: 10/10 rating.
Several minor variations, a loop through town at the end and shortcuts for car drivers are listed on the webpage and in the pdf.
Lunch: Picnic.
Tea: The Midland Hotel Freehouse, right by the station (no food). Plenty of options in Appleby (adds 2.2 km), see the pdf for details.
For walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. t=swc.415