Ascent/Descent: 584m
Net Walking Time: ca. 5 hours
Toughness: 6 out of 10
Take the 08.24 Leeds train from Carlisle, arrives Kirkby Stephen at 09.19 (an Off-Peak service, Senior Railcards are valid).
Return trains: 15.03, 17.04, 18.33 and 20.02 (55 minutes journey time).
This is relatively short excursion up to a magnificent viewpoint at the top of Hartley Fell, overlooking the North Pennines and the Upper Eden Valley, also with views across to the Howgill Fells and the Lake District, despite only reaching the modest height of 660m above sea level. The top is graced by nine enigmatic differently shaped cairns up to four metres high, the Nine Standards. They are at least 500 years old and believed to be markers of the historic boundary between Westmorland and the North Riding of Yorkshire.
En route you experience an exciting stretch of the Eden River, where the water noisily tumbles over exposed rock slabs, down rock faces and a tight gorge, where water and gravel have created holes, cup-shaped incisions and mini-gorges in the river bed. Further along, you follow a narrow woodland path along the rushing Ladthwaite Beck, which speeds down a chute at the bottom of a high rock face and down a waterfall.
The route then joins the Coast to Coast Walk and heads to the top along a good track. The descent leads through some upland peat bog (on a decent path) before entering limestone country with shake holes and swallow holes and follows dry paths around the stunning Dukerdale and around or over Tailbridge Hill.
The final descent down Nateby Common provides for fine views across a patchwork of pastures to heathery commons and into the Eden Valley, before passing a tea stop in Nateby, about 30 minutes before the end.
An Alternative Descent leads through Kirkby Stephen town, cutting out Dukerdale and Nateby Common
Walk Options:
Outbound and return route are never far away from each other, so the middle bit of the route can be cut quite easily using straight forward rights of way, for example either of the two south westerly footpaths from Ladthwaite Farm or the south easterly bridleway from halfway up the ascent of Hartley Fell, from Faraday Gill across to Rollinson Gill.
The most direct descent from the Standards is achieved by initially turning back down the route of the ascent and then picking up either the alternative descent through Kirkby Stephen (see below) or reversing all of the main ascent route from the station.
An alternative descent off Hartley Fell part-reverses the ascent route and follows lanes and paths into Kirkby Stephen for its tea options: 20.1 km/12.5 mi with 611m ascent/descent, 6/10 rating.
This last route can be used for another obvious shortcut from where outbound and return first meet, at the top of the tarmac lane north of Ladthwaite Farm.
On the Main Walk, the descent through Nateby Common can be varied by going over the top of Tailbridge Hill, an excellent viewpoint, rather than skirting around its flank.
Lunch: Picnic.
Tea: The Black Bull at Nateby (open and food served to 14.00 and from 17.00), located 2.3 km from the end of the walk.
Plenty of options in Kirkby Stephen on the Alternative Descent (adds 2.0 km), see the pdf for details.
For walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. t=swc.416