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Nine Standards (Kirkby Stephen Circular or to Garsdale) Walk

Up to iconic landmark cairns with supreme views then through short peat bog and around the scenic Dukerdale, or along upland watershed above Mallerstang Valley to Garsdale

Circular Cumbria

History

Club walks since April 2015, and a summary which goes back to Jan 2010.

Date Option Post # Weather
Fri, 31-Jul-26 Nine Standards (Kirkby Stephen Circular or to Garsdale) [Carlisle Trip] 18 great day for walking
Tue, 05-Sep-23 Alternative Walk: The Nine Standards [Cumbria/Carlisle Trip] [New Walk]
Thomas G
Length: 18.1 km (11.2 mi) or 29.3 km (18.2 mi)
Ascent/Descent : 584m or 899/819m
Net Walking Time : ca. 5 hours or 8 hours
Toughness : 6 out of 10 or 9 out of 10
Take the 08.24 Leeds train from Carlisle, arrives Kirkby Stephen 09.20 (being an Off-Peak service, Senior Railcards are valid).
Return trains from Kirkby Stephen: 15.02 , 17.06, 18.32, 20.01.
Return trains from Garsdale: 18.20 , 19.49. Buy a Garsdale Return for the Garsdale Ending.
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.
An Alternative Ending leads over exposed high ground along the British watershed to Garsdale Station.
For More Walk Options, see the webpage or the pdf.

Lunch : Picnic
Tea: The Black Bull at Nateby , 2.3 km from the end of the walk.
Numerous options in Kirkby Stephen on an alternative route from the top to and through the town. See the walk directions for details.
The Moorcock Inn on the Garsdale Ending is unlikely to be open when we get there.
For walk directions, maps, height profiles, photos and gpx/kml files click here .

Fri, 31-Jul at 08:24 bad walk tag

  • Thomas G
    Fri 31-Jul

    18 walkers, with at least 3 others in town, but either doing their own walk, resting after a rough night, or going home to London after an even rougher night. There was only sparse water in the Eden and sometimes none in the many tributaries that we followed or crossed, so that the often cacophonous noise of the waterfalls and gushing and rushing of the cascades was totally absent, unfortunately. The good news about that was what it said about the upland peatbog: it would be a doddle. And so it was, especially as the route up, where it joins the Coast to Coast National Trail, is now fully engineered with flagged paths and new raised footbridges. Up at the 9 Standards at 12.30 where we had our (first) lunch break, in the wind mostly. A little later, 5 forked left to walk the long ending to Garsdale, while the others walked the Main Walk, stopping at the Bull Inn for a drink, and taking the 17.06 from Kirkby. On the Garsdale ending, we enjoyed great views ahead to the Yorkshire Peaks, while the Howgills and Lake District were mainly in the clouds , some looking very heavy with rain (remember rain?). The timekeeper kept up the pace, aiming for the 18.20, and we reached the platform at 18.19! A great day for walking , with equal parts of cloud cover, passing clouds and sun, and even a short shower! All this in mid teens temperatures and with a fair breeze. We saw a large number of grouse, flying away in panic as we approached, one group numbering 20 birds (it's a Black Grouse regeneration area). Endless numbers of rabbits (dead and alive), heard and saw plenty of upland birds (curlews and plover apparently?).

  • Thomas G
    Fri 31-Jul

    Addendum: 2 of the main walkers walked the higher route across Tailbridge Hill and also did the loop through Kirkby Stephen village.

  • DAC
    Sat 01-Aug

    Solo walk from Irthington via HW route to Greenhead. Caught the HW1 minibus from Carlisle to start & finish. Obviously introduced for HW walkers. Quite a few refreshment stops along the way. Did not come across anyone walking east, but passed many heading west. Impressed by the amount of wall still remaining.

Thomas G
Length: 18.1 km (11.2 mi)
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 . bad walk tag
  • Thomas G
    Sep-23

    In light of the weather forecast for the area, including the tops, all remaining walkers went on the other walk for the day.