It was cloudy and overcast when I woke up but I was prepared as the forecast had predicted “cloudy with occasional sun” but no rain. Katie, my hostess at the Castle View B&B in Kirkby Stephens, provided a great breakfast and some good advice on navigating bogs which started my day off well. Her advice was simple- go around them no matter how far out of the way you need to go! She told me it had been quite dry lately and thus the path should not be too bad and, in general, it was fairly well marked. Feeling confident and looking forward to the day I headed out at my usual time, around 8:30am. The day’s hike called for a 13 mile march over the top of the moors of the Pennines, across the English “continental divide” and dropping down into the next valley over where Keld, my stop for the night and the half way point of the Coast to Coast, was situated. Many people use Kirby Stephen as a half way point as it is a larger town and convenient to start and end at if only part of the Coast to Coast is being attempted, but Keld is the actual mileage divider.
Sign post leaving Kirkby Stephens.
The first five miles of the day I was climbing but it was a gentle climb compared to the relatively steep ascents of the Lake District. As I ascended out of Kirby Stephen I passed a quarry scarring the beauty of the countryside, even though it seemed as if an attempt had been made to discretely place it in the midst of the landscape. Climbing past the quarry I entered the wide open spaces of the moorland. The path was well defined and I easily followed it up. In the distance I could see the nine “riggs” on the ridge, the highest point I would reach before descending on the other side of the hills. But distances in the moors are deceiving. As I walked on and on they did not seem to get any bigger or closer. The landscape was also very deceiving as there are many rolling hills and folds in the slope which play tricks with measurements and perspective. I had passed some young people at the top of the quarry and looking back I could tell how far I had come by how small in the distance they were. That was really my only reference point!
After about an hour’s climb I looked back down to the valley and Kirkby Stephens where I had started.
As I climbed it was getting windier and windier as I become more exposed, emerging from the relative protection of the valley. All around me was barren, rugged, yet beautiful terrain. It was a stark change from the usual manicured, picturesque, well-ordered English countryside I had been traversing through for the past week. This area was untamed, wild, and unforgiving. I could easily imagine, on a foggy day when the peak was shrouded with a cloud, people getting lost and disoriented- the landscape was that unremarkable and barren of reference points. Luckily, the one set of reference points that were available, the nine “riggs” on the ridge, were visible today when not hidden by a dip or a curve in the path. My map continued to indicate passing cairns and that helped me remain confident in my path (although I had my compass on stand by ready to deploy!). One cairn mentioned in my book was “useful for blocking the wind”, and I found that to be so when I stopped there (it was more like a small wall than the typical pyramidal cairn). It was a handy place to take shelter for a moment while putting on my rain gear, mainly for wind protection since it was not raining. I ended up sitting there for about 20 minutes simply admiring the peacefulness of the area.
The ridge way up ahead in the distance. The object sticking up on the horizon are the “riggs”. There are nine of them although it can’t be seen in this photo.
Turning and looking back from where I came from at the same point the previous photo was taken.
Looking north from the same vantage point as the previous two photos.
Moving forward I steadily climbed towards the ridge and the large nine stone edifices called the “riggs”. Later, as I descended, when I passed two English gentlemen coming up the slope, I asked them about the story of the structures on the ridge. They informed me that no one knows their history but their construction is fairly recent, 18th century. So their purpose remains a mystery. After spending the day on the terrain I would not be surprised if someone had hauled all of those stones up there and built those sculptures to provide a reference point for navigation (although I am not sure why you need nine of them)! It was really, really windy at the top, with a strong wind blowing in from the west. I had my hood up in an attempt to keep my head warm and my hair from blowing everywhere. My map indicated that the path went off the ridge to the south but it was hard to discern. The general advice was “if you don’t see the path, just head south anyway”, so I headed south.
Three of the stone edifices up close. They have been built with precision and attention to detail for some unknown purpose.
The sense of isolation on the moor was incredible. From the top, and even for some time while I descended, looking in every direction I only saw more wild, desolate, landscape. I saw no people and even the ever present sheep were no where in sight. I felt like I was the only person on the planet- it was incredibly exhilarating and liberating although I am not sure I can explain why. Occasionally the sun would peek through the clouds and the change in lighting would completely transform the landscape. There were small white flowers dotting the field and the sun would glint off them, almost making them glisten. As I mentioned earlier, it was beautiful in a remote, untouched way. I took my time coming down because it was just so pleasant, despite the wind, to enjoy the peace I experienced up there.
Close up of a boggy area. Because it was “dry” these areas were not filed to the brim with water but you still had to watch your footing!
Continuing to rely on cairns, distant posts, and my compass I was rewarded with some positive feedback that I was going in the right direction when I came across a signpost indicating the different routes down the hill. Because of the fragile nature of the bogs and the landscape, in general, the park managers devised different routes to use at different times of the year to minimize the churn and destruction of the terrain. Heading down the stipulated “red” route for this time of year I could see easily, because of the dryness of the soil, the many wide-spread and deep impressions made by hundreds and hundreds of booted feet. Because it was so dry I did not have a too challenging of task of navigating the bogs. Even though it was not “wet’ by English standards there were still several places I had to skirt quite a ways around in order to keep my boots from sinking in over their tops. Noticing the patterns of footprints and mud as I passed by I realized how easy I had it! Still care was needed.
Signpost pointing the way down. The path changes with the seasons as an attempt is made to keep the area protected as much as possible. In the background are the many footprints of those who came before.
I kept heading south and found the waypoints and reference points that the map described along the way. The wind was a bit less strong as I came down but still chilly so I kept my rain gear on. It really did not get better until I started walking east and the wind was at my back. But at this point I was down near the bottom of the valley, along a well established foot path, and back amongst the sheep. Keld was about four miles ahead situated somewhere amongst the rolling hills. Another couple of hours, meandering through the pastures and along farm lanes and I arrived at my destination for the evening, the Keld Lodge. My Australian friends showed up about an hour and a half later and we are all meeting up for dinner. The lodge is small enough that they don’t have a common room so I am typing this in my room while watching the Italy vs Spain game. England plays later tonight!
Evenings stop at Keld. A very small village so it was easy to find my lodgings, an old youth hostel.
It was a great day with some wild and wonderful landscape and to top all off—- I am halfway done!!