Cross Fell and Great Dun Fell (Langwathby to Appleby) Walk

33.0 km (20.5 mi), with 1048/999m ascent/descent. For a shorter or longer walk, see below Walk Options.

10 out of 10, with 8 ½ hours walking time.

This route follows the Pennine Way 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 Lakes, 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.

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.
On Wednesdays and Thursdays, the first train from Carlisle connects at Langwathby with the Fellrunner Village Bus service. Line 130 at 09.15 on Wednesdays and Line 135 at 09.05 on Thursdays get you to Skirwith (on the route, 4.8 km in) and Blencarn (off route, but closer to Kirkland than Skirwith).
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 Pennine Way (cut 500m and 50m ascent);
· The Main Walk: follow the Pennine Way 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).

OS Landranger: 91 (Appleby-in-Westmorland) & 98 (Wensleydale & Upper Wharfedale)
OS Explorer: OL19 (Howgill Fells & Upper Eden Valley)

Langwathby Station, map reference NY 573 334, is 393 km northwest of Charing Cross, 28 km southeast of Carlisle and 113m above sea level. Appleby-in-Westmorland Station, map reference NY 686 206, is 17 km southeast of Langwathby and 161m above sea level. Both are in Cumbria. Both are stations on the Leeds - Settle – Carlisle Line, with eight trains per day Mon-Sat and seven on Sundays. The journey time to Langwathby is 27 minutes from Carlisle, 71 from Settle and 133 from Leeds. Appleby-in-Westmorland is the next stop in the direction of Settle, with 15 minutes journey time from Langwathby.

Saturday Walkers’ Club: The walk is not practicable as a daywalk from London.

The Stag Inn The Ride,Dufton, Cumbria, CA16 6DB (01768 351 608). The Stag is located 100m off route, 5.7 km from the end of the walk.
Post Box Pantry The Ride, Dufton, Cumbria, CA16 6DB (01768 353 660). The Pantry is located 100m off route, 5.7 km from the end of the walk.
The Midland Hotel Freehouse 25 Clifford Street, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria CA16 6TS (017683 51 524). The Midland is located right by the train station.

Numerous options in Appleby on an out-and-back (adds 1.2 km and 40m ascent):
Angelo’s Ristorante, Eden River Café, Ashiana (Indian), The Crown & Cushion, Tufton Arms Hotel, The Hare & Hounds.

beck: stream, brook; brig(g): bridge; -by: habitation; cam: bank, slope, ridge; carr: marshy woodland or shrubland; clough: narrow valley, cleft in a hillside, ravine, glen, gorge, cliff, rocky precipice; crag: steep rugged mass of rock projecting upward or outward; currick: cairn, pile of stones, often locations used to keep watch for Scottish raiders; dale: valley; -ey: island, dry area in a marshy place; fell: hill, mountain slope (especially rough moorland); firth/frith: long, narrow inlet of the sea or estuary; force/foss: waterfall, rapids; frith: area of peace, protection, safety, security, pasture; garth: small grass enclosure adjacent to a house; gate: way, street; gill/ghyll: small narrow valley or ravine;hagg: part of an area of woodland, especially on a sloping bank; holm(e): island, inland promontory, raised ground in marsh, river-meadow; how(e): barrow, small hill; hush: (Roman era) mine on steep hillside, using dammed up water to wash away topsoil and boulders, revealing the underlying lead or ore veins; ing(s): meadow(s), especially water meadow near a river; keld/kell: spring or well; kirk: church; laithe/leeath: barn, agricultural building; lang: long; ling: heather; lonning/lonnin’: lane or track, something less than a road, more rural than a street, usually short; mell: sand dunes; mire: bog; moss: bog, marsh; ness: headland, promontory; nick: shallow notch, cut or indentation on an edge or a surface; pike: spike, sharp point, peak; rake: slant, incline; rigg: ridge; scar/scaur: cliff, rocky outcrop with a steep face; seat/set(t)/side: summer pasture or dwelling place; seaves: rushes; shaw: hurdle, gate; sike/syke/sitch: small stream or gulley, gutter; stang: pole, shaft, stake, wooden bar; stoop/stowp/stoup: post, gatepost, distance marker (milestone), standing stone; -sty: ascent, ascending lane or path, narrow pathway or course; tarn: lake or pond (especially in an upland location); thorp(e)/t(h)rop: village or small settlement; thwait(e): village or small settlement; toft(s): small farmstead with enclosed land, later applied to a village or small settlement; wath: ford; whinny: gorse, furze, thorny vegetation; -wich/wick: village or settlement.

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National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

Sep-23 Thomas G