Wild Boar Fell (Garsdale to Kirkby Stephen) Walk

23.3 km (14.5 mi), with 676/756m ascent/descent. For a shorter or longer walk, see below Walk Options.

7 out of 10, with 6 hours walking time.

This is a varied and scenic route in very remote countryside (home to curlews and golden plovers) along the westerly edges of the dramatic Mallerstang Valley and the bucolic Upper Eden Valley, and entirely within the enlarged Yorkshire Dales National Park.

It starts at Garsdale, a very quiet station just beyond the watershed south of the Eden Valley and routes up the lonely Grisedale to the Yorkshire/Cumbria boundary on Grisedale Common. You then follow the long, mildly undulating ridge (mostly with a discernible path and always with either fence or wall nearby) up to Swarth Fell and through a dip further on to Wild Boar Fell.
From the two hills, you have very fine views (weather permitting): west to the Howgill Fells and the Lake District, north down the Mallerstang and Upper Eden Valleys to the North Pennines and east across to Mallerstang Edge and the watershed between the Rivers Eden and Ure, as well as south to the Yorkshire Dales.
You visit the enigmatic ancient stone cairns on the easterly scarp of the plateau and then descend gently along the scarp above Mallerstang and to the River Eden. A short out-and-back to the romantic ruin of Pendragon Castle (as per the legend: built by King Arthur’s father) is followed by a bucolic stretch along the Eden through commons and pastures to Kirkby Stephen Station.

An optional out-and-back to a nearby pub and/or a loop through Kirkby Stephen with its refreshment options and sights helps bridging any waiting time for one of the infrequent trains.

An Extension Loop in the morning leads further up the lonely Grisedale to the deserted hamlet of Scale and on to Round Ing, the farm furthest up that dale, and then back to pick up the A Pennine Journey Long-Distance Path at Flust (add 2.1 km and 20m ascent).
A Shortcut on that Extension Loop cuts out the furthest area, where the paths are rougher to walk along.
Omit the out-and-back to Pendragon Castle ruins (cut 1.1 km).
An out-and-back to The Black Bull pub in Nateby, just before the end of the walk (add 1.2 km).
A loop to and through Kirkby Stephen at the end of the walk past many tea places and some sights (add 5.0 km and 70m ascent for an 8/10 rating).

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

Garsdale Station, map reference SD 788 918, is 346 km northwest of Charing Cross, 75 km southeast of Carlisle and 343m above sea level. Kirkby Stephen Station, map reference NY 762 066, is 15 km north northwest of Garsdale Station and 263m above sea level. Both are in Cumbria and are stations on the Leeds - Settle – Carlisle Line, with eight trains per day Mon-Sat and seven on Sundays (six at Garsdale). Journey time to Garsdale is 69 minutes from Carlisle, 31 from Settle and 90 from Leeds. Kirkby Stephen is 13 minutes closer to Carlisle.

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

Picnic

The Black Bull at Nateby Nateby, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, CA17 4JP (017683 71588. The Black Bull is located 600m off route and 2.3 km from Kirkby Stephen Station.

Numerous options in Kirkby Stephen on a loop to and through the town (adds 5.0 km and 70m ascent).

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