Shap to Kirkby Stephen

Thursday 8th April 2010

In returning to the coast to coast walk after my day-off in the Howgill Fells, I caught a bus to Shap and bought supplies for lunch before setting off on my next leg. After my unorthodox crossing of the Lake District over Easter I now religiously kept to the official route all the way from Shap on the edge of the Lake District to Kirkby Stephen near the top of the Eden Valley. Immediately upon leaving Shap I crossed the railway line and the noisy M6 motorway before passing the Hardendale Quarry and entering Crosby Ravensworth Fell. For the first couple of miles on this walk I couldn't help repeatedly looking back at the Lake District that was basking in the sunshine on the horizon behind me. My heart yearned to be back there. After a dull start to the day I was now enjoying the only highlight, Crosby Ravensworth Fell, the sun was shining and I was walking in a vast, picturesque landscape covered in heather, and littered with limestone rocks. I'm sure this section of the walk will look fabulous in late summer when the heather is in bloom, but even in early spring under a warm sun, the fell was a pleasure to cross. I was following clear tracks that led me past Wicker Street, a Roman road where an impressive limestone pavement capped off a thrilling walk across the fell.

Continuing along the path I followed a fence edge all the way to a road on the far side of the fell, where my fun ended with a clouding of the sky and a succession of dreary, muddy fields. Just to the north of me was Great Asby Scar, a vast area of Limestone, but sadly one that the coast to coast does not pass through. I had to continue through the fields below and the landscape didn't even improve when I neared Sunbiggin Tarn as the terrain was now a vast, bleak and boggy wasteland. The unchanging tedium of the landscape was only relieved by the sight of the northern edge of the Howgill Fells and later, of Smardale Viaduct in a quiet, picturesque valley. I found the sight of this disused railway rather depressing, as this section looks like it's been untouched since the tracks were lifted. I could easily imagine trains steaming through the valley, but sadly no more. However, I couldn't decide whether it was a tragedy or a blessing that trains no longer pass through this beautiful, peaceful valley. Climbing out of the valley brought me onto Smardale Fell, but by now I was very weary and could only stagger over the hill through more farmland all the way into the small market town of Kirkby Stephen. I guess the main problem I had with this walk was all the farmland that I had to walk through, which I don't like, as it feels like I'm intruding, and there was nothing to attract my eye to compensate for the dreary terrain. After having just crossed the Lake District, unfortunately the limestone country between Shap and Kirkby Stephen couldn't compete. I longed to be back in the Lake District!