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Alston Nuttall walk

By Hugh Stewart April 22, 2018 Leave a Comment

Spring arrived eventually this week up north, the Lakes would be heaving, so we chose an isolated North Pennine walk for the weekend. Ten miles plus of moorland walking, with only a small group of walkers seen at a summit, doing a separate route, to interupt complete loneliness. This is walk 9.8 in the Nuttall book, with some of our alterations. Start at the (new) car park for the Roman camp called Whitley Castle on the map, Epiacum by the Romans, which avoids the main road walk. Go upto and through the camp and its many ramparts to the Pennine Way, and then as per the book up the gentle slopes of Grey Nag. The easy path to Tom Smith’s Stone – a huge disappointment the stone, we were expecting a large one – is on the far side of the wall. As the fence to Black Fell turns sharp left, with more peat groughs visible, we went straight on to pick up a grassy channel to the summit plateau and turned left for the top. Easy grass descends to the long streams home, the filthy “bothy” with the bunk-bed in the upper story is still there, and from here a track leads up and along the valley. The advice to keep to the north bank seems wrong, it is better to cross (easily)the Burn after the delightful limestone mini-gorge and the joining of the Woldgill burn, and then recross as appears right. As you approach the Pennine Way bridge, amuse yourself by trying to see where you think the Maiden Way Roman road to the camp and onto Greenhead on Hadrian’s Wall, and from Kirkby Thore, crossed the burn. Following the Pennine Way path up and then down through the camp again keeps you legal, but does add some 70m of climbing.

The ramparts of Epiacum
Grey Nag, with another group
Interesting stone near Grey Nag
The “bothy” upper Gilderdale
Waterfall to end the limestone gorge.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Download file: grey nag.gpx

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Hillwalks from the Settle to Carlisle Railway Stations

24 walks into the hills surrounding the historic and iconic Settle to Carlisle railway, based on the stations between Settle and Appleby. The area has some of the finest walking of the north Pennines: the Craven district around Settle; the Three Peaks area; Dentdale, and Mallerstang and the upper Eden valley.

£12.95 (P&P may apply)

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Mountain Biking Adventures: Multi-day Routes in Northern Britain

Over the last two decades, mountain biking has developed enormously as a “sport”. We greatly admire the technical and athletic capabilities of modern day mountain bikers and recognise that many excellent guides have been written and custom-built trails set up. In this guide we try to reopen a sense of adventure and wilderness to mountain biking, providing multi-day routes with a remoteness, continuity and “arc” missing from many modern guides with their focus on day and half day outings.

UK £13.95 ( inc. P&P)

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Settle to Carlisle – Hill Walk with Return by Classic Train Route

With over 22,000 ft of ascent in 105 miles set out over 8 days, this walk sets out from Settle, taking in the classic summits of the North Yorkshire Dales, Howgills, Eastern and Northern Lakeland Fells, to arrive at Carlisle. The return journey to Settle by one of the classic train journeys. Illustrated with photographs and route maps.

£12.95 (P&P may apply)

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Skiddaw, improvement on Wainwright’s favourite route?

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An Upper Swaledale round from Muker

This lovely 8 mile walk is best done in early to mid-June when the Muker meadows, and to a lesser extent the Ivelet to Muker meadows, are full of wildflowers. Starting in Muker, find the path through the village which leads onto the meadows. It is not signed so be careful. Go through the delightful

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Scafell Pike from Wasdale, without the crowds. (Mostly.)

A glorious friday in early June, the last weekday of the Whitsun holidays. I wanted to see what Piers Gill was like, as my late mother told me once that she had been cajoled by my father to take me and my one older and one younger brothers (aged maybe 3 to 7) up the Pike, but went wrong in bad

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