Day 7 Onto Keld

I’m going to start today with a glossary of terms — I should have done this days ago.

Beck — small stream or brook, from the Norse bekkr  

Crackpot — a deep hole or chasm that is the haunt of crows

Dale — a valley

Fell — high mountain, hill, or moorland ridge (Norse fjall)

Force — waterfall (e.g., East Gill Force)

Foss — also waterfall (e.g., Falling Foss)

Gill/Ghyll — narrow steep‑sided ravine with a stream

Hush/Gully — artificial channel used by miners to expose minerals

Keld — spring

Pigs (of lead) — ingots

Tarn — small mountain lake (Norse tjorn)

Wynds — winding alleys

There you go — the educator in me, looking at words, meanings, and origins.

Right, back to the hike. A shorter day today, which I was pleased about as I didn’t get the good sleep I’d hoped for. It was hard leaving Kirkby Stephen — there was a lot to see: the old road signs in furlongs, the sheep benches, the park, and mostly the beautiful old St Stephen’s Church. There are some extremely old relics housed here, well worth a look. Among them is an 8th‑century Loki Stone from Viking days. There’s also a beautifully embroidered tapestry of the Coast to Coast that a church member has clearly spent hours on.

After almost an hour — and some additional provisions: scones, a coffee, and moisturiser (yes, really!) — I headed over Frank’s Bridge. I was excited today for Nine Standards Rigg, and the weather was fabulously clear.

I caught up with Anna, whom I’d shared the field with at Shap, and the day absolutely flew by with a companion to chat to. She was plodding along, laden with a huge backpack that had eight pairs of socks and multiple pairs of knickers hanging off it to dry after laundering them. It made me laugh.

Nine Standards Rigg

Nine Standards surprised me — the whatever-they-are were all in alignment. From the pictures I’d seen, I wasn’t expecting that. What I was half expecting — and had just said to Anna — was to find Margo and Reindert having a sleep up there. And sure enough, they were. Anna is also from the Netherlands, so they instantly hit it off, chatting and snacking and musing over these strange structures.

What are your thoughts now that you’ve been there? I want to read more about them and the various hypotheses — boundary markers, ancient cairns, medieval route guides, or something else entirely. They’re mysterious, atmospheric, and oddly compelling.

It seems that before the Coast to Coast became a National Trail, there were three different routes over the Pennines and the bog, chosen depending on weather and time of year. Now there is only one. Someone — presumably several very dedicated someones — has expertly laid slabs of stone across the route, including the occasional old gravestone, creating a paved path that stretches for miles. It keeps boots clean, protects the fragile peat bog, and is an absolute marvel of trail engineering. I found myself musing with my hiking buddies about how on earth they achieved this without damaging the surrounding landscape. I’d like to thank them in person.

Even a local gravel‑bike rider was taking advantage of this wonderful route.

The famous shepherdess at Ravenscar (Ravenscrag/Ravenseat depending on the guidebook) was notably absent and the café therefore closed, so we all took advantage of the picnic benches and tucked into our own food. Anna had brought tortilla wraps and squeezy peanut butter — lightweight, nutritious, and very easy. I’ll remember that for next time.

As I said, the rest of the day flew by with company, and Anna and I reached Keld — the halfway point of the walk — by around 3ish. It was beautiful and sunny, and Rukins Campsite was awesome. It sits beside a river and waterfall, which I swam in, and the café/tuck shop was very well stocked. The bacon roll was just what I needed as well.

Several other friends I’d made along the way — including Margo and Reindert, a young man called Ethan, and a couple of Aussie lads — also checked in, and we all ended up splashing around in the waterfalls until the midges drove us back to our tents. This was the first (and only) night they were a real pain.

Buzz off will you ! No.. not you !!

Strava Stats (with imperial conversions)

• Distance: 19 km (11.81 miles)

• Elevation gain: 673 m (2,208 ft)

• Total time: 4 hours 28 minutes