~A Kirkby Stephen Walk~
4th June 2016
Four years after my previous visit to Smardale, I chose to repeat the walk - almost exactly and see if the area was still as unfrequented and beautiful as it was last time.
Smardale Gill Viaduct
Scroll down for photos and a description of the walk....
Skipton Railway Station
Here comes the 11:26 service to somewhere short of Carlisle - the line remains closed near Armathwaite due to landslip. From our house, Hellifield and Skipton stations are roughly equidistant, so for a little extra and ten minutes more rail time (each way) cost I chose Skipton today.
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Quiet Carriage |
Dent Station (from the train) |
The Train
Rail travel can be so relaxing when there are seats with views and room to spare. Drinks and snacks are served on some of these trains by volunteers from the Settle & Carlisle gang. A cheeful group of 20-somethings got on Dent and bought tickets to Appleby and then competed for seats next to the windows so that they could "see the viaduct". Without much fuss, the guard told them "The" viaduct is in the other direction and the passengers would have to settle for the views from Dandy Mire Viaduct - not quite the same!
Kirkby Stephen Railway Station
After about an hour's travel we leave the train at Kirkby Stephen. Walkers looking for Smardale Gill, now have just over three miles of walking to find their target and the first ten minutes is roadside - not ideal. Then a turn off points to "Smardale" - referring to the hamlet, not the gill. Whilst this is unmistakably a tarmacadamed surface, when there are no cars using the lane, it matters not too much.
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To Smardale |
The Lane |
Viewers may notice a lack of sunshine. I chose the later train to give us a chance of enjoying the improving weather that was due after midday. Noon has been and gone and it's still overcast; the Romans would have been proud of this lane, maybe they formed the route?
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Cows |
Walls |
At the point of entry into the fields and onto the route of the Coast-to-Coast walk, cows and sheep populate the field. Most of the cows were lying down and there were no calves, so we proceeded slowly. You know you're going the right way when you find the parallel walls.
Woolly Warriors
We walked around this lot, rather than disturb them - they live here, we don't.
Smardale Gill
An hour and a bit after leaving the railway station, we get our first view into Smardale.
Smardale Bridge
There used to be a pub next to the bridge, according to an information board and the lines in the field are part of an ancient cultivation system. From here we climb up the field opposite to meet the tracked of the old "Stainmore Line".
The Stainmore Line
For dreamers, walkers, artists and maybe writers this is a wonderful place. I think what holds its appeal for me is the extra effort everyone has to take to get here - there is no nearby access. This is in Cumbria and on such a fine day, how many others are crowding the Lakeland ridges and jamming the roads, cursing the clutter and tapping their steering wheels as they make very slow progress twixt Grasmere and Ambleside? Open your maps and open your minds...
Lunchtime
I took us up a level above the disused limestone kilns to sit for lunch. Limestone landscapes are uniquely different to all others and wonderfully dry and mud-free just now. The viaduct stone was won from sandstone quarries on the other side of the gill.
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Smardale Gill Viaduct
When the line was closed in 1962, the railway authorities were quick to remove their chattels but left behind items which were difficult to remove, such as the viaduct. Thankfully, the viaduct is now owned by The Northern Viaduct Trust and maintained to a good standard for walkers and cyclists.
Smardale Gill
Having crossed the viaduct and made our way down to the gill, we then climbed back up to this vantage point on the south-east flank and crossed the viaduct for a second time.
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Managed vegetation on the way to the crossing of the Settle-Carlisle line. There used to be a station at the hamlet of Smardale:
W.M. could be "Weigh Machine" and W (close to the station) could well be "Well". The walk cannot go through the old station territory as it is now private land, so walkers take the lane past "W.M." and rejoin the trackbed down the cutting after the "Station".
Nick Crane?
It may seem untidy to carry an umbrella, but Nick Crane does, this chap does and I have done on some occasions. Ideal for protection against heavy rain, but not ideal in thunderstorms.
The owners are building an extension but the platform remains as a feature and two old sack trucks are close to the shed
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The walk, sometimes signposted continues along the old railway line through cuttings - one of which is perhaps a glacial deposit - maybe a drumlin? Bridges have been removed, so walkers have some ups and downs before arriving at an impasse which forces walkers up to the road - north-west of Waitby. We walked along the road to Sandwath and then across farmland (below) to Kirkby Stephen.
After the two fields in the foreground, there is a track which, according to the map, extends over the brow and pretty much into KS. However, just over the hill the track loses its southern boundayr and merges into a field full of cattle including many bullucks! So we took the liberty of going into the private land of the adjacent field and quietly proceeded past the enquiring eyes of the young cattle.
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Bang on time, we arrive in Kirkby Stephen. The plan was to get here for 1700hrs and look for food, the return train being at 1902hrs from the station - 30 minutes walk away. The Royal Arms started serving food at half past five.
Royal Arms Hotel, Kirkby Stephen
"Station Walk"
Reminder: allow 30 minutes to walk from the centre of the town to the railway station.
Kirkby Stepehen Railway Station
The train was late due to issues associated with the Appleby Fair. On the train were many folk under the influence of alochol and three in particular were abusive and intimidatory towards the guard and passengers. One of them pulled the emergency lever and the driver stopped the train. The guard had to address the fools in order to reset the alarm. The guard managed to persuade them to leave the train at Garsdale - not sure of the pretext - maybe he told them there was a pub nearby. Skipton 30 minutes late and connections would be missed at Leeds - and we worry about migrants from Europe......
Walkers: Me and Molly The Collie
Time taken: 4hrs 20 mins over a distance of about 10 miles - to Kirkby Stephen town. Another nearly two miles to the railway station.
Route: KS railway station, up the A685 to the Smardale turn off, along the "B" road to the Coast-to-Coast signpost and then over Smardale Fell to Smardale Bridge. Pick up the old trackbed and follow such all the way back as far as the road west of Waitby, then a well-marked footpath past Sandwath for the farmland route back to Kirkby Stephen town.
Weather and conditions: Overcast at first, improving to warm and sunny.
Refreshment Review: The Royal Arms Hotel offers a typical pub menu and dogs are allowed in the bar area.
"Don't Count The Days ... Make The Days Count"
Take me back to the start ....