Nine Standards Rigg from Kirkby Stephen
Kirkby Stephen's skyline cairns, reached by the Coast to Coast path over Hartley Fell and home through Ladthwaite and the old railway viaducts.
- Distance
- 17.5 km
- 10.9 miles
- Ascent
- 555 m
- High point 661 m
- Time
- 4 hours 30 minutes
- Walking time, no stops
- Grade
- Hard
- Circular
Take this walk with you
Google Maps does not know most fell paths, so use it to get to the start, then follow the GPX in an app like OS Maps, Komoot or AllTrails. To see the line in Google Maps, open Google My Maps, create a map, choose Import and pick the KML file. It then appears in the Google Maps app under Saved, Maps.
Weather on this walk
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From almost anywhere in Kirkby Stephen you can see the row of bumps on the eastern skyline. Close up they are the Nine Standards, a line of tall drystone cairns on the edge of the Pennines, some of them well over head height.
This loop follows the Coast to Coast path out of town, over Frank's Bridge and through Hartley, then climbs a quiet dead-end road and moorland tracks to the cairns. After the summit trig point it drops back over rough, boggy ground to Ladthwaite, and finishes through woodland past the old railway viaducts above Hartley.
It is a long day with a lot of wet moor in the middle, but the climbing is steady rather than steep. On a clear day the views from the cairns are huge.
The route
- 1
Through town to Frank's Bridge
From Christian Head car park, follow the signed path into the town centre and on past the market square. Follow the sign for the River Eden and cross it by Frank's Bridge, then turn right at the Coast to Coast fingerpost.
- 2
Hartley
Follow the path across the fields to Hartley. Turn right on the road, then branch left for the Coast to Coast and Nine Standards, cross the beck and pick up the lane climbing out of the village.
- 3
The quarry road
Follow the dead-end road uphill past a cattle grid and the large quarry. Traffic is light and the views widen as you climb.
- 4
Up to the Nine Standards
Where the tarmac ends, follow the bridleway on towards Rollinson Haggs. Beyond a ruined barn and sheep pen, keep climbing beside the wall and take the permissive Coast to Coast path to the cairns.
- 5
Summit and descent
Walk south along the ridge to the trig point on Nine Standards Rigg, then follow the path down to the south-west across boggy ground to a crossroads of paths, and keep on to rejoin the track you came up.
- 6
Ladthwaite
Turn off for Ladthwaite and follow the track and field paths down into the valley, passing the cottages at Ladthwaite.
- 7
Viaducts and home
Follow the paths down the valley through woodland to Podgill Viaduct on the old railway, then continue to Hartley and back over Frank's Bridge into Kirkby Stephen.
Questions people ask
How long is the walk to Nine Standards from Kirkby Stephen?
This circular route is about 10 miles. Most circuits from the town are between 10 and 13 miles depending on the line taken.
What are the Nine Standards?
A row of large drystone cairns on Hartley Fell above Kirkby Stephen, some around 3.7 metres (12 feet) tall, close to the summit of Nine Standards Rigg.
Where do you park for Nine Standards?
Christian Head car park in Kirkby Stephen is free and close to the start. Some walkers shorten the day by parking at the end of the Hartley Fell road.
Is Nine Standards on the Coast to Coast?
Yes. Wainwright's Coast to Coast crosses the top, and much of this route follows it.
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