An account of the trail in northern England, starting in St. Bees on the Irish Sea and ending in Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea.

 

 

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Day Seven - 12 miles, 1900 feet ascent

Kirkby Stephen to Keld

   If you're lucky as I was to do it in dry weather, the long moor walk after Nine Standards is just a matter of watching where you put your feet. Sure, you'll go into the muck up to your ankles. But, if it's raining or misty, this section can be a trial.
   The morning walk out of Kirkby Stephen is a gradual climb that becomes steep on the approach to the nine large cairns that give Nine Standards its name. This is the divide point where rivers flow east to the North Sea and west to the Irish Sea.
   After the high moor, the walk along Whitsun Dale through Ravenseat is pleasant enough. The path descends to the River Swale, crosses Park Bridge and follows a road for the short distance into Keld, the halfway point of the Coast to Coast Path.