Kirby Stephen to Keld (Red Route - GPS ONLY)

Today is a momentous day. Were you a drop of water, at the start of the day you would flow west – back towards St Bees and into the Irish Sea – but by the end of the day you would trickle east and into the North Sea. Naturally, crossing this watershed requires a climb, which starts immediately out of Kirkby Stephen and rises to cross over the Pennines via the Nine Standards Rigg (Red Route). Secondly, you will cross from Cumbria into Yorkshire today, and thirdly, Keld is the halfway point of the Coast to Coast. I think all that achievement warrants a celebratory beer!

There are actually 3 routes over the moors to Keld, known as the green, red and blue routes - some routes can close off during the year due to the peat becoming heavily eroded with large amounts of walkers trudging over it on a daily basis. There is normally signage from local authorities on the trail (example shown in the images) that advise you what route to take; depending on what month your walking in. It is important you respect any route diversion from local authorities - if you do not, don't be surprised if you have to explain yourself to an angry Yorkshire farmer!

The landscape is bleak, hostile and uncompromising, and that is its charm (though you’ll probably struggle to discover this charm on a wet and windswept day!). Towards the end of the hike, you will drop towards the River Swale which cascades through the Swale Valley and brings life and colour to the region. Dry-stone walls carve the landscape into fragments, many filled with sheep. Scattered across the valley, in every field are small stone buildings are known as a cow house, or a cow’uss if you’re a local; such was the economic significance of a cow and her milk that these buildings were built to offer protection from the harsh elements.

Keld is only a small village but sits on the crossroads between two walks, the Coast to Coast and the Pennine Way. Despite the hordes of travellers that pass through each year, it is a charming and forgotten village where life appears to carry on as normal, as it has for generations.