Every summer, my pal and I try to arrange an annual camping trip to reset, recharge, and get back to basics. Previously, we have wild camped in the Lake District, but this year, we decided to leave the summer crowds behind and head off the beaten track to explore the very western fringes of Cumbria and on the edge of the North Pennines.
Driving over the Hartside Pass
I hopped on the bus up to Penrith, where my pal picked me up, and we left the town winding through villages towards the North Pennines. Up and up we drove until we reached the summit of the Hartside Pass at 1904ft above sea level with views back over the Lake District (and a clearer day all the way to Scotland!). We jumped out to take in the views and grab a quick coffee at one of the little vans parked to cater for visitors.
Exploring Alston
The road on the other side descends to the small town of Alston, which, alongside Buxton, is the highest village in England, standing at 300m above sea level. We stopped to wander around the town, impressed by the old architecture and range of independent and antique shops which we took our time to browse.
I really loved the little Alston Wholefoods shop, which had lots of unusual ingredients, locally made candles, jams, chutneys and cheese! Of course, we had to pick up some of the local cheese to sample, plus a bottle of red to enjoy at the campsite later….
Another top food recommendation was a trip to Saddlers Bakery, where I tried my first savoury Chelsea buns – swirls of (feta?) cheese, garlic and herbs folded into a soft white bun…..it was worth the trip to Alston alone, and I’m dreaming of going back for another!
We also wandered down to the small narrow gauge railway station (the second highest in England!) where, on specific days, you can catch a 5-mile train ride along the South Tyndale line to Slaggyford.
Wild Swimming in Ashgill Force
We left Alston behind and made the 4-mile drive south to the hamlet of Garrigill, where we’d also be spending the night. After consulting our OS map, we followed the very muddy and tree rooted South Tyne Trail along the river before veering off the trail to look for Ashgill Force waterfalls – and we weren’t disappointed!
The largest waterfall in the series tumbles under a road bridge, and you can walk right underneath the waterfall (without getting wet!). We were lucky enough to have the place to ourselves as it was late afternoon and not a weekend – I can imagine it’s a popular place on a summer weekend! We retraced our steps and took a bracing but refreshing dip in one of the lower waterfalls.
We loosely followed these directions to Ashgill Force, taking a higher route on the way back.
Camping at Garrigill Village Hall
Refreshed after our dip, we climbed a short way up the hillside to retrace our steps to Garrigill, where we popped into the post office which also has basic food supplies for an afternoon treat to refuel before pitching our tent.
Garrigill is on the 268 mile walking route of the Pennine Way, which starts at Edale in the Peak District and finishes at Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders. The community have kindly turned parts of their village hall into accommodation for walkers – a bunkhouse and a grassy area for camping (£9 per night per person with the option to add a shower for £3) at the rear of the hall.
We arrived at the same time as a Dutch guy walking the Pennine Way, and we chatted and swapped stories as we pitched our tents and made basic dinners on our stoves. We followed up our pasta with the delicious local cheese and a glass of wine before heading back out for a short walk on a tiny section of the Pennine Way.
Returning to the campsite, we attempted to enjoy the rest of our wine outside – but as the campsite is next to the river – the midges were out in force!!
Luckily, the facilities are open round the clock in summer, and there were two small fold-out chairs in the porch way (which also happened to be next to the toilet!) plus free wifi (there is no phone signal in the village) and we retreated indoors to watch a tiny bit of the Olympics before heading to bed.
Visiting Long Meg and Her Daughters Stone Circle
The following day, we headed back towards Penrith with a short detour to the village of Little Salkeld and walked for 15 minutes up quiet lanes to a large open field with an impressive stone circle, the second largest in the country. The stone circle is offset by ‘Long Meg’ a large single stone of 12ft, with 68 stones making up the nearby circle, which are said to date to around 1500BC and were likely to be used as a meeting place for a religious ritual.
We wound our way back through the Cumbrian villages and back into the weekend bustle of Penrith where I jumped on the 508 bus back home to the Lake District.
A tiny but mighty microadventure, it was a joy to explore more of Cumbria outside of the Lake District!
Read more microadventures here…
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