In Kirkby Stephen: Tan Hill

July 30, 2024

We were in Kirkby Stephen for one night on our previous tour, and liked the looks of it enough that we wished we had stayed longer. So we booked for three nights here this time, giving ourselves a pair of layover days to hope we’ll get enough weather for outings here. It looks like we’re in luck, with both days forecast to be dry. We’ll make the best of it - myself taking two rides up into the hills and Rachael a pair of stunning hikes, all of them worth their own post. So settle in - we’ll be in Kirkby Stephen for a while.

We’re staying in a place with character - an apartment facing the main street through town that is as stuffed with knickknacks and antiques as any place I can remember us staying in. The owner, Penny, obviously loves collecting and must have been accumulating this stuff most of her life. She and her husband Paul, who lives with her in the same house, must be a very interesting couple. For the better part of two decades they ran a live music venue for local artists (on the ground floor of this building, I think), The Acoustic Tearoom.

Oh, and Rachael reminds me that we want to include a photo of the laundromat. I didn’t mention yesterday that one of the reasons we were

Kirkby Stephen’s characterful laundromat wasn’t easy to find, even though Rachael knew the address and could see its location on the map. She had to ask our host Penny to point it out for her.

rushing our ride was so we’d get to town in time for her to do the laundry. We’re here for three nights, but strangely it was open yesterday (Monday), but not Tuesday or Wednesday! It’s a good thing she’d researched this in advance!

It looks like I’ll get both of my rides in, but just to be on the safe side I take my highest priority one first - a climb up into the fells that rise above the east side of town. I’ve got a route mapped out farther than I’m likely to go just so I know what’s ahead because it eventually drops off the east side toward the next valley over, formed by the River Tees - but we’ll just see what the legs feel like taking on and turn back when it seems right.

After crossing the River Eden that runs right behind town I enjoy about five easy valley miles riding north along the river before doubling back and climbing up into the hills along a minor feeder, Mousegill Beck. From here it’s basically up for the next six miles - steep at times, but with enough breathers that I manage to stay in the saddle as long as I take an occasional stop with the camera - easy to do, because the scenery becomes stunning once I break out of the trees.

Crossing the Eden, just a few blocks from our room.

It’s really harvest time, with the farmers making good use of this spell of four or five fine, rainless days. I pass about a half dozen newly mown fields like this in the next mile or two.

I’ve been thinking about walls like this with stones protruding out from their faces, trying to remember what I learned about them from last time. Then I came across a comment from Polly: “ Those are 'throughs' (i.e. through-stones) : they stabilise the structure by linking the two sides of the wall together.” Thanks again, Polly!

It doesn’t take long to get the views. Nice already, but they’ll get better once we rise above the view-blockers.

More like it! We’re looking west here, across Eden Valley.

Well, there are the thistles - what counts as the crown species up here I guess - but they’re easy enough to look over or around.

And these roadside stones, but they don’t block out much either.

Hey, here’s a surprise. I didn’t recall seeing Kaber around and it’s not very townish up here so I looked it up. The Wikipedia article on it has only a single photo - of this exact boundary marker! Mine’s better, I think.

So are these all boundary markers so you can see the edge of the road in snowy conditions?

Nearing the top of the climb I’m surprised to come to an entry point into Yorkshire Dales National Park. I hadn’t noticed that on the map. Its also a district boundary - we leave Cumbria here, and enter North Yorkshire.

What is this - the fifth U.K. national park of the tour?

A look back at the same ruined structure. Still climbing.

When I come to the high point of the ride I’m surprised by something else I missed on the map: we’re at the summit of a named feature, Tan Hill, and there’s a pub here! The Tan Hill Inn claims it’s the highest public house in England. With an empty bench out front in the sun at such an esteemed location it seems disrespectful to not stop in and have a pint of their bitter.

Tan Hill Inn looks like it must be a very popular destination for a day out or a stay. Its busy even on a weekday afternoon.

I was surprised too to see how high up I am here. It’s not all that much lower than Hartside Pass.

Admiring the view down into Swaledale from behind the Tan Hill Inn.

Another look, this time without that annoying view blocker.

The Inn is pretty high up, but it’s not the top. I bike a few hundred yards further east and climb another eleven feet, but that feels like the natural spot to stop. I look at the 500’ descent ahead and don’t see any obvious reason to drop 500 feet just to turn around and climb back out again. This is enough.

The ride back goes about as you’d expect - faster because it’s mostly downhill now, but slower than it might be because everything looks different in reverse and under different lighting conditions so there are still the stops to be made here and there. And I don’t take it too fast because there’s that pint of bitter in my system to be cognizant of. All I need to do is stay between the lines and watch for the occasional sheep in the road, but it’s best to be prudent.

Leaving North Yorkshire, but just temporarily.

The Cumbria welcoming committee is out to welcome me back. I’m pretty sure I took a photo of this bold sentry on the way up too, but I could be wrong. A lot of these sheep look pretty similar to me.

Different than the look on the way up, right?

It’s not all down, there are just enough rises along the way to remind me the legs have stiffened up.

I’m not getting tired of these impossibly green vistas yet. How about you?

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Today's ride: 24 miles (39 km)
Total: 2,993 miles (4,817 km)

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Polly LowThe Tan Hill Inn is a wonderful place -- and among its claims to fame is that it might be the best place in the UK to get snowed in. e.g. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-59684889
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3 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Polly LowIt looks like a wonderful spot to stay over alright - I was surprised to see it’s a live music venue. What an amazing experience it must be to listen to a concert and then go out and gaze up at the stars.
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3 months ago

Polly LowI once spent a night camping in their back field (when walking the Pennine Way: this was when I was younger and poorer and more inured to discomfort!). A campsite with an en-suite pub is hard to beat...
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3 months ago