Sometimes, joining the dots works. Once upon a time northern England had two great national parks: the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. In between was a heap of beautiful country – big-shouldered fells dotted with castles and cascades – but few people ventured there, believing that if it had not been included, it must be inferior.
Now some bright spark has spotted the injustice, and the obvious solution: extend both those parks a little, adding two blocks of land to each, and the unfairly forgotten fringes suddenly become the centre, but without the summer crowds and traffic jams. There are still two parks – the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. Ravenstonedale, between the Lune and Eden valleys to the north-west of the Yorkshire Dales, is one of the largest new areas. Louise Dinnes, owner of the Black Swan Hotel in the village of the same name, (see below) says: “We are a pocket of tranquillity right in the middle. You can walk for a week here and almost never see anyone.”
From 1 August, England will add 188 square miles of new national park, to bring the combined total of Lakes and Dales to 1,753 square miles. Those miles contain superb opportunities for walking, touring, eating and adventuring. Obviously the new designation will have an effect on life in these areas – in planning decisions for example – but they will also benefit from national park marketing efforts. The main boost, however, may come from the simple recognition that these quiet corners are genuinely beautiful and worth visiting. Here are some of the highlights…
Yorkshire Dales north-west extension
The largest of the four additions encompasses the Howgill Fells and Ravenstonedale (locals say “Russendale”). This area has plenty of interesting sights and an intriguing foodie trail, but the real attraction is the walking.
No walk sums up this area better than the route up the Mallerstang Valley to Pendragon Castle: great views, lots of interest, no other people. It can be started at Kirkby Stephen – where there are places to buy lunch supplies – or by parking a mile to the south in Croglam (and saving a mile). The walk heads south along the west bank of the Eden, passing the evocative ruins of Lammerside Castle, a Peel watchtower built to repel Scots marauders.
After some woods it reaches Pendragon Castle, reputedly built by King Arthur’s father. Crossing the Eden, it then circles back north on the east bank, passing the attractive village of Nateby, home to the Nateby Inn. In Kirkby Stephen, there’s a great little cafe, the Pink Geranium (40 Market Street), which welcomes cyclists, too.
This region boasts a lot of good eating options, and the second Saturday of each month sees Orton farmers’ market. Up to 40 stallholders offer local cheeses, pies, meat and preserves – Kitridding Farm’s minted lamb steaks are a favourite, as are the vanilla slices from Fat Flour Bakery. The pretty village itself is also worth a look around.
Another feature of the land around Ravenstonedale is its high density of sites of special scientific interest. In one glorious stretch of upland limestone, there are three national nature reserves: in the east there’s Waitby Greenriggs, a wildflower sanctuary in an old railway cutting; Smardale Gill is one of only two places in England where the scotch argus butterfly is found; and to the west, Tarn Sike and Sunbiggin Tarn, a birdwatching honeypot, attracting all sorts of migratory birds.
Among places to stay is Bent’s Camping Barn (dorm bed £10 a night), an old, stone-built shepherd’s cottage with bunk beds, shared basic kitchen and electricity – just bring sleeping bag and food. The Howgill Fells are on the doorstep, or it’s a short walk down to the Smardale Gill reserve.
For a bit more comfort, the Black Swan in Ravenstonedale has doubles from £85 B&B. There is local food galore on offer in its dining room, and a good range of local beers from breweries such as Tirril, Dent and Kirkby Lonsdale. There are always at least four cask ales on tap. Rooms are stylish, with big, bold floral patterns and vibrant colour schemes. A couple of miles down the road, the Fat Lamb (doubles £108 B&B) is another dependable option.
Yorkshire Dales south-west extension
Almost due south of Ravenstonedale, the Yorkshire Dales south-west extension brings the park right to the edge of the pretty market town of Kirkby Lonsdale. It includes a lovely walk in Barbondale, reached by heading out of Kirkby Lonsdale to Ruskin’s View – the greatest view in England, according to the Victorian thinker – and then walking south down the Lune to cross at the Devil’s Bridge. From there, the route goes east towards Casterton Fell and Bullpot Farm, then cuts between High and Barbon Low Fell, taking the lovely beckside path back down to Barbon, where there’s a good pub, the Barbon Inn.
Kirkby Lonsdale has some good hotels, including the Sun Inn (doubles from £106) and the Royal Hotel (doubles from £95); the latter is increasing the size of its Yorkshire puddings by 25% to mark the expansion of the national park.
Lake District eastern extension
East of Kirkby Lonsdale lies a man-made feature that now separates the two parks by just six lanes of tarmac – the M6. To the west of it, the additions to the Lakes are small, but significant.
First, planners have added the lovely Whinfell and another Borrowdale – not to be mistaken for the Borrowdale over by Keswick. For a long time this dale has been largely overlooked, but a classic nine-mile walk covers Whinfell Ridge and Borrowdale.
It starts in the layby near Huck’s Bridge on the A6, heads east along the ridge that starts with Ashstead Fell, then Mabbin Crag, Castle Fell and Whinfell Beacon, before dropping down via the repeater station into Borrowdale and returning through the valley bottom. A slightly longer route starts near the M6.
Dacres Stable Camping Barn (from £55 a night for the entire barn) is a good self-catering six-berth barn just off the A6 and handy for walking Borrowdale. And nearby Ashstead Farm (from £95 a night), a working Lakeland hill farm, has a cosy self-catering stone cottage sleeping eight.
Lake District south-east extension
It may be the smallest of the new additions, but this area packs in some real interest, including the National Trust-owned Sizergh Castle. Local walkers have long known about Scout Scar, a route rarely tackled by outsiders except Wainwright aficionados. There is a superb quick climb up to a limestone escarpment, then fine views of the southern fells. On top is the “mushroom”, a toposcope, or orientation table, that offers a bit of shelter, too. At the northern end, the path carries on to Cunswick Scar, then loops back west down the Lyth valley, finishing at the Wheatsheaf Inn in Brigsteer (which always has four real ales on tap). An alternative is to drop down to the east into Kendal, and there’s also a shorter, pushchair-friendly version.
The place to stay is Lumley Fee Bunkhouse (four-bed room £55, luxury room £120). Forget spartan huts and stoical indifference to suffering; here the rooms are gorgeously comfortable, especially after a big day out on the fells. Each has two bunks and an en suite with a bath and shower. There is a communal living area with a swanky Hogwartian style about it – it’s in a former classroom – plus a small well-equipped self-catering kitchen. Sizergh Castle is a short walk away.
Getting there
For the Lake District trains run from north and south to Kendal via Oxenholme. For the Dales, trains run from Carlisle or Leeds to Kirkby Stephen. This is the Settle to Carlisle line, a wonderful way to see the new area of the Dales. For bus services in the Yorkshire Dales see dalesbus.org, and for the Lake District golakes.co.uk
