How to walk to Smardale Gill Viaduct

Directions to be used alongside an Ordnance Survey Explorer map OL19 - Howgills and Eden Valley

1. From the central parking area, head past the Nursery School towards the gate to the church. Head through the gate into the churchyard. Head along the path to the left of the church. On your right just behind the church are the remains of a Gilbertine Monastery and information board. Make sure you take a moment to check them out!

2. Continue along the path out of the churchyard and into a recreation field. Continue straight across this to the gap between the properties ahead, then head onto the pavement next to the road and over the bridge over the beck.

3. Directly ahead, you’ll see a bus stop and a footpath signpost next to it pointing in the direction of Smardale Bridge. Here, cross the road to follow the direction of the signpost down an access track, passing a postbox on your left. Continue straight on until you reach a metal gate with a public footpath waymarker on it and go through it.

4. Head under the road bridge and follow the line of the beck, keeping that on your right. You will see there is a metal bridge leading to the water treatment works across the other side of the stream. Head through the wooden gate in front of this, and then turn immediately left, still keeping the beck on your right. Follow the path through another gate and then directly across the access track to the wooden waymarked gate opposite.

5. Head right along the wall after this and join the farm track, which bends round to the right. Continue straight on, onto it. Shortly after joining the track, you will see a waymarker in the grass pointing to a gate in the wall ahead. Follow the waymarker and head to the gate.

6. Go through the wall then climb the mound directly ahead of you, there is a path that zig zags up the side. Head across the top of the mound, keeping the water of the beck below you on your right. The path loosely skirts the edge of the mound. You will reach the perimeter fence and a trees. There is a gate up ahead and stile which takes you between a hedgerow and fence-line. Head over the stile onto the path ahead. (This can get very muddy in wet weather)

7. Continue to follow the line of the fence on your left, and you will reach a plantation of trees, also on your left. Ahead of you here is a gate in the fence ahead go through this and then straight across the next field to the dry stone wall perimeter, where you’ll find a wooden gate and a signpost. Turn right in the direction of Kirkby Stephen and walk as far as the bridge, but don’t cross it (unless you want to cut the walk short, then skip to point

8. Just before it, there is a further signpost for the Coast to Coast path. With the bridge ahead of you, you need to turn left and head up the path towards the perimeter fence of the old railway line. Here, there was a locked gate (upon our attempt in February 2024) in the fence, so we continued right, following the line of the fence, and keeping that on our left. Shortly, you will reach a stile over the fence, and a railway bridge. The Coast to Coast heads over the railway bridge, but we headed over the stile, down onto the old railway line (now surfaced for walking!)

9. When you reach the path at the bottom, which is on the old disused railway line, turn right. You will pass the boarded up old railway cottages, and then reach the site of the old lime kilns (pictured). Continue along the path until you reach the viaduct.

10. Here the path turns to a newly resurfaced tarmac road that heads through a wooden gate, over the viaduct, to another gate on the other side, then turn immediately right onto a stile over the fence, that begins your return route to Ravenstonedale. here there is a section that is quite narrow and there is a steep unguarded drop to one side. If you are not keen, you can turn around and head back to the bridge, cross it and jump to point

11. Continue to follow the path back along the side of the beck, crossing a stile and then heading past the remains of the old quarry that supplied the stone for the viaduct! You will eventually find yourself back at the stone track that you were on before, but this time on the other side of Smardale bridge. As you rejoin the path, turn right and head a short distance towards the bridge until you see a further waymarked gate in the wall to your left, again, before you reach the bridge.

12. Head through the waymarked gate in the wall, and then another gate shortly after, following the beck that will be on your right. On the left is a further quarry. The path will begin to climb upwards, moving away from the beck, to a further stile in a dry stone wall ahead. Head over this.

13. After the stile, the path begins to head leftwards, heading in the direction of a small plantation of trees, eventually meeting up with a drystone wall on your left. Ahead you should see a gate to the right of the trees. Head through this.

14. Use the wall on your left to guide you and then join a farm track that takes you to a further waymarked metal gate. Go through this towards the road. This is a busy road that is the main access to Kirkby Stephen, the A685. Take care to cross it, where on the other side the path continues into a further field.

15. Walk across the next field, crossing a small stream, to a metal gate and stile in the wall opposite. This takes you back onto the road into Ravenstonedale. Turn right, then left, passing the park on the way back to the car park!

Last walked February 2024