Walk, Appleby-in-Westmorland

Walk, Wild Rose Campsite to Appleby Centre, 3.5 miles or 5.6 kilometer each way.

Rather a long walk (if you do it both ways) and not an easy one, you should rally do it in walking shoes, also not a good idea in wet weather.

Leave the campsite by the main entrance and turn left onto Mill Lane, at the T junction turn right up the hill towards Ormside. Pass under the Settle to Carlisle railway and on into Ormside village.

In the village keep left until you come to a footpath marker and climb over the stile and down the narrow path to and over a second stile (or you can continue through the village, until you come to a large tree surrounded by stone blocks and turn left there).

Over the stile walk diagonally across the field to the gate on the opposite side, then along the lane keeping to the left it's back under the railway.

Here the path doesn't go the way you would think it would, so once out of the tunnel, carry straight on over a stile, actually a small flight of steps and down a gentle slope between two rows of trees.

At the end of the row of trees, take a right though a gate and follow the line of trees to a stile, which takes the path into the trees.

After a long and sometimes difficult walk up and down though the trees there is a small bridge over a stream.

After the bridge, at the top of the hill is the next stile.

Along this part of the path you have fields on the left and trees on the right, ever now and then you get a glimpse of the river Eden through the trees down below. Eventually you come to a set of well worn wooden steps that take you down through the trees, to the side of the river.

Now just follow the river, this part of the walk is a lot easier and falter although there are still a few stiles to climb over. Some of it is under the tree canopy and some out in the open with nice views of the river.

After a long walk the route heads slightly away from the river and narrows to a path between a fence and some trees and then a wall. At the end of the wall there are two ways to get into the town centre, both about the same distance.

You can turn left along the road up the hill and by keeping right around the outside of the castle, you end up at the top end of the main street.

Or

Or you cross over the river via the footbridge, go straight up the hill along the road and at the top where the church is turn left. Then continue down the road until you come to the road bridge, where you cross back over the river, to the bottom end of the main street.

I prefer the route with the bridges, as there is nice pub at the top of the hill opposite the church.

The return is a reverse of the way there, or you can get a taxi for about £12.

There is a walk to the town via the road but it is about the same distance.

And finally what we walked all that way for.