Keld to Reeth
Distance: 12.5 miles
Height Gain: 3,500 feet
Highpoint: Lownathwaite (1,896 feet)
Walking time: Approx 6-8 hours
Part 1: Keld to Level House Bridge
Take the footpath out of the village and down to the Swale, crossing at the footbridge and then heading up the slope to Crackpot Hall, then up Swinner Gill, over the old stone bridge and follow the wide Landrover track to the lead mines at Lownathwaite. Here you leave the wide track and cut through the heather before crossing the beck on a large stone slab. Through the ruins of the lead mill pick up the path to Gunnerside and then follow the fingerpost as it points you to Surrender Bridge. You will soon join another Landrover track, passing Old Gang Mines and arriving at level House Bridge.
Part 2: Level House Bridge to Reeth
The worst of the moon-like terrain is now behind you, but there is still plenty of evidence of the lead mining that caused the desolation. You will pass Old Gang Mill and then arrive at Surrender Bridge, where you cross the minor road and head for the ruins of Surrender Mill. Leave the mill by the upper path, not the one by the beck and keep the enclosure walls to your right as you pass Nova Scotia and Healaugh, before walking through fields and pastures to the road just outside Reeth. Follow this into the lovely village centre with its central green surrounded by shops and pubs.