Change of Plan

Brough to Kirkby Stephen – 6 August 2022

There is a change of plan for this week’s routes. Originally we were going from Muker to Kirkby Stephen but a lack of suitable routes coming back into Kirkby Stephen proved difficult to find. We have managed to find routes from Kirkby Stephen to Muker when we last went that way but going all the way to Muker makes for a long journey back home and there was also a possible problem with the pub at the finish. So a better choice was to still finish at Kirkby Stephen but to have a different starting location.

Down the A1 with a turn-off at Scots Corner onto the A66 and then off on the A685 brings us to Brough and the first drop-off doing 10 miles. While it’s not planned there is a chance of going into Brough for a quick look around Brough Castle before the route sets off west following the route of the Pennine Journey. The Pennine Journey is a bit different from the Pennine Way although the two do come together quite a few times. The Pennine Journey is a 247-mile route starting and finishing in Settle. Fortunately, our 10-mile route is only doing a bit of it before heading south and eventually east to finish in Kirkby Stephen.

As we go down the A685 road and before getting to Kirkby Stephen the 11-mile route sets off and cuts alongside the edge of Kirkby Stephen before going clockwise up and around Nine Standards Rigg which sits on a 662-meter high hill to the southeast of  Kirkby Stephen. Finally, after coming into Kirkby Stephen the 10.5-mile route sets off counter-clockwise to also go up and around Nine Standards Rigg coming down the same way as the 11-mile route is going up.

There is some evidence to suggest that the original cairns that make up the Nine Standards have been in that position for some 800 years although the cairns themselves have been rebuilt a number of times over the years, the most recent being in 2015. While the name has been on maps for some years it is also thought that there could have been as many as thirteen cairns.

So a change of plan, a chance of visiting a castle or a walk up to Nine Standards Rigg. If you fancy joining us for a walk you can get in touch with us using the Contact Page of our website and you can also download the walk descriptions below and the GPX routes here.

The image for this post was taken on a walk from Brough to Kirkby Stephen in June 2014.