Wiggo’s Way

Askham to Great Strickland

 

Route Description

Leave the village down the hill, passing the Punchbowl on your right.  The road passes over a bridge and then climbs through open parkland past Lowther Church until it reaches Lowther Newtown, built to replace the settlement demolished to build the Castle (visible to your right during the climb) in 1806.  Follow the road straight on,then bear left at a diagonal crossroads to reach the A6.  Turn left here and after about 50 yards turn right (signs for Melkinthorpe).  The road leads downhill and under the railway past Abbott Lodge.  A couple of hundred yards further on there is a right turn signposted to Great Strickland.  This pretty, but narrow lane leads you into Great Strickland. Turn left down the main street.

 

Great Strickland

In addition to the Strickland Arms, where Sir Bradley Wiggins’ 2012 Tour de France yellow jersey may be seen, the village also offers such diverse businesses as web design and picture framing.  The church, dedicated to St Barnabas,was built in 1872.

 

Great Strickland to Morland

 

Route Description

Continue east down the main street towards the Pennines.  Local weather lore states that if you can see the Pennines then it’s going to rain.  If you can’t see them it is raining.  Leave the village past the church and keep on the road,ignoring a left turn.  There is now a climb,with woods on your right and if riding this stretch at dusk or in the early morning then be aware that deer may suddenly jump out into the road.  Past a crossroads the route then begins its descent into Morland

 

Morland

 

The approach to the village from Great Strickland reveals a vista of modern outskirts, however, the centre of Morland more than makes up for this.  Turn right at the (now closed) garage (the church opposite has an Anglo-Saxon tower) and follow the road downhill to the village square, where the Mill Yard Café and Crown pub face each other by the bridge over Morland Beck.

 

 

Where to eat

Mill Yard Café

 

Leave Morland down Water Street (turn right at the pub) and follow the road for a mile or so to a crossroads by an electricity substation. Turn left here (signpost to King’s Meaburn) and after an undulating ride cross the ford (use the bridge for preference as the concrete of the ford is very slippery) and climb a short and steep hill into King’s Meaburn.

 

King’s Meaburn

 

King’s Meaburn is a linear village, of Anglo-Saxon origin.  Its name, however, derives from the the 12th century, when King Henry II granted part of the area to Sir Hugh de Morville, one of Thomas à Becket’s murderers and another part to Sir Hugh’s sister, Maud de Veteripont.  The King eventually claimed Hugh’s land back after the two fell out, hence the name; however, Maud’s name lives on in Mauld’s Meaburn a few miles to the south.

 

Where to eat and drink

The White Horse, which is famous for its beer festival, held in early July and has a small Post Office (turn left into the village at the top of the hill).

 

Turn south out of King’s Meaburn (right at the top of the hill from the ford) and proceed south for approximately two miles, then take a gentle left turn signposted for Colby and Appleby.  The road winds and goes up and down, finishing in a descent into Colby.  Turn right here and follow the road over the bridge up hill out of the village.  Three miles or so later you will find yourself at the eastern end of Appleby in Westmorland, formerly the County town.  Turn left and follow the road up past the castle wall to the head of Boroughgate, Appleby’s main street.

 

Appleby in Westmorland

 

Appleby retains its medieval street pattern, occupying a strategic loop in the River Eden.  Boroughgate is the wide main street, leading down past first the High Cross to the Low Cross and the Church of St Lawrence.  The only medieval building is the castle, now in private ownership, which stands guard at the top of the hill,  Other medieval street names are in evidence, such as Doomgate and Bongate on the other side of the bridge at the bottom of the hill.

 

The castle passed in the 17th century to the redoubtable Lady Anne Clifford, who took the running of her estates very seriously and restored not only Appleby castle but also that at Brougham near Penrith as well as others at Skipton and Brough.  In Appleby she also built the pretty little courtyard of almshouses on the north side of Boroughgate. Notable MPs for Appleby include William Pitt the Younger (very briefly), John Robinson (whose ingenuity and speed at political fixing give us the phrase “Before you can say Jack Robinson”) and Viscount Howick, who as Earl Grey, led the government that passed the great Reform Act of 1832.  Several members of George Washington’s family attended the Grammar School

 

Appleby boasts pubs, cafés, a branch of Barclay’s Bank and a proper old-fashioned ironmongers.  Every June the entire town is taken over by the annual horse fair and if you are proposing to stay here round that time be warned that accommodation is likely to be very scarce and that a form of organised chaos reigns for about a week.  In calmer times it is a lovely timeless spot to linger.

 

Tourist Information

Tourist Information Office, the Moot Hall, Boroughgate. 017683 51177

visitcumbria.com/evnp/appleby-tourist-information-centre/

 

Where to drink

The Crown and Cushion,  Boroughgate.  Comfortable multi-roomed Robinsons’ pub.

The Midland Hotel, 25 Clifford Street.  Up a steep hill by the railway station (Settle to Carlisle line).  Ingeniously and stylishly refurbished station pub with fine range of real ales and food.

 

 

Where to eat

Ruby’s, 5 Bridge Street 017683 51923.  Café and deli with an enterprisingly eclectic menu.

Desi Spice, High Weind, 017683 52368.  Small, friendly Indian restaurant.  Takeaway available

Ashiana, 9 Bridge Street 017683 53550.  Larger Indian restaurant attracting very good reviews.

 

Where to stay

Bongate House, Bongate, Appleby, CA16 6UE

Appleby Manor Hotel, Roman Road, Appleby, CA16 6JB

 

Appleby to Brough

 

Route description

Leave Appleby by riding to the top of Boroughgate and following the B6260.  Just before the hamlet of Burrells, turn left and keep on this road before you turn left again and shortly afterwards once more into Bleatarn.  Leave Bleatarn heading north-west and continue into Warcop. Don’t be alarmed if you hear the sound of heavy gunfire: there’s a large army artillery and tank training range on the slopes of the Pennines north of the village.  The village has a church of 12th century origin and a small school.  At the time of going to press, the pub, regrettably, remains shut.  A short backtrack west on the B6259 (turn left off this where signposted or you will end up on the busy A66) will bring you to Sandford, where the Sandford Arms has fared better.

 

Where to eat and drink

The Sandford Arms, Sandford, Appleby, CA16 6NR.  Accommodation available. 017683 51121

 

Where to stay

The Coach House, Eden Gate, Warcop, Appleby, CA16 6PL

 

Leave Warcop on the B6259 and enjoy the tranquil pleasures of the middle Eden Valley (less tranquil if there is a firing day on the ranges).  Keep straight on when the B6259 dives south and follow Swindale Lane through Great Musgrave and then along the banks of Swindale Beck until it goes under the thundering A66 trans-Pennine route, before turning right on to the main street of Brough.

 

Brough

 

Brough has always consisted of two distinct settlements: Market Brough to the north and Church Brough, clustered to the south round a green by the church and castle.  The division was emphasised in 1977 by the building of the A66 flyover.  Brough offers pubs, accommodation, fish and chips and a late-night shop.  The farm by the castle has an ice cream parlour.

 

Where to eat and drink

Bev’s Fish and Chips, New Road, Brough, CA17 4AS

Chofh’s Tearoom and Takeaway, New Road, Brough, CA17 4AS

 

 

 

Where to stay

The Inn at Brough (formerly the Castle Hotel)

 

The next stage leads over the Pennines and the last major opportunity to stock up on provisions lies in Kirkby Stephen, five miles south of Brough.  There is a wider choice of accommodation here as well, should you wish to make the detour.  Unfortunately the cycle shop has closed, but the Pink Geranium café sells inner tubes and there is talk of a cycle hire/repair facility being opened at the very helpful Tourist Information office.

 

Brough to Kirkby Stephen

 

Route description

 

Leave Brough on the A685, passing under the A66 and keeping a weather eye out for cars coming off the sliproad.  Ride through Church Brough, pausing to admire the castle, another restored by the indefatigable Lady Anne Clifford, and St Michael’s church, of Norman foundation and extended in the 16th century.  A short stretch of dual carriageway leads to Brough Sowerby.  The Black Bull pub has several namesakes nearby, so if arranging to meet friends make sure you have the right Black Bull.  Easy undulating riding (but beware of traffic) takes you past the village of Winton and finally into Kirkby Stephen.

 

 

 

Kirkby Stephen

 

Another C2C routes passes through this small market town: the Wainwright walkers’ route from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay and one of the fish and chip shops is named in honour of this.  The parish church is the second largest in Cumbria (Kendal is the biggest).  The present building dates from 1240, replacing its Norman and previous to that Anglo-Saxon, predecessors.  A survival of the latter is a carving representing the Norse god Loki, bound and chained – a reminder of Viking presence here as well. The town’s name derives from the Norse ‘kirke’, meaning ‘church’.

 

Kirkby Stephen offers banks, a variety of shops selling everything from provisions to antiques, as well as pubs and accommodation.  There is a market on Mondays. The town used to be a stopping point for outings from the mining communities of Lancashire and Yorkshire and it was then said that if you couldn’t make a living running a café here then you were beyond all hope commercially.

 

Tourist information

Market Square 017683 71199

kirkby-stephen.com/index.php/community-information/tourist-information

 

Where to drink

The King’s Arms, Market Street (accommodation available).

 

Where to eat

Mulberry Cafe

 

Where to stay

 

 

Brough to Middleton in Teesdale

 

Route description

If you have stayed in Kirkby Stephen then head back to Brough and turn right at the clock.  Leave Brough bearing to the north on the B6276. It is 15 miles to Middleton in Teesdale and the climb up the flanks of the Pennines, which is a stiff one, begins almost at once.  Behind, there are views over the green Eden Valley almost until the road reaches and hugs the 1300ft contour. Red flags to the left of the route on the way up mark the eastern boundary of the ranges at Warcop and again the early part of the ride may be punctuated by the sound of artillery fire.  This is desolate, exposed country, with the occasional farm, causing you to appreciate the unforgiving harshness of making a living up here. After the Co. Durham border sign the road undulates until moorland gives way to greener scenery and after skirting two reservoirs, you begin the descent into Middleton in Teesdale on what has now become the B6277.  There is a sign showing both left and right into Middleton – the left option is easier.

 

Middleton in Teesdale

 

Middleton in Teesdale is a small, sturdy market town on the north bank of the River Tees.  Once more, the early lead and iron ore mining industry was the reason for the settlement’s growth and it is said that the co-operative society which was founded here may predate the Rochdale Pioneers.  There is still a Co-operative store in Middleton, which also offers hotels, pubs, fish and chips and a bookshop and gives a general air of hardy self-sufficiency.

 

The Tourist Information Centre is only open in the mornings, but the bookshop over the road is a useful source of information at other times.  Once more, your route touches that of Wainwright’s Coast to Coast walk, although people doing that will be facing the increasingly bleak approach to the eastern slopes of Cross Fell, to be rewarded at the summit by the prospect of Eden, from which you have just come.

 

Local information

Tourist Information Centre, 10 Market Place, Middleton in Teesdale DL12 0QG  Tel:03000 262626  thisisdurham.com/visitor-info/middleton-in-teesdale-visitor-information-point-p113191

 

 

Where to eat and drink

 

 

 

 

Where to stay

 

 

 

 

Middleton in Teesdale to Stanhope

 

Route description

Leave Middleton on the B6262 and follow it to Eggleston, where you turn left and north on to the B6278.  Eggleston is mentioned in 12th century tax records and the remains of the medieval ridge and furrrow field patterns can still be seen.  Once again it was lead mining that put Eggleston on the map.  Exit the village over Blackton Beck, where there is a sharp dog-leg.  The road heads north on a terrace in the contours and is unfenced for a fair bit of the way.  Abandoned mineworkings can be seen on the moor, but investigating them is not advised.  After a carpark, where the road bends left it begins to climb again before beginning its descent across Bollihope Common.  Be warned that there is a sharp bend at the bottom of the valley where the road crosses Bollihope Burn.  After this there is one more ascent before it drops into Stanhope to rejoin the main C2C (finishing very steeply). It is better to turn left at the ford and cross the Wear by the bridge.