Day 5

7th Aug - Stage 5: Shap (milepost 62) to Kirkby Stephen (milepost 83)  21 miles

 

This is another longish stage, although much less hilly than Stage 4, and those who start the day at Bampton or Bampton Grange will probably get little further today than Orton. There is isolated farmhouse accommodation on the route between Orton and Kirkby Stephen, and also some accommodation a mile or so off the route at the hamlets of Newbiggin-on-Lune (milepost 77) and Ravenstonedale (milepost 79). The scenery of limestone escarpments, moorland, pasture and scattered farmsteads is quite different from any other stage of the walk. If you plan to walk from Shap to Kirkby Stephen in one day it is advisable to omit the detour to Orton, in spite of the attractions of that pretty village with its pub serving bar meals and its chocolate factory. The detour adds another 1.5 miles. Apart from Orton there is nowhere else serving refreshments between Shap and Kirkby Stephen. The unfenced land in the vicinity of Sunbiggin Tarn (milepost 74) with its abundant black-headed gulls and other birdlife is a pleasant spot for a picnic at about the half-way point.

Staying at Kirkby Stephen Youth Hostel, Market Street, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria.

 

 

A sunny day in Shap