Lady Anne's Way - Appleby to Kirkby Thore

Tuesday 25th August 2026

A problem with any walk is finding somewhere close to the route to park either at the beginning of the walk or the end. I usually research this using Google Earth. Today I had found The Bridge, a closed down restaurant exactly on Lady Anne's route facing onto the hugely dangerous A66 and exactly seven miles from my last destination at Appleby. Unfortunately I failed to take a photo of The Bridge so I cribbed the photo below from an estate agent's site. At first the jpeg image seemed to be locked (copyright?) Using Preview on my Mac I took a screenshot and saved it as a jpeg and athough this is a poor quality image it serves the purpose.You will see there is a large vacant car park to the rear, and in the spirit of my gung-ho use of the photo I had no qualms in using that car park. I recruited my previously used taxi man from the last section of this campaign and he picked me up at 9:00 am and dropped me back at Appleby so I was off to a good start at 9:10 am.

The route took me pleasingly through Appleby. I have driven past the large column at the top of Boroughgate many times but today I had the pleasure of  walking past, and then onward down Boroughgate to cross the river Eden and then climb out of Appleby to gain mainly old drovers lanes for the rest of the walk almost all on level ground.

From AI:

High Cross: Built circa 1670 as a Doric pillar monument at the south end of Boroughgate, bearing the inscription "Retain your loyalty, preserve your rights". Its stepped base was historically used for selling cheese.

I'm not sure of the sentiment of that quotation. King Charles 11 was on the throne and there was much politico/religious stuff going on.

The walking was almost all level and easy to follow with one short badly overgrown grass field, but the rest was  on lanes and a some tarmac. This would have been a fairly unremarkable country stroll but as with the whole of Lady Anne's Way one is accompanied almost all of the time by views of hills not too far away with the Pennines to the right, and now the northern Lake District to the left.

Arriving back at The Bridge I needed to rurn right onto the A66 to head back to Penrith and south on the M6. Approaches from left and right on the A66 were blind at a distance enough to make the right turn a risky manoeuvre with danger from traffic approaching from either direction, but as you will deduce I survived. Next ime I will need to do it again on foot straight across to pick up continution of Lady Anne's Way.

 

The Bridge. This was a well respected restaurant but now in dilapidated condition and has been  on  the market with no takers for a long time. I will need to use heir car park again for my next section

The 1670 column at the top of Boroughgate in Appleby

Crossing the River Eden

Pennine Hills. High Cup Nick in the dip at right end

Murton Pike

A rare field of overgrown grass. The rest of the walk was on agreeable surfaces and I made good time

An unusual take on stile construction

I tried to get an internet translation but it didn't make much sense:

"pool house" or "pond house"

Shame, I thought I had found something interesting from an educated farmer, a little knowledge...

The main line north

Far Broom farm - zoom to  geese below

Broad Lea. A well found residence

Over the beck leading into Long Marton

The village institute in Long Marton. I couldn't even be sure there was writing on the plaque. My camera zoom triumphed- see below

The village shop in Kirkby Thore. The artic. on the left had been delivering at the shop and had needed to reverse out of the road to the right being directed by the shop owner with much drama while I watched on

There were a few of these bespoke benches in Kirkby Thore dedicated to jubilee/millenium etc.

Lady Anne's Way - Langrigg to Appleby

Tuesday 18th August 2026

I am really fed up with Blogger. It now cuts off the text at the righthand margin and to view that half I have to use the slider at the bottom making editing onerous. Now it is underlining  captions text and I can't stop it or alter its colour. I have spent ages on the Internet reading of others with these problems and trying suggested solutions. Every now and then the guillotine effect reverts to normal but why I cannot tell. I have battled with Blogger over the years and solved many problems but I draw the line at editing HTML text. I have better things to do, but the effort of putting up a post is becoming much more of a toil than a pleasure and as I only have one or two commenters except for rare exceptions. I just wonder if it is worth bothering,  but I do value the blog as a reference for myself.

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I have said it is not a problem if only half my walk contributes to Lady Anne's Way because I have to retrace steps to get back to my car. Having said that I have to admit to frustration because of the overall length of time the project is going to take at that rate. I still have unfinished business from the start at Skipton as far as Grassington, and another section beyond Askrigg. Today I walked 7.6 miles on the route to get to Appleby and took a taxi back to Langrigg from where I had started. I think I can now get to the finish at Penrith in two more hits.

Progress to date: that now extends from north of Kirkby Stephen to Appleby

 In one way I have been fortunate with the dry heatwave conditions not having encountered  muddy paths of late, but there had now been heavy ahowers overnight. All walking today has been more or less level on well defined paths most of which have been cut back earlier in the season, but now becoming overgrown with long wet grass, but quite refreshing.

I have been suffering the boring development of a painful bunion at the base of my small toe for some time but after much guilt for an act of vandalism I resorted to cutting a slit in my trainers and the problem is compltely solved. Needs must. Guilt assuaged. A great relief. Not quite waterproof anymore but worth every bit of that inconvenience.

I had spoken to a taxi firm the day before but couldn't say what time I would arrive in Appleby, but he was amenable providing I wouldn't mind waiting if required. I arrived at 2.10 pm and he picked me up at 3.00pm. One problem with taxi owners is that they always ask for a destination post code but when I have parked somewhere in the wilderness that is not an easy possibility. I sat in the front and navigated for him with Ordnance Survey and GPS on my iPhone and all was well.

Good paths out of Langrigg but now, and more so further on, becoming overgrown with long wet grass

Massive multi-trunked beech tree. Note my poles giving some scale

The path is still there well defined but hidden by the long grass

Today walking gave a pleasant variety of paths, tracks, and quiet country roads

Flitholme

The now dissued railway just south of Warcop where the operating Eden Valley Railway terminates. I wonder what happened when it encountered that banking ahead

LA's Way skirts round the south of Warcop from here 

A rare Lady Anne's Way marker. From here the route more or less follows the River Eden all the way to Appleby although much of the river is out of sight passing through woodland

Skirting south of Warcop

This and below. Characteristic red sandstone in the Eden Valley

Sandford Bridge. River Eden flowing north west towards the the sea, and...

...upstream, and the distant Stainmore fells

I think this is a Massey. Would Alan disapprove at letting it get into this state, or perhaps he would be glad to see it working hard?

Not sure what is the contraption being towed.

Weidemann. Cute?

Northern Pennines across the Eden Valley

Ormside Lodge. Unoccupied and dominated by this massive tree, possibly a yew, all  gloomy

Great Ormside. Posh house. I sat on their garden wall for my refreshment stop

A long stretch of woodland path alongside the Eden. The path was dangerously erroded in places with the potential for a slip into the river

Footbridge over the Eden and a short lane up to the war memorial where I awaited my taxi

A good day of varied country walking with constant views and memories of Pennine hills.

Anglia for Martin

 Fellow blogger Postcard from Timporley posted something relevant and this is  the only way I could show him the photo and comment at the same rime as Blogger will not allow photos in Comments.

So this is  me doing Harweood Hill Climb, circa 1964 

Ford Anglia 1200 105E

Lady Anne's Way - Brough Sowerby to Langrigg

 Wednesday 12th August 2026

1. Extreme hot weather warnings are in place.

2. It is a once in most people's lifetimes opportunity to view of an eclipse.

3. It is the "Glorious" 12th - opening of the grouse shooting season.

4. It would have been my mother's birthday.

Quite a significant day

As for the hot weather it is something I can cope with better than many but this was seven miles,  more than my comfortable distance these days, so it was something of a challenge. Later, back home I was more dehydrated than normal, and even this morning I still have a mild feeling of unquenched thirst.

Again back at home there was much hype on the tele regarding the eclipse with commentators struggling to say something meaningful whilst waiting amongst the crowds at Jodrel Bank. I sat in my study which looks towards the east, but I had no proper viewing aid so couldn't look directly. Apart from a slight darkening,  less than many rain clouds might make, nothing much happened. I did see the one in 1999 when I went with a freind to France to view, and then being dropped off to do the the Tour of the Vanoise, the first of several of those tours that I walked in the Fench Alps. That eclipse was full-on with the eerie darkness and silence so at least I have that from the Memory Bank.

As for the grouse murderers their joy of killing will have been spoiled by the huge moorland wild fires that have  prevailed in these successive heatwaves. That is worrying as one wonders what they may turn their attention to in lieu.

Mother was very well read and literate writng profound poetry and a novel (umpublished) and it has always been a sadness that I wasn't a bit older before she died to have had more valuable interaction at a higher level than we did. It was also sad that she died on a Christmas Eve when my daughter, who would have been her first grandchild was born on 18th January following.

Back to my continuation of Lady Anne's Way in bits. There was a small section that I had not previuously walked to link my last section with today's and I felt honour bound to tick that off despite some irritating logistics. See the map below. By the time I had faffed about with this necessity I was in quite a bad temper at the delay at getting on with what I considered the proper walk for the day. That feeling did dissipate after a while and all in all this was an enjoyable country walk apart from a more thasn usual need to consult map and GPS resulting in a couple of minor diverions, and some annoyance at uncharacteristic Ordnance Survey incorrect postioning of paths.  For the rest captions to photos will replace a blow by blow account. here. 

The pale green at left edge is Lady Anne's Way. The short vertical bit was previuosly unwalked. My intended route for the day started where Lady A's turns sharp left where in retropsect I should have parked but at first sight I disdmissed this, why I know not, and pressed on to park at blue line, top of map and walk round anti-clockwise back to the car which I then drove back to the proper start of the day's walk. What a faff!

The first parking spot

The second parking by the footpath sign. In the forground is the point at swhich previuosly unwalked joins the start of today's walk proper.

On the very short, irritating bit of previously unwalked

Looking back to Brough Sowerby village

Pennine hills which were pleasingly visible during most of the walk

Down to cross for a short stretch on the A66 to enter Church Brough village

Church Brough Village. Where paths lead out at the northern end footpaths were not accurate on the OS map

The Roman fort at Church Brough, known as Verterae (or Verteris), was a 3-acre military installation established around AD 79–80 to guard the vital Stainmore Pass. Its earthworks were later reused in the 11th century to build Brough Castle, which is managed by English Heritage. 

A ramshackle gate and and cheapjack hairy orange string. Here the string looks as though it might be alive and seems to be employed in its unraveled state well beyond its capabilities.

 

Lowgill farm. It is unoccupied and appears to have been sanitized prior to going on market?

Langrigg school. This where I leave Lady Anne's Way for next time and turn for my alternative return toute. I was pleased to confirm reasonable parking for the start of the next section

Welcome bench in  Great Musgrave for my sandwich stop. Note the stone pillar beyond the seat which displays the toposcope in the next photo.

The sun shone on this making photo impossible. Photoshop has done its best. The toposcope shows the surrounding hills to mark Elizabeth 11 90th.

Exiting Great Musgrave

Is this related to an earlier one commented on by Alan R on the Nateby section?

Green = Lady Anne's Way
Purple and blue.= today's route. anti-clockwise