The Great Outdoors – August 2019

Always take a map and compass with you.©Crown copyright 2019 Ordnance Survey. Media 051/19

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1 Start/Finish

Car park on NE edge

of Murton, near Appleby

GR: NY729220

(If approaching Murton from S,

turn R along dead-end lane

just before leaving village.

Gated car park at end of lane.)

Walk SW along lane. Turn R

at crossroads.

2

After 3.2km on road,

turn R along rough track

(sighposted, ‘High Cup Nick

via Bow Hall’). Go through gate

on L as track bends R. Once

through kissing gate in opposite

wall, swing R to go through gate

in top wall. Turn L and skirt base

of fells.

3

Turn R along track, following

Pennine Way.

High Cup & Scordale

North Pennines

ENGLAND

22.2km/13.8 miles/6-7 hours

Ascent 625m/2050ft^5

I’D HAZARD a guess that

at least half of all hillwalkers

in northern England have

visited High Cup. Like

Pen-y-ghent, Kinder and

Helvellyn, this spectacular

geological phenomenon is

on many a bucket list. But

how many have ventured

into the neighbouring

valley of Scordale? Very few,

I’d imagine. Its approach

via some of the highest

limestone formations in the

country and the impressive

cliffs that line its middle

reaches make it well worth

a visit in its own right, but

there’s a fly in the ointment

• it is on the Ministry of
  Defence’s Warcop range.
  That means access is
  restricted to non-live-firing
  times. Firing stops at 1pm
  every Sunday; there are 12

4

Ford stream at High Cup

Nick, swing NE towards

stone marker. Keep to broad path.

5

Where Pennine Way

crosses Maize Beck via

footbridge, keep to S side of beck.

Faint path soon disappears.

Continue downstream beside

Maize Beck, soon entering MoD’s

Warcop range.

6

Ford Swarth Beck and follow

it upstream. When beck

peters out, continue SSW over

Swarth Beck Head.

7

From Scordale Head, walk

SSW through peat hags and

then aim for top end of valley. Drop

over limestone lip and head

downhill.

8

Reach valley-bottom track

near mine workings.

9

About 1.6km after joining

track, cross Scordale Beck

via footbridge. Veer right, along

top of embankment. Cross stile,

climb straight up slope to reach

faint trail and turn L.

10

After gate with stile

a few metres to R of it,

head WNW. On reaching

stony track, turn L. After

Murton Beck ford and next

gate, use kissing gate on L

to re-enter car park.

Gradient profile Metres above sea level

Vivienne Crow

finds a hidden

geological gem

The Great OutdoorsAugust 2019 95