Guides and maps
Ordnance Survey Map
The best walking map for the immediate area is the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Outdoor Leisure 19 'Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley'.
Kirkby Stephen Benches
The
Kirkby Stephen Bench Walks leaflet provides mapped routes in and around Kirkby Stephen town with all the benches clearly numbered on the map. The map offers accessible routes for residents, visitors, families with young children in buggies and wheelchair users to explore most of our town.
Ron Scholes' 'Walking in Eden' has a good selection of circular and linear walks in the Eden Valley, from 2 to 15 miles in length. The book can be obtained, post-free, from the author: more information on his
Landscape Heritage website.
Peter McWilliam has published a series of booklets with a variety of walks in Upper Eden. Available from the Visitor Centre.
Vivienne Crow has also written a guide to the
Settle to Carlisle Way, which follows the famous railway. Although the route can be walked end to end over several days, it is of course possible to walk individual segments, using the train to get back to your starting point. The book has a basic fold down map, clear route instructions and is water resistant. You may, however, want to carry the OS map above for more detail of the paths being followed.
Various other walking guide books and leaflets are available from the Kirkby Stephen Tourist Information Centre. Click the link above for 'Tourist Information' for contact details.
Online
You can find a variety of local walks with detailed step-by-step guides and Ordnance Survey maps on
Walkingworld. Walks can be bought individually for £1.95 or an annual subscription of £15.50 gives you unlimited access to over 7000 walks. Use the voucher code KIRKBYS to save £2.50 on the usual subscription of £18.
Three very popular local walks, along the Viaducts, at Smardale Gill and to the summit of Wild Boar Fell, are free to download from Walkingworld. Just join the site as a member and then look at the
free sample walks page for these and a number of other walks in Cumbria.
Much of the stock of the popular Discover Eden trail brochures has been damaged by flood water. However they are available to download on the
Eden Rivers Trust website.
A Walk on the Clouds
The 'Clouds' is a rocky limestone outcrop found at the foot of Wildboar Fell. There is a wealth of geological, ecological and historical interest to be found on a short walk through them. You can
download a free guide that takes you through the 'Clouds'. If you enjoy the walk please support the
Cumbria Wildlife Trust by making a donation.