Buildings and bridges, exploring how we have designed and built the world around us. Join us on these free walks. Saturday 13th September Smardale Circular which takes in County Bridge and Smardale Gill Viaduct.4.7miles/7.5km, 500ft/150mMeet Smardale Nature Reserve car park CA17 4HG 09:30Booking recommended waw@uppereden.org.uk Smardale is an old parish now part of Waitby. TheContinue reading “Heritage Open Days 2025”
Author Archives: KSWaW
Bus and train timetables
Settle to Carlisle RailwayTrains to and from Leeds to Carlisle, where there are connections to London and to Scotland. Westmorland and Furness Bus Timetables For services to and from Kirkby Stephen look under the tab for Towns in North East. Occasional buses to Kendal, Penrith and Barnard Castle. Cumbria Classic CoachesIncludes ‘Heritage Wednesday’ route usingContinue reading “Bus and train timetables”
Westmorland Dales Festival 2025
The Westmorland Dales Festival 2025 takes place over the weekend of 26th and 27th July. The festival celebrates the landscape, heritage and people of the wonderful Westmorland Dales with a packed programme of events, activities and entertainment for all the family. There are three free guided walks. Saturday 26th July 2025 Walk 1 – WildContinue reading “Westmorland Dales Festival 2025”
Geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity using a GPS or a GPS enabled phone or tablet which is very like a real-world Treasure Hunt. It’s perfect for encouraging children and young people to explore the countryside and will take you to many new and often secretive destinations to explore. The hiding place is often registeredContinue reading “Geocaching”
Outdoor sculptures
There are many outdoor sculptures to be visited in the area around Kirkby Stephen, set in evocative landscapes. Eden Benchmarks is a series of ten contemporary stone sculptures set along the length of the River Eden, with the first near the source in the Mallerstang valley. To find out more about this and other sculpture projectsContinue reading “Outdoor sculptures”
Macaws
Kirkby Stephen is ‘where screeching, scarlet macaws enjoy celebrity status’, wrote Phil Gates in The Guardian Country Diary column. “As we crossed the road, a pair peered down at us from the parapet, technicolor adornments on a grey day”. Visitors are often amazed to see these colourful birds flying around the area. They are regularlyContinue reading “Macaws”
Red Squirrels
If you keep your eyes peeled you may well see one of our red squirrels. They are quite often seen on the Viaduct Walk which circuits Kirkby Stephen to the south east and on the footpath from Kirkby Stephen to Nateby. You are most likely to spy a red squirrel in the wooded areas nearContinue reading “Red Squirrels”
Food and drink
Kirkby Stephen has a wide variety of pubs, restaurants and cafes, including Indian and Chinese restaurants and fish and chip shops, as well as places offering traditional Cumbrian fare. There are also plenty of other places to eat and drink in the surrounding villages. Do note that the tea shops can close quite early. If you are in a group andContinue reading “Food and drink”
Accessible routes
There are various walks in and around Kirkby Stephen suitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs and those who require a reasonably flat, firm surface to walk on. The Northern Viaduct Trust walk along the old railway line to the east of the town is designated a ‘Miles without Stiles’ route. There is free leaflet to download (PDF) describing theContinue reading “Accessible routes”
Railway walks
The area around Kirkby Stephen offers some fine walks along old railway lines, with some truly impressive viaducts to cross, reflecting the fact that the town was something of a transport hub in the Victorian era. Kirkby Stephen sat at the centre of an ambitious line that crossed the Pennines, connecting the coal fields ofContinue reading “Railway walks”
Kirkby Stephen & District Walkers are Welcome 