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Yorkshire Dales: Nine Standards Rigg

Yorkshire Dales: Nine Standards Rigg


Postby jonathan - norfolk » Mon May 03, 2021 9:12 pm

Hewitts included on this walk: Nine Standards Rigg

Date walked: 24/04/2021

Time taken: 2.25

Distance: 10 km

Ascent: 275m

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Nine Standards Riggs is very much an iconic fell, and clearly one very popular with Kirby Stephen locals.
The summit, together with the Nine Standards, is on the Coast to Coast walk. Wainwright described it as " ... the most extensive and interesting viewpoint on it." It is certainly a fine location.
The route described here was, frankly, disappointing and I have no intention of repeating it. It had the advantage of starting from high up and is, thankfully, relatively short, but between the road and the route of the Coast to Coast Path there is little in the way of paths. This is a walk across rough moorland. The map OS 1:25000 map shows a path. It is not evident on the ground until the Coast to Coast Path is met. There are peat hags, bogs and sinkholes, navigation in good conditions is difficult enough. In poor conditions it could be quite intimidating.
Everyone else that I met either on the summit, or around the Nine Standards, had come up from Kirby Stephen. It is two or three miles longer, there is rather more ascent, but the next time I come up here, that it the route that I shall take. By all accounts it is a well marked path and has far more interest.
The sole recommendation that I can have for this route is that it makes for a speedy ascent and descent in good weather. Fine if you are breaking a journey and/or have a limited amount of time (as was the case for me.) The fell, and most walkers, deserve better. Consider the longer alternative.
Parking is by the National Park sign at the top of the B6270 Kirby Stephen to Keld road.
web 01 2197 The start.jpg
Starting point on the B6270 Kirby Stephen to Keld road

There is a vague path at the start, but it soon disappears and the slopes are pretty much featureless. Pick your way upwards avoiding bogs and sink holes.
web 01_2196 The ascent.jpg
Terrain on the ascent

Once the Coast to Coast path is reached, follow it to the summit cairn, viewpoint cairn and the Nine Standards.
web 02_2188 Summit Cairn.jpg
Summit cairn

web 03 Viewpoint Cairn.jpg
Viewpoint cairn

web 04_The Standards.jpg
The Standards

Return more or less the same way as you went up. I found a way off to the east a bit better than the way that I went up.

our_route.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts


Length: 6 miles /10 km Ascent: +275m I took 2.25 hours
Last edited by jonathan - norfolk on Sat May 08, 2021 4:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
jonathan - norfolk
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Re: Yorkshire Dales: Nine Standards Rigg

Postby pgrizz » Tue May 04, 2021 12:01 pm

The reason you found the ascent awkward and apparently pathless was that you followed the county boundary and not the marked path. You came down the path marked on the map. Some nice photos by the way.
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Re: Yorkshire Dales: Nine Standards Rigg

Postby poppiesrara » Tue May 04, 2021 6:33 pm

I'm not sure that's quite right? If Jonathan came down 'further east' it looks like his descent route was the one near the county boundary (over White Mossy Hill).

For anyone ticking this one off, it's a little while since I was there (https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=21856) but I doubt it will have changed completely - back then there was a very clear grassy track (just checked the photo of it!) heading up that closely corresponds to the RoW on the 1-25000 map. It looks pretty similar to Jonathan's route so it's perhaps just a case of locating the start of it from the roadside. Found it all pleasant enough but not wildly exciting - going up from Kirkby would indeed probably be more eventful, but it certainly wasn't rough or difficult.
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Re: Yorkshire Dales: Nine Standards Rigg

Postby jonathan - norfolk » Thu May 06, 2021 4:55 pm

Thank you for your responses. The route that I had hoped to follow was that described in the Nuttall's "The Mountains of England and Wales". I did indeed descend from White Mossy Hill, and it proved better than the way that I took up.

I certainly started from the right point but the only path leading up the fell completely disappeared after about 400<500m. Visibility was good, but I saw no other sign of a path until I reached the Coast to Coast path about 100m or so before the start of the flag stoned section.

To be fair I may have just missed it, however, given that locals appear to almost exclusively go up from Kirby Stephen, as would those following the Coast to Coast, it may be that after a year's worth of very restricted walking for those other than locals, the former "grassy path" may have become somewhat overgrown and is now barely distinguishable from the rough moorland around it.

Notwithstanding that, when I go back I'll give the Kirby Stephen path a go.
jonathan - norfolk
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Posts: 342
Munros:100   Corbetts:15
Fionas:11   Donalds:22
Hewitts:242
Wainwrights:214   Islands:3
Joined: Aug 3, 2013

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