On the great watershed of England, where becks to the west fall to the River Eden and the Irish Sea and those to the east feed the Swale and the North Sea, nine massive drystone cairns stand in file along the broad shoulder of Hartley Fell above Kirkby Stephen. The Nine Standards sit at about 650 m, a short way north of the fell's 662 m (2,172 ft) trig point. Some once rose almost 4 m high, ranged in a line roughly 75 m long and pointing north-north-east. They are at least 800 years old and appear on maps by Jefferys (1770) and Kitchin (1777), on the 1841 disputed-boundaries map and 1844 Hartley tithe map, and in boundary perambulations reaching back to the 1530s, yet their original purpose is genuinely unknown. They may have marked the old Westmorland-Swaledale boundary, served as beacons or a shepherds' landmark, or - the favourite tale - been raised as dummy sentinels to fool Scots raiders into thinking an army held the skyline. Last restored in 2005, they remain one of the most evocative landmarks of the whole Coast to Coast.
Highlights
- Nine drystone cairns, some once ~4 m high, in a 75 m file on the skyline
- The 662 m (2,172 ft) trig point summit of Hartley Fell, ~100 yds south
- Standing on the great east-west watershed of England (Eden vs Swale)
- Panorama to the Lakeland fells, Cross Fell and the head of Swaledale
- The mystery of the cairns - boundary, beacons, or dummy soldiers vs the Scots
- Crossing the Pennine Way at Keld, roughly the halfway point of the C2C
At a glance
| Period | Origin unknown (at least medieval) |
|---|---|
| Stage | 8 — Kirkby Stephen to Keld |
Take care
- Most notorious navigation section of the C2C: open moor, much of it not a marked path
- Severe blanket bog and gullies for over a mile beyond the cairns - boots/gaiters essential
- Compass-and-map skills required in mist; western/northern slopes worst
- No shop, pub, cafe or safe water between Kirkby Stephen and Keld - carry supplies
- Walk only the in-season route (Red May-Jul / Blue Aug-Nov / Green Dec-Apr) to protect fragile peat
- Patchy or no mobile signal on the tops; emergencies 999/112 - ask for Police then Mountain Rescue, NHS 111 non-urgent
History
The Nine Standards have stood on Hartley Fell for at least 800 years, but the documentary record is unusually deep for so remote a spot. They appear as a named group of six or nine dots on Thomas Jefferys' map of 1770 and Thomas Kitchin's of 1777, on the 1841 disputed-boundaries map and 1844 Hartley tithe map, and on the First Edition Ordnance Survey 6-inch maps of 1862; a hand-drawn parchment sketch, possibly of the mid-16th century, may show them earlier still. They feature in more than thirty parish and manorial boundary perambulations spanning almost five centuries, including Joshua Fryer's Swaledale perambulation of 1534-38 and the East Stainmore record of 1617, and a perambulation tradition linked to the Norman lords of Swaledale hints they may already have stood within a century of the Conquest. Despite all this, no document explains why they were built. The cairns were last rebuilt and consolidated in 2005, which is why some look noticeably fresher than the weathered older stones.
Myth & legend
Theories abound: that the cairns marked the boundary between Eden and Swaledale; that they were dummy sentinels built to fool marauding Scots into believing an army was camped on the skyline; or, as Wainwright wryly suggested, that the locals simply built them because they were bored and it seemed a good idea at the time.
Geology
The summit lies on the Pennine watershed at the head of the Eden valley, capped by carboniferous gritstone and millstone grit over a fell of thick, fragile blanket peat. Hartley Fell is a vast, gently-domed bog scored with gullies, groughs and quagmire - 'wet, wet, wet,' as walkers put it - and it is precisely this slow-forming, erosion-prone peat that forced the trail's seasonal route-rotation. Rivers part here on the great divide: westward becks drain to the River Eden, the Solway Firth and the Irish Sea; eastward they feed Whitsundale Beck and the River Swale, bound for the North Sea.
Wildlife & nature
This is open-access moorland of heather, cotton-grass, bilberry and deep sphagnum bog. Red grouse explode from the heather, and golden plover, curlew, snipe, meadow pipit and skylark breed across the tops in spring and summer; the wild emptiness is part of the appeal. The peat is internationally important habitat and a major carbon store, which is the conservation reason the path is split into three seasonal lines - walkers are asked to keep to the designated route to let the bog recover.
The view
From the cairns the view is genuinely panoramic: back over the Eden valley to the Lakeland fells in the west, north-west to Cross Fell and the high Pennines, south-west to Wild Boar Fell and the Howgills, and south-east into the head of Swaledale. The Nine Standards themselves - several taller than a person, and variously shaped, from squat and blocky to stepped and near-pyramidal - make a striking, slightly surreal foreground on the bare skyline, especially in low light or with mist drifting between them.
Photography
Shoot the cairns in raking early-morning or late-afternoon light, when the stones cast long shadows along the ridge and the moor glows. Late-summer heather (Aug-Sept) adds a purple foreground, and a viewpoint indicator near the cairns helps frame the panorama. The blockiest and stepped cairns and the file of standards pointing into the distance make the strongest compositions; mist between the cairns is atmospheric but means you should already be confident of your descent bearing.
When to visit
The crossing is governed by three official seasonal routes, introduced by the Yorkshire Dales National Park to protect the peat: the Red route (roughly May-July) goes over the summit then south over White Mossy Hill; the Blue route (Aug-Nov) passes the summit, continues east and then drops south by Whitsundale Beck; the Green route (Dec-April) avoids the fragile summit altogether on lower ground via Ney Gill and Ravenseat. Check which route is in season before you set out, and treat the Green line as the sensible choice in poor weather whatever the date. Best conditions overall are late spring to early autumn; winter brings short daylight, snow and a featureless, dangerous moor.
Getting there
Kirkby Stephen sits on the scenic Settle-Carlisle railway line (Northern), with trains from Leeds/Skipton and Carlisle; the station is about a mile from the town centre. Keld is remote with very limited public transport - many walkers pre-book a taxi (e.g. on to Richmond) or rely on baggage-transfer operators. Reach the wider route via rail to St Bees (the C2C start) through Carlisle or Lancaster. There is no easy bail-out once committed to the high moor, so the weather decision is effectively made in Kirkby Stephen.
Where to stay
Kirkby Stephen (the stage start) has the fullest choice of B&Bs, inns and a hostel/bunkhouse and is the place to base before the crossing. At the Keld end, options are limited and should be booked well ahead in peak season: Keld Lodge (a former shooting lodge and youth hostel reopened in 2007 as a hotel with bar and restaurant open to non-residents), plus farmhouse B&Bs, and bunk-barn and camping accommodation in and around the village. The Tan Hill Inn (England's highest pub) lies a few miles north off-route. Baggage-transfer services such as Coast to Coast Packhorse and Sherpa Van serve this stage, the usual way the C2C is walked.
Food & water
There is no reliable safe drinking water and no shop, pub or cafe between Kirkby Stephen and Keld, so fill up before leaving Kirkby Stephen. Moorland becks run brown with peat and should not be relied on untreated. The only en-route refreshment possibility is seasonal tea at Ravenseat Farm on the Blue/Green descent (not guaranteed). Carry at least 1.5-2 litres per person for the high crossing.
Safety
The descent off Nine Standards is the most notorious navigation section of the entire Coast to Coast: much of it is open-access land rather than a clearly marked footpath, and the moor is criss-crossed with bogs, gullies and rills for over a mile beyond the cairns. In mist or low cloud, competent map-and-compass work is essential - the western and northern slopes are the worst, and route-finding errors here are common. Carry waterproofs, spare warm layers, food and plenty of water, and start early. Mobile signal is patchy to absent on the tops. In an emergency dial 999 or 112, ask for Police then Mountain Rescue; for non-urgent medical advice call NHS 111.
Accessibility
This is a strenuous, largely pathless, boggy upland crossing with sustained ascent and is not wheelchair- or buggy-accessible. It demands sure-footedness, hill fitness and confident navigation; the summit cairns are reached only on foot over rough open moorland. Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a short lead on the access land, especially 1 April-31 July to protect ground-nesting birds.
Visitor tips
Walk the route that is in season - the seasonal split exists to save the peat, and signage on the ground is minimal. Set your descent compass bearing while you can still see, before leaving the cairns. Wear proper boots and gaiters; the bog is real. Don't rush past the trig point about 100 yards south of the cairns - it is the true 662 m summit of Hartley Fell. Keld is roughly the halfway point of the whole walk and the only place the Coast to Coast crosses the Pennine Way, so it makes a satisfying milestone stop.
Listen: the audio guide
The full narration of this stop's audio guide, in text.
You come up out of the mist onto the roof of England, and there they are along the skyline — nine great towers of piled stone, some taller than a person, standing in a line against the sky. Nobody living knows who built them, or why. And beneath your boots the very ground has made up its mind: from here, the rivers run east. This is Nine Standards Rigg, crowning Hartley Fell at six hundred and sixty-two metres on the great watershed of England. It is the parting of the waters. Everything you have walked so far — the Lakeland fells, the valley of the Eden — drained west, to the Irish Sea. From this ridge onward, every beck and river you meet is bound the other way, east to the North Sea, carrying you at last towards Robin Hood's Bay. The Nine Standards themselves are at least eight hundred years old, and their purpose is a genuine mystery. Nobody wrote it down. They simply stand, weathered and patient, among the most evocative landmarks of the whole Coast to Coast. Generations of shepherds, drovers and now walkers have passed beneath them, and each has inherited the same unanswerable question — who piled these stones, and to what end. And around them lies the summit's other famous feature — deep, black peat bog, so soft and so fragile that the route is split into three seasonal paths, steering walkers this way and that to let the ground recover. Look, first, at the cairns themselves — nine of them, each a tapering tower of drystone, ranged along the edge of the fell where they catch the eye for miles. Second, notice how carefully they are built: not random heaps but shaped, deliberate structures, some conical, some flat-topped, the work of real skill. Third, turn and read the land — west behind you, the long green fall towards the Eden and the Lakeland hills; east ahead, the darker, wilder moors of Swaledale opening out, and beneath you the exact seam where the water divides. Fourth, watch the ground underfoot — the peat hags, the black pools, the bright green moss that marks the softest bog, and the way the path is cut and cast about to spare it. And fifth, find the little viewpoint indicator nearby, a stone toposcope that names the far summits when the cloud lifts to let you see them. So who raised the Nine Standards? The honest answer is that no one knows. Some say they marked the ancient boundary between Eden and Swaledale, a line of stone giants dividing two dales. A better tale claims they were dummy sentinels — dummy soldiers, built to fool marauding Scots into believing an English army was camped on the skyline, ready to descend. And Wainwright himself, the man who dreamed up this whole walk, shrugged and offered the simplest theory of all: that the locals built them because they were bored, and it seemed a good idea at the time. Take your pick. Whatever the truth, the wonder of them is that they have kept their secret for so long, and every walker who reaches this ridge inherits the same delicious puzzle. This is high, exposed moorland, and the boggy watershed demands map, compass and care — the mist can close in fast, and the peat will swallow a careless step, so keep to the marked seasonal path and don't linger if the weather turns. From here the Coast to Coast drops east off the fell and down into Swaledale, towards the gaunt chimneys of the Old Gang smelt mills and two centuries of lead-mining history written across the moor. Take one last look at the nine silent watchers on the skyline, and begin your long descent to the North Sea. Walk safe.
Common questions
How old is Nine Standards Rigg?
Nine Standards Rigg dates from the Origin unknown (at least medieval) period.
How do I get to Nine Standards Rigg?
Kirkby Stephen sits on the scenic Settle-Carlisle railway line (Northern), with trains from Leeds/Skipton and Carlisle; the station is about a mile from the town centre. Keld is remote with very limited public transport - many walkers pre-book a taxi (e.g. on to Richmond) or rely on baggage-transfer operators. Reach the wider route via rail to St Bees (the C2C start) through Carlisle or Lancaster. There is no easy bail-out once committed to the high moor, so the weather decision is effectively made in Kirkby Stephen.
Is Nine Standards Rigg accessible?
This is a strenuous, largely pathless, boggy upland crossing with sustained ascent and is not wheelchair- or buggy-accessible. It demands sure-footedness, hill fitness and confident navigation; the summit cairns are reached only on foot over rough open moorland. Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a short lead on the access land, especially 1 April-31 July to protect ground-nesting birds.
When is the best time to visit Nine Standards Rigg?
The crossing is governed by three official seasonal routes, introduced by the Yorkshire Dales National Park to protect the peat: the Red route (roughly May-July) goes over the summit then south over White Mossy Hill; the Blue route (Aug-Nov) passes the summit, continues east and then drops south by Whitsundale Beck; the Green route (Dec-April) avoids the fragile summit altogether on lower ground via Ney Gill and Ravenseat. Check which route is in season before you set out, and treat the Green line as the sensible choice in poor weather whatever the date. Best conditions overall are late spring to early autumn; winter brings short daylight, snow and a featureless, dangerous moor.
Is there food and water at Nine Standards Rigg?
There is no reliable safe drinking water and no shop, pub or cafe between Kirkby Stephen and Keld, so fill up before leaving Kirkby Stephen. Moorland becks run brown with peat and should not be relied on untreated. The only en-route refreshment possibility is seasonal tea at Ravenseat Farm on the Blue/Green descent (not guaranteed). Carry at least 1.5-2 litres per person for the high crossing.
Where can I stay near Nine Standards Rigg?
Kirkby Stephen (the stage start) has the fullest choice of B&Bs, inns and a hostel/bunkhouse and is the place to base before the crossing. At the Keld end, options are limited and should be booked well ahead in peak season: Keld Lodge (a former shooting lodge and youth hostel reopened in 2007 as a hotel with bar and restaurant open to non-residents), plus farmhouse B&Bs, and bunk-barn and camping accommodation in and around the village. The Tan Hill Inn (England's highest pub) lies a few miles north off-route. Baggage-transfer services such as Coast to Coast Packhorse and Sherpa Van serve this stage, the usual way the C2C is walked.
What should I know before visiting Nine Standards Rigg?
Walk the route that is in season - the seasonal split exists to save the peat, and signage on the ground is minimal. Set your descent compass bearing while you can still see, before leaving the cairns. Wear proper boots and gaiters; the bog is real. Don't rush past the trig point about 100 yards south of the cairns - it is the true 662 m summit of Hartley Fell. Keld is roughly the halfway point of the whole walk and the only place the Coast to Coast crosses the Pennine Way, so it makes a satisfying milestone stop.
Is Nine Standards Rigg safe to visit?
The descent off Nine Standards is the most notorious navigation section of the entire Coast to Coast: much of it is open-access land rather than a clearly marked footpath, and the moor is criss-crossed with bogs, gullies and rills for over a mile beyond the cairns. In mist or low cloud, competent map-and-compass work is essential - the western and northern slopes are the worst, and route-finding errors here are common. Carry waterproofs, spare warm layers, food and plenty of water, and start early. Mobile signal is patchy to absent on the tops. In an emergency dial 999 or 112, ask for Police then Mountain Rescue; for non-urgent medical advice call NHS 111.
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