Stage 9 of 16 takes you down the length of Swaledale, the loveliest of the Yorkshire Dales, from the waterfall hamlet of Keld to the green-square village of Reeth. From Keld the path crosses the River Swale beside East Gill Force, where the Coast to Coast briefly shares ground with the Pennine Way, then splits. Wainwright's preferred HIGH ROUTE climbs past the ruined farmhouse of Crackpot Hall into the gorge of Swinner Gill and out across Melbecks and Reeth High Moor, threading the gaunt chimneys, flues and spoil heaps of the Old Gang and Surrender lead-smelt mills that once made these dales among the most heavily industrialised upland landscapes in England. The gentler LOW ROUTE follows the meadow-and-meander riverside through Muker and Gunnerside, with tearooms and pubs en route. Both finish at Reeth, a handsome former lead-mining and market village clustered round a broad green at the mouth of Arkengarthdale. At roughly 11 to 12.5 miles depending on your route choice it is a moderate day, but the high moor is exposed, pathless in places and notoriously boggy, with a long, knee-testing descent into Reeth.
Highlights
- Old Gang & Surrender lead-smelt mills — a Scheduled Monument and among the best-preserved lead smelt mills in the Yorkshire Dales (high route)
- Crackpot Hall — 18th-century farmhouse abandoned in 1953 to mining subsidence, with a famous view down Swaledale
- East Gill Force — two-tier waterfall just east of Keld where the C2C and Pennine Way meet
- Swinner Gill & Gunnerside Gill — wild side-gorges scarred by hushes and old mine workings
- Swaledale's flower hay-meadows, drystone walls and field barns (low route, best in June)
- Reeth's green, fringed by inns, tearooms and the Swaledale Museum
Know before you go
- High route is exposed, pathless in places and notoriously boggy — avoid in mist or winter; take the low riverside route instead
- Open mine shafts and unstable spoil heaps on the high route — stay on the path
- No services and patchy/no mobile signal across the central high moor — carry water, food and warm/waterproof kit
- Long, steep descent into Reeth at the end of the day — save energy and watch knees and footing
History
Swaledale's story is written in lead. Veins of galena (lead ore) were worked here from at least Roman times, but the boom came in the 18th and 19th centuries, when thousands of 'orewinners' tunnelled the fells and the dale rang with hushing, crushing and smelting. The Old Gang complex is the great relic of that age: the upper New Mill dates from the late 18th century, while the main Old Gang Smelt Mill that dominates the site today was built around 1846, and smelting here continued until it stopped working some time between 1899 and 1903. Historic England rates the complex among the best-preserved lead smelt mills in the Yorkshire Dales and a Scheduled Monument, complete with a long flue climbing to a chimney on Healaugh Crag. Crackpot Hall, on the high route, served as the local mine office until the late 1800s before subsidence forced its abandonment in 1953. When cheap foreign lead collapsed prices around 1900 the industry died, and Swaledale's population emptied; Reeth, once a busy mining and market town with a market chartered in 1695, shrank to the quiet village seen today. Keld itself — from the Old Norse kelda, 'a spring' — sits where two of England's great long-distance paths cross.
Nature & Wildlife
This is classic Yorkshire Dales upland: in-bye hay-meadows along the Swale that, by June, blaze with wood crane's-bill, pignut, yellow rattle and melancholy thistle — among the richest surviving flower meadows in England (the Muker meadows are an SSSI and Coronation Meadow) and a key reason to favour the low route in early summer. The riverbanks carry bluebells and wild garlic in spring. On the high moor, heather, cotton-grass and bog asphodel cloak deep peat. Watch for curlew, lapwing, golden plover and snipe nesting on the moor in spring, dipper and grey wagtail on the becks, and red grouse breaking from the heather. Buzzards quarter the gills.
Geology
Swaledale is cut through the Yoredale Series — repeating bands of limestone, shale and sandstone laid down in Carboniferous tropical seas around 320 million years ago. The hard limestone and sandstone shelves create the dale's stepped waterfalls (East Gill, Kisdon and Catrake Forces around Keld) and the terraced fellsides, while mineral-rich fluids later filled cracks in the rock with the galena that drove the mining. The 'hushes' — great scars gouged into the hillsides above Gunnerside Gill — are not natural but man-made, cut by releasing dammed water to strip soil and expose the ore veins.
Scenic Highlights
The high route's reward is the brooding, post-industrial moorscape — ruined chimneys and pale spoil under big skies — and the long view down Swaledale from above Crackpot Hall. The low route trades that for pastoral perfection: the meandering Swale, stone field barns by the hundred, drystone-walled meadows and the picture-postcard villages of Muker and Gunnerside. Either way the descent into Reeth opens up the broad green vale at the mouth of Arkengarthdale.
Photography
Crackpot Hall's doorway framing the dale; the upper and lower tiers of East Gill Force right beside the footbridge; the Old Gang chimney and the long peat-store wall on the moor; the field-barn-studded meadows above Muker (iconic Swaledale); Ivelet and Ramps Holme packhorse bridges on the low route; Reeth's green at golden hour. Early morning light works best for the east-facing dale; the meadows peak mid-June.
When to Visit
Best walked May to September. The flower meadows of the low route are at their height in June. The HIGH route's peat moor is genuinely boggy after rain and through winter, and pathless stretches are easy to lose in mist — in poor visibility or winter, take the LOW riverside route. Note this is the day after Stage 8, whose Nine Standards Rigg crossing has its own red (summer) / blue (winter) / green (poor-visibility) seasonal routing; that variant routing ends before Keld and does not apply to this stage.
Getting There
Reeth is served by the Little White Bus Service 30 (the 'Swaledale Shuttle'), running Keld-Thwaite-Muker-Gunnerside-Low Row-Reeth-Grinton-Richmond year-round on separate winter and summer timetables; some journeys (marked 'book in advance') must be booked at least 24 hours ahead through the booking office on 01969 667 400. From Richmond there are onward buses towards Darlington and the East Coast Main Line. This makes the stage easy to do as a day walk or to bail out mid-dale along the valley road. There is no railway in the dale. Limited parking is available at Keld and around Reeth's green.
Stay & Eat Nearby
Reeth has a good spread for walkers: the Black Bull (Reeth's oldest surviving inn, dating from around 1680), the Buck (a coaching inn from around 1760) and the King's Arms on the green, plus B&Bs, guesthouses and self-catering. The Dales Bike Centre just outside the village offers bunkhouse 'bunk & breakfast' with a drying room and café, and there is a YHA hostel across the river at Grinton (Grinton Lodge). Camping is available locally. Book well ahead in peak season (June-September); Swaledale beds are limited and fill fast. Most baggage-transfer companies serving the Coast to Coast cover the Keld-Reeth leg, carrying one bag per person between accommodations.
Water & Facilities
Fill up at Keld before leaving. The high route has no reliable safe water for its central section — carry enough for the day. The low route passes Muker and Gunnerside, where cafes/pubs and taps allow a top-up. Treat any water taken from becks on the mining moor with caution: old workings can leave lead and other metals in the ground.
Safety
On the high route the moor is exposed, the path faint or absent in places, and the peat boggy — allow extra time and don't attempt it in mist without map, compass and confidence. Old mine workings mean open shafts and unstable spoil; keep to the path and keep dogs and children close. There is no shelter and no services for the long middle section. Mobile signal is patchy-to-absent across the moor. UK emergency number is 999 (or 112); ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue (Swaledale Mountain Rescue covers this area). For non-urgent medical advice call NHS 111. If weather turns, drop to the low riverside route or bail to a village on the valley road for the Little White Bus.
Accessibility
This is a strenuous-terrain hill stage and is not wheelchair- or buggy-accessible: the high route crosses pathless, boggy, rocky moorland with steep climbs and a long descent, and even the low route involves stiles, riverbank paths and field gates. Reeth village itself — green, shops, cafes and pubs — is largely level and accessible by car and bus for non-walkers meeting the group.
Visitor Tips
Decide your route by the weather: take the HIGH route only on a clear, dry day to get the mining heritage and views; choose the LOW riverside route in rain, mist or winter, or simply for the prettier villages and tearooms. Either way, start early — the high moor is slow going. Detour the few minutes to Crackpot Hall for the classic dale view. In Reeth, the Swaledale Museum (open seasonally, roughly May-September) is worth 20 minutes on the lead-mining and farming story, and the bakeries are good for next-day trail food. Carry coins/cash: some smaller dale businesses are cash-friendly and signal for card machines is weak.