Stage 6 of the Coast to Coast Path (16 stages, walked west to east from St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay) is the day the high fells release their grip. Leaving Shap, the route crosses the M6 by footbridge and climbs gently onto the Westmorland limestone plateau, threading the empty, prehistory-rich moors of Crosby Ravensworth Fell before dropping into the unspoilt village of Orton. At around 5.4 miles (8.7 km) with only about 237 m of ascent, it is one of the easiest days of the whole walk and a deliberate recovery stage after the long Patterdale-to-Shap fell crossing. Somewhere east of Oddendale the path slips out of the Lake District and into the Yorkshire Dales National Park, whose 2016 extension drew in these Westmorland fells. The walking is springy turf, sheep pasture and the silver-grey limestone pavement of Orton Scar, scattered with concentric stone circles, a Romano-British settlement and Robin Hood's Grave. Birdlife is rich on the open ground. Underfoot it is mostly easy, but it is open, exposed country with few facilities between the two villages, so carry water and food, and Orton rewards arrival with a pub, a village shop and a celebrated chocolate factory.
Highlights
- Oddendale Stone Circle - a concentric circle (outer ring c. 27 m, inner c. 7 m) beneath Hardendale Nab, originally late Neolithic timber rings later remodelled as a Bronze Age ring cairn
- Robin Hood's Grave - a low cairn (c. 1 m high) on Crosby Ravensworth Fell, about 2 miles north of Orton, steeped in local folklore
- Limestone pavement of Orton Scar and the Westmorland Scars, part of the nationally outstanding Great Asby Scar landscape
- Crosby Ravensworth Fell - wide moorland with views to the Howgills, the Dales and back to the Lakeland fells
- Orton village - medieval All Saints Church (perpendicular tower of the early 16th century), Elizabethan Petty Hall, and Kennedys handmade chocolate factory and cafe
- Optional start-of-day detour to the Shap Stone Avenue (Goggleby Stone) and the National Trust's Keld Chapel
Know before you go
- Open, exposed moorland with no shelter and few people - serious in bad weather despite the easy underfoot grade
- Route-finding across featureless fell can be hard in mist/clag; carry map and compass or a GPS track
- Limestone pavement is slippery when wet and the grykes can be deep - a real ankle/leg hazard
- No reliable safe drinking water between Shap and Orton; treat all open water as non-potable
- Mobile phone signal is patchy across the fell
History
This is a stage walked across deep prehistory. The Westmorland limestone uplands carry one of England's densest concentrations of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments. Just south of Shap stood the Shap Stone Avenue, a Late Neolithic megalithic complex (dated to roughly 3200-2500 BC) of which the great pink Shap-granite Goggleby Stone still stands. On the fell itself the path passes the Oddendale concentric stone circle - whose two concentric timber rings have been dated to the Neolithic (c. 2872-2350 BC) before the site was remodelled as a Bronze Age ring cairn - and the small Bronze Age Castlehowe Scar circle of Shap granite. The Romans left their mark too: Burwens, a well-preserved Romano-British native settlement of circular houses occupied roughly in the 2nd-4th centuries AD, lies near Crosby Ravensworth. Orton was granted a medieval market charter (1336), and the early Quaker leader George Whitehead (1636-1723), one of the 'Valiant Sixty' itinerant preachers, was born nearby at Sunbiggin. Until 1974 all of this lay in the old county of Westmorland.
Nature & Wildlife
Open limestone grassland and moor make this fine bird country: expect skylarks, meadow pipits, wheatears and curlew over the fell in spring and summer, with the chance of golden plover and red grouse on the higher ground. The lime-rich pavements and pastures support a specialised flora - the deep, sheltered grykes shelter ferns and woodland plants, while thin turf carries limestone-loving wildflowers in early summer. Hazel Moor woodland near Robin Hood's Grave and the becks add further habitat. The Great Asby Scar reserve nearby is nationally important for its limestone-pavement plant communities.
Geology
The day is a lesson in Carboniferous limestone. The Orton-Asby escarpment is built of massively bedded 'Great Scar' limestone laid down in shallow tropical seas around 340 million years ago, when northern England lay near the equator. Glaciers later scoured the surface, and rainwater dissolving along joints carved the classic limestone pavement of clints (blocks) and grykes (fissures) seen on Orton Scar. The wider plateau, the Westmorland Scars, covers some 39 sq km (about 15 sq miles) and includes Great Asby Scar, a National Nature Reserve and SSSI protected for the best-preserved pavements in the area. Glacial erratics - including distinctive pink Shap granite boulders carried from the fells - are scattered across the route.
Scenic Highlights
After days hemmed in by fells, this stage opens out into huge skies and rolling limestone moor. The crossing of Crosby Ravensworth Fell gives long, layered views: the Howgill Fells and the northern Yorkshire Dales ahead and to the south, the Pennines to the east, and a last look back to the Lakeland skyline. Orton Scar's pale, fretted pavement glows in low light, and the gentle descent into Orton - a tidy village of 17th- and 18th-century stone cottages under its church tower - is one of the walk's most pastoral arrivals.
Photography
Best light falls early and late, when the limestone pavement on Orton Scar takes on texture and the grykes throw shadow. Photograph the Oddendale concentric circle with Hardendale Nab behind; the lone Goggleby Stone against the fell; Robin Hood's Grave in its shallow dell; and the long view from Crosby Ravensworth Fell toward the Howgills. In the village, All Saints' perpendicular tower and the cottages around the green make classic Westmorland scenes. Side-light rakes the pavement clints beautifully; overcast days flatten the moor.
When to Visit
One of the easiest stages on the walk and good in almost any month, late April to October is ideal: limestone wildflowers and breeding birds peak in May-June, and the long days suit the gentle mileage. The pavement and turf drain well, so this is far less boggy than the Nine Standards moor to come, but the open fell offers no shelter from wind or driving rain, and clag can make the featureless moorland navigation trickier. In winter the high ground can be icy and exposed; given the short distance, an early start still leaves ample daylight even near midwinter.
Getting There
The nearest railway station to the stage start is Penrith on the West Coast Main Line (about 10 miles from Shap, with through trains to London, Manchester, Glasgow and Carlisle); Shap's own station closed in 1968. Stagecoach buses serve Shap and Penrith. Orton lies just off the M6 (junction 38) and is reached by the limited community 106 bus, which links toward Tebay, Shap, Kendal and Penrith. There is some roadside parking in both villages. Bail-out is straightforward - the M6 corridor and Tebay/Orton give relatively easy access if weather turns.
Stay & Eat Nearby
Orton offers B&Bs and guesthouses, the George Hotel, and nearby farm and campsite options; some walkers also use accommodation at Greenholme or push on. As a short day, many split the leg differently or combine logistics with Shap (Kings Arms, Brookfield, Shap Wells Hotel and several B&Bs). Book well ahead in peak season (May-September), as bed spaces in these small villages are limited and fill fast. Baggage-transfer services operate the length of the Coast to Coast and serve both Shap and Orton, so most walkers carry only a daypack.
Water & Facilities
There is no reliable, safe drinking water between Shap and Orton, so fill up before leaving Shap. The fell carries becks and the route passes springs such as King's Well, but treat any open water as non-potable. Orton has a village shop, the George Hotel pub and Kennedys chocolate cafe for drinks on arrival. On a warm day carry at least 1-1.5 litres for the crossing.
Safety
Underfoot this is an easy stage, but it crosses open, exposed moorland with no shelter and few people - treat it with respect in bad weather. The main hazards are the M6 footbridge crossing near the start, slippery and ankle-twisting limestone pavement (the grykes can be deep), and route-finding across the featureless fell in mist, where a map, compass and the ability to use them (or a GPS track) matter. Mobile signal is patchy on the moor. Carry waterproofs, warm layers, food and water. In an emergency dial 999 or 112, ask for Police then Mountain Rescue; for non-emergencies use NHS 111.
Accessibility
This is a rural moorland stage on fell paths, turf, limestone pavement and stiles, and is not wheelchair-accessible. The pavement of Orton Scar is uneven and can be slippery; sure-footedness is needed. Orton village itself, with its shop, pub and chocolate cafe, is on level ground and easy to move around.
Visitor Tips
Treat this as a genuine rest day after the Patterdale-to-Shap fell crossing - start late, walk slowly, and enjoy the prehistory. Detour at the start to the Goggleby Stone and Keld Chapel if you have energy. Time your arrival for Kennedys chocolate factory and cafe in Orton (and the George Hotel) before they close - the cafe shuts in the afternoon. Stock up at Orton's shop, because the next day to Kirkby Stephen is longer and equally short on facilities. In clear weather the views from Crosby Ravensworth Fell are worth a pause; in mist, keep to the navigation. Watch your footing on the pavement.