The Spout tumbles in a series of four major falls as the
waters of Red Gill Beck and Swere Gill Beck plunge over the edge of Cautley Crags into Cautley Holme Beck. It is said to be England's highest waterfall above ground but some dispute this, arguing that it is a cascade fall. The longest single drop is 76m. 3. (SD 693 968) To shorten the walk, continue straight ahead to pick up your earlier footpath, cross the bridge over the River Rawthey and return to your car. Turn left over Cautley Holme Beck and follow the footpath up to the right of the beck to Cautley Spout. (There is a better view of the main falls from lower down the fell, but as you climb higher the view back down the valley is quite amazing). Return back down the same path then bear left alongside the river to return across the bridge to your car. Englands highest waterfall and the most dramatic fell scenery in the Howgills. As Cautley Spout tumbles from the dark and sinister Cautley Crags it provides a spectacular backdrop for an ancient settlement and burial cairn. Two small streams need to be forded. The best walk from Cautley Map: Ordnance Survey OL19 Total Climb: 435 metres 1,427 feet Average Time: 4 hours Distance: 10 kilometres 6.2 miles This walk can easily be shortened to 7km with 211m total climb. Enjoy your walk, but for your own safety, please: Ensure you have a reasonable level of fitness. Choose a clear day with good visibility. Take an OS map and compass for additional reference. Wear strong boots and protective clothing. Keep to the footpaths, but avoid disturbing livestock or crops. Sedbergh / Dentdale Area Looking back down the glacial valley from Cautley Spout The low falls Wingspan 115-130cm Fell Ponies To 142.2cm (14 hands ) Our native fell ponies have been on the Cumbrian fells for hundreds of years, helping with transportation, agriculture and defence. They are placid, sure-footed creatures, strong enough to carry heavy loads and hardy enough to withstand the cold winters on the fells. The lack of walls and fences on the Howgills provides largely unenclosed grazing for these semi-wild ponies. Iron Age Settlement Two thousand years ago, a simple farming community grew crops and grazed livestock on the valley floor beneath Cautley Spout. Thei r homes (probably made from a stone base and thatched roof) and small yards would have been enclosed within a perimeter wall. To see the remains of the settlement, continue past the interpretation panel, cross a small stream, then look on a small grassy hill to the right of the path . Note the good 3m wide stone-edged track that these ancient farmers built leading from the settlement to the falls. The ruins of a sheepfold built by medieval farmers can also be seen over parts of the settlement. Sparrowhawk Start of the falls Meadow pipit 14.5cm Skylark 18cm Wheatear 15cm Swaledale sheep Betony To 50cm Jun-Sept Water forget-me-not To 14cm May-Sept 1.00 Cautley
Joan Bryden Settlement Cautley Crags Yarlside Cautley Barrow A Bronze Age (circa 2499-500 BC) burial cairn of loose stone. By the end of the Bronze Age, bodies would have been cremated and later, during the Iron Age they were often just dumped in rivers or lakes. The cairn can just be seen on a small grassy hill to the left of the path as you approach the falls. Burial cairn Raven This walk was written in good faith, but please be aware that rights of way, signposts, buildings etc may be changed. There might be unfenced steep drops, and after heavy rain, becks can be impassable, paths boggy and rocks very slippery. No outdoor walking is without risk. You are solely responsible for your own safety and that of your family. Please ensure children dont take any risks in order to tick a box. Wild Card Discovery Walks Joan Bryden 2009 Latest revision 2012 All rights reserved Published by Joan Bryden, 2 Rural Workshops, Burrow, Carnforth, LA6 2RL www.wildcardwalks.co.uk Walks Greetings Cards Photos Wingspan 60-75cm summer Printed under a personal licence. Not for re-sale or distribution. Rawthey Bridge Built in 1822 to replace one commissioned by Elizabeth 1 in 1585, it marked the old boundary between the counties of Westmorland and Yorkshire. Unfortunately a nearby stone circle was destroyed for some of the building stone. There is a small carved face on the west wall. About half a mile upstream is Rawthey Cave believed to be a Bronze Age burial cave. Wolf remains were found upon excavation in 1997. Cross Keys Temperance Inn The original building dates back to the late 16th century and used to be a farmhouse called High Haygarth. In the mid 17th century the farmhouse was owned by Colonel Benson, Mayor of Kendal, who had turned against state religion and joined the Westmorland Seekers. He became an early supporter of George Fox since his visit to speak to the Seekers in 1652. A year later the Colonels first wife gave birth to a son whilst being imprisoned in York for heckling a priest. She died a few years later and was buried in the garden at High Haygarth - now probably underneath the dining room! The initials above the door refer to John and Agnes Howgill who later owned the farmhouse. The building became an inn shortly after 1819 when the road was built. In 1902 the landlord drowned in the River Rothay after attempting to escort a drunken customer home. The inn was then sold to a Mrs Buck, who sold it on to a Mrs Bunney and its liquor license was removed. Mrs Bunney left the Inn to the National Trust in 1949 on condition it remains a Temperance Inn. 1. (Grid Ref: SD 698 969) Start at the parking area by the Cross Keys Inn, Cautley. Leave the parking area along the footpath signed, Cautley Spout. Cross the bridge and soon take a smaller path off to your right. Follow this path to a beck, which needs to be forded above a small waterfall. Once over Backside Beck, pass through the gate and make your way up to Narthwaite Farm. Walk through the farmyard and take the right- hand bridleway to pass below the farmhouse along a good track. Leave the track when it makes a sharp right- hand bend and go straight ahead through an arrowed gate to walk over the field to another small beck which needs to be forded. If this beck is too high to cross, I suggest you return to the small bridge which you will just have passed. Please note that this is not a public right of way, so only use it in emergencies! After crossing the bridge, turn left and walk to the stile in the far left corner of the field * . If you forded the beck, follow the small path up through the trees to the left of the wall and cross the stile. Continue straight ahead to the next stile *. Follow the path through lovely woodland and flower meadows to a footbridge over the River Rawthey. Cross to the road. 2. (SD 713 979) Turn right along the road. Soon after crossing Rawthey Bridge look out for a gated track off to your left. * Follow this good track for about 45 minutes, keeping right when it forks, until it becomes surfaced at the buildings of Bluecaster Side. Continue for a further 5 minutes until a signposted bridleway on your right drops you down beside a row of trees to the A683. Cross the road and immediately take the footpath towards Cautley Spout. Cross a lovely 18th-c bridge, then continue along the path until you reach a wooden footbridge over Cautley Holme Beck. Cross the bridge. The River Rawthey Flows from the summit of Baugh Fell to join the River Lune at Sedbergh. Tormentil Low creeper May-Sept Ramsons (wild garlic) To 35cm Marsh thistle To 1.5m. White or pink flowers Jul-Sept Herb Robert To 30cm Apr-Oct Dipper 18cm Flies low over streams in search of insects. Harebell To 40cm Jul-Oct Cuckoo flower To 50cm Apr-Jun Yarlside Kensgriff Randygill Top Cautley Crags Narthwaite Farm Meadow brown on knapweed Wingspan 50mm Jun-Aug Birds- foot trefoil Creeping May-Sept Buzzard Wingspan 115-130cm Meadowsweet To 1.25m Jun-Sept Self-heal To 20cm Jun-Oct Bluebell To 50cm Apr-Jun The Eastern Howgills from Bluecaster Old Road The Bluecaster Old Road was the main road between Sedbergh and Kirkby Stephen before a lower road was built in 1819 (now the A 683) and this old track is even believed to have Roman origins. Now it makes a wonderful grassy promenade with fantastic views across to Cautley Spout and the eastern Howgills. The Howgills owe their rounded shapes to a composition made up largely of a hard sandstone, Coniston Grit which is resistant to weathering. In contrast, Cautley Crags is made up of the dark shales of the Upper Ordivician age. The bowl-shaped hollow beneath the crags is called a corrie and was gouged out by glacial ice. If you cant get parked beside the Cross Keys, travel north for 1.7 km (1 mile ) and use the good parking area near Rawthey Bridge. Turn left out of the park and look out for a gated track off to the right. Continue the walk from the * in stage 2. Cautley woodland clearing by a fish trap (Middle English and Old English)