1. Raby Castle
Meeting Point: Raby Castle
We begin the Big Smile in the magnificent grounds of Raby Castle. We follow a broad path through the grassy landscape where Red and Fallow Deer herds live wild. We pass the impressively maintained medieval castle, built between 1367 and 1390 by John Neville, the 3rd Baron Neville de Raby.
We wander through Ladywood and then up towards Raby Home Farm and then Shotton enjoying the beautiful countryside home to some superb flora and fauna.
Eventually, we leave the Raby estate and find ourselves heading over Cockfield fell, common land pock marked with evidence of human habitation including flint arrowheads dating back to 8000BC.
We skirt around Cockfield itself and back through the estate to finish back at Raby Castle in a wonderful start to the Big Smile Walks.
Distance: 20 km ( 12.47 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★★☆☆
Sponsored By: The Ramside Hall Hotel
1. Raby Castle
Meeting Point: Raby Castle
We begin the Big Smile in the magnificent grounds of Raby Castle. We follow a broad path through the grassy landscape where Red and Fallow Deer herds live wild. We pass the impressively maintained medieval castle, built between 1367 and 1390 by John Neville, the 3rd Baron Neville de Raby.
We wander through Ladywood and then up towards Raby Home Farm and then Shotton enjoying the beautiful countryside home to some superb flora and fauna.
Eventually, we leave the Raby estate and find ourselves heading over Cockfield fell, common land pock marked with evidence of human habitation including flint arrowheads dating back to 8000BC.
We skirt around Cockfield itself and back through the estate to finish back at Raby Castle in a wonderful start to the Big Smile Walks.
Distance: 20 km ( 12.47 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★★☆☆
Sponsored By: The Ramside Hall Hotel
37. High Cup Nick
Date: 10/08/2021
Meeting Point: Public Car park, Dufton, Appleby-in-Westmorland, CA16 6DB
We begin one of the more spectacular stages of The Big Smile at Dufton - climbing up between Dufton Pike and Bluethwaite Hill, before continuing up towards Great Rundale Tarn. We turn and cross over the hills passing between Seamore Tarn and Little Rundale Tarn.
From here we curve around towards High Cup Nick at the head of an almost geometrically perfect U-shaped chasm, deeply incised into the Pennine scar - thought to be glacial in origin.
In his book ‘Pennine Way Companion’, Alfred Wainwright memorably described seeing it as, “a great moment in the journey”.
We then follow the Narrowgate path back along the valley, enjoying the view much as Wainwright did, before dropping down towards Dufton. A demanding but memorable stage in the Pennines.
Distance: 18.5 km (11.5 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★★★☆