Eden Valley Loop 2 (32km) Print

EV2-W1 Waypoint 1 Eden Valley Loop 2
From Widewath, turn right and then sharp right again onto minor road (signed for Dalefoot, not the Bampton road.

EV2-W2 Waypoint 2 Eden Valley Loop 2
Follow this road through the gate next to the cattle grid (which becomes unfenced after crossing a beck) up to GR 495196. Here you will see a bridleway sign to the right for Keldhead. At this point turn LEFT and cut across the open fell to the corner of the wall. Go straight down the hill to the cairn (heap of stones) on the right and go through the gate to the right where the walls meet in the corner (there is a bridleway marker on this gate).

EV2-W3 Waypoint 3 Eden Valley Loop 2
Follow this bridleway (no signs) as marked on the map through Gillhead Ford to Hullockhowe, then take minor road to left. (Alternatively, if you miss this quite hard to follow route, you can simply continue down the road through Rough Hill via the cattle grid gate and turn left onto the minor road).

EV2-W4 Waypoint 4 Eden Valley Loop 2
Follow this road down to Bampton village and turn right. Pass through the village and turn left to Bampton Grange and continue until you come to the first turn left for Scarside.

EV2-W5 Waypoint 5 Eden Valley Loop 2
At Scarside, take the bridleway straight ahead and make for a high gate between two blocks of woodland.

EV2-W6 Waypoint 6 Eden Valley Loop 2
Go through the gate and keep on along the side of the wood on the right. Keep on downhill until you reach another gate into a wood. Soon after this you will see a huge quarry on your right (Shapbeck Quarry).

EV2-W7 Waypoint 7 Eden Valley Loop 2
Pass through the gate and down the woodland ride to another gate into a large field. Cross this field diagonally to a small bridleway gate in the fence on your right. (there can be ponies in either of these two fields).

EV2-W8 Waypoint 8 Eden Valley Loop 2
Crossing the second field, make for a gate which goes through a small corral-type field by the main A6 road. Here you must cross the A6 PLEASE TAKE CARE as the traffic can be fast. Going straight across, the road now takes you over the railway line and the M6 on good wide bridges. This road is signposted Newby and Morland.

EV2-W9 Waypoint 9 Eden Valley Loop 2
Follow this road up Edge Brow to a crossroads at the top of the hill. Turn right and follow the road for approx. 1.6km and then turn left onto the bridleway that goes through Towcett Farm (there can be pigs in the buildings here).

EV2-W10 Waypoint 10 Eden Valley Loop 2
After passing through the farmyard the bridleway crosses several fields in a northerly direction and crosses a wet place by means of a bridleway bridge before reaching Dedra Banks.

EV2-W11 Waypoint 11 Eden Valley Loop 2
Keep on the bridleway, which goes down the track from Dedra Banks, and turn right up a small track to Howgill. Passing the house, the track turns right and becomes a bridleway (this can be rather overgrown), which comes out on the minor road between Newby and Sleagill. Turn left here (to the right is the link between Loops 2 and 3).

EV2-W12 Waypoint 12 Eden Valley Loop 2
In Newby Head turn right and then first left, continuing up the road through the village and after a short distance turn left at the bridleway sign for Little Strickland.

EV2-W13 Waypoint 13 Eden Valley Loop 2
Follow this bridleway (which is straightforward and well marked) down a long lane and then into an area of scrub and small trees where the route goes straight ahead (there can be rabbit holes in this area). Passing through another gate the bridleway crosses a couple of fields (keep close to the fence line) and joins a farm track. Go straight on through the gate, and the track will take you down to the road.

EV2-W14 Waypoint 14 Eden Valley Loop 2
Here, turn left and take the road down to Little Strickland. In the village turn first right and right again down a very narrow road (watch out for farm and other vehicles).

EV2-W15 Waypoint 15 Eden Valley Loop 2
Where the road bends sharply to the left, take the bridleway straight ahead up a farm track. Follow this track through several gates until you come to a large field in front of the house called Sheriff Park (the West Coast main railway line is on your left below the trees).

EV2-W16 Waypoint 16 Eden Valley Loop 2
Here, the bridleway goes diagonally across the middle of the field, then through a gate into the next field on your right. Follow this fence line down to the big wood straight ahead. Take the bridleway gate into the wood and follow the route steeply down through the trees to the small river below. Cross the river and proceed uphill, crossing another ditch en route, to the edge of the wood where there is a gate into a field.

EV2-W17 Waypoint 17 Eden Valley Loop 2
Going through this gate, the bridleway goes across this field and turns right along the railway fence line. Soon you will meet a bridge on the left, which takes you over the railway. There is a gate at the western end and sometimes a hurdle or gate at the eastern end.

EV2-W18 Waypoint 18 Eden Valley Loop 2
The bridleway now continues straight across another field to a gate onto the main A6 road. Cross straight over (there is another gate on the other side of the road). Traffic can be fast but there are good sight-lines. The bridleway now goes down a hard track to an underpass which takes you under the M6.

EV2-W19 Waypoint 19 Eden Valley Loop 2
You are now in Lowther Park and free of urban-type obstacles! The bridleway continues here across a newly-planted area (take care to stick to its line which goes along near the fence line on the left) until it reaches a gate in the corner. This takes you through a small wood to a high iron estate gate.

EV2-W20 Waypoint 20 Eden Valley Loop 2
In the next field the bridleway follows a drainage pipeline to the left to another gate onto an estate road. Crossing the road and turning left, the next gate is immediately on the right. Following the bridleway signs, pass through the gate and head straight up the field to the top. Take care as you need to cross a dip and a ditch before heading uphill.

EV2-W21 Waypoint 21 Eden Valley Loop 2
At the top of the hill, with a large wood straight in front of you, turn sharp left and continue to the corner of the wood where there is a small bridleway gate. Go through this and turn right up a grassy track and down to another gate.

EV2-W22 Waypoint 22 Eden Valley Loop 2
Follow the track again straight down to a gate. Here, the bridleway goes straight ahead, but you need to turn right and follow the hard road all the way down to Whale Farm.

EV2-W23 Waypoint 23 Eden Valley Loop 2
Turn left through the gate by the cattle grid and follow the minor road through Whale village to a T-junction.

EV2-W24 Waypoint 24 Eden Valley Loop 2
The bridleway now goes almost straight across and takes you down to the River Lowther. There is a bridleway bridge here but you may prefer to ford the river, depending on conditions. If riding with a party, one person will probably have to dismount.

EV2-W25 Waypoint 25 Eden Valley Loop 2
The bridleway now continues across a field heading slightly right to a gate which leads onto an ancient way winding uphill through stone walls to meet the road at Helton.

EV2-W26 Waypoint 26 Eden Valley Loop 2
Cross straight over here between two buildings and turn right through the village. At the end of a line of houses turn sharp left up a steep hill, to a cattle grid with a gate at the top. Passing through the gate keep on up the road until it meets the bridleway.

EV2-W27 Waypoint 27 Eden Valley Loop 2
Turn left along the bridleway and go through a gate and proceed downhill to return to the start of Loop 2.