High Cup Nick
13:41Hello everyone!
I'm well and truly settled back in to uni and these past 3 weeks have been full steam ahead on the work front. Thankfully, the weather has been glorious here in Oxford and it finally feels like spring so I'm not too grumpy about being back. The college grounds look gorgeous in the sunshine and I can't help but smile when it's warm enough for me to leave the house without a jacket. In fact, all this sunshine has got me thinking about a walk I went on just before leaving the Lakes in April and I thought I'd share a few pictures from the day!
For the past few months, my mum has been training for an 800km pilgrimage in Spain that she starts today (Camino de Santiago) and hopes to finish by her 50th birthday by walking the route in 2 week stints over the next few years. My stepdad is an ultra runner and ran the Camino last year so he'll be accompanying my mum along the way! Anyway, we did this walk as part of her training as it's moderately hard but really enjoyable and has some of the best views in the Pennines.
Walk: Dufton to High Cup Nick
Dufton is a lovely little village just 3 miles north of Appleby. There's a YHA, a tearoom, a pub and a camping park so it's a great base for a walking holiday if you want to focus your efforts on the Pennine Way! We parked just outside the public toilets on the roadside and set off. Both myself and my mum were worried that we had underdressed as the temperature had dropped dramatically overnight and there was snow on the peaks but thankfully the sky brightened up and we were blessed with sunshine for the entire walk! The first hour of steady ascent was pretty tough and we stopped a few times to catch our breath and admire the view. My stepdad also took the time to give me a map reading lesson along the way as he was worried about my safety following the stupid mistakes I made on my last solo walk (see last post!).
Off we go!
Looking cheery after a tiring climb!
We recognised this odd looking stone fireplace from Julia Bradbury's show Best Walks with a View on ITV where she featured High Cup Nick!
Once we reached Peeping Hill, we diverted from the route and instead walked alongside the cliff edge for about 2 miles to reach a secret viewpoint my stepdad found when he ran the Pennine Way a few years back. If you decide to walk this route, I'd definitely recommend taking a little detour to this spot as it gives an amazing (and completely unique) view of the mouth of High Cup Nick that you can't get anywhere else. To get to it, simply detour to the right when you reach Peeping Hill (instead of going over the top) and follow the path to a cairn. You should see the main footpath above you and to the left as you near the spot so you'll know you're not lost and can easily get back on the original route.
We were so surprised to find a beautiful wild fell pony when we arrived, she was incredibly calm and seemed completely at ease, I can see why given the landscape she gets to graze on!
Happy Hikers!
I love how the snow has melted on one side of the valley from where the sun has hit it!
Once we'd taken a few pictures and absorbed the view, we climbed directly up the hillside to reach the main path and continued on to the main spectacle. Note: It is much safer to back-track half a mile and meander up the hillside than scale the steep hillside as we did. There are lots of large, deep and well-hidden holes dotted about and if your visibility is poor, you could really hurt yourself. I sprained my ankle on the way up so trust me, it's not worth the shortcut!
Not long after however, we finally reached the view we'd been waiting for and it was incredible. This stunning rock formation overlooks a vast glacial valley and the horizon is endless! We stopped for lunch with our legs hanging over the gorge and the gill running alongside us, it was the most perfect day - I cannot recommend this walk enough! Unfortunately, due to my ankle injury, we couldn't complete the circular route that we had planned and had to return the way we came but hopefully, we'll get chance to go back this summer - I'm dying to scramble down those rocks! Since we didn't complete the route, I haven't provided much detail in this post about how to reach High Cup Nick. I'll leave some links at the end of this post to some great walking blogs that explain the route in more detail and provide grid references etc.
We made it!
This rock formation reminds me so much of the Giant's Causeway and Fingal's Cave (post to come on those beauties!)
A well deserved lunch stop!
High Cup Nick has definitely jumped straight into my top 5 favourite walks - I mean, who can beat that view? Aside from the injury, it was a great day and a lovely way to spend some quality time with my family before I went back to uni!
Have you been to High Cup Nick? What's your favourite walk? Let me know in the comments, I'd love some suggestions for my next adventure!
That's all from me today! I hope you're having a lovely week wherever you are! Thanks so much for reading.
Jade x
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Walking Englishman has a great blogpost on this walk which you can find here.
Alternatively, National Trails has some PDF walking leaflets that you can print and take with you on your walk. You can find those here.
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