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The picturesque grey stoned
village of Keld lies at the head of Swaledale. The
village derived its name from the Norse word ‘Kelda’,
meaning spring or stream.
Swaledale, is
the grandest of all the dales, which has a rugged
beauty all of its own. It is a dale of fast flowing
streams and impressive water falls. The river Swale
flows through Keld, into a limestone gorge, surrounded
by woodland, with impressive waterfalls scattered
all along the way. It meanders through some of the
finest flower meadows you will ever see. The beauty
it exudes is for all to enjoy, young or old, walkers
or tourists.
There are still plenty of signs left of an industry
which died out long ago. The now ruined Swinner Gill
lead mines. Lord Pomfret’s lead mine at East
Grain, Beldi Hill smelt mill & Keldside lead smelting
mill, sit amongst the most beautiful, unspoilt scenery,
with the hardy black faced Swaledale sheep adorning
the limestone walled pastures.
Probably one of the most endearing sights in the whole
of Swaledale, are the many ‘barns’ or
‘laithes’ that adorn the dale (some call
it the ‘valley of the barns’). Probably
the most photographed features of this dale, they
stretch right from the upper reaches of Swaledale
and carry on sweeping, scattered randomly, down to
the bottom. These barns also serve a functional purpose,
as they are not only used to store feed, in the hardest
of winters, but also house cattle.
There are many wonderful walks, for those of varying
abilities, from gentle strolls to the more strenuous.
Probably one of the prettiest walks is the walk along
the riverside down to Muker. For those with a more
‘challenging’ ability, Keld is the half
way point on the Coast to Coast and Pennine Way walks.
Another popular walk from Keld is a well trodden path,
known as the Corpse Way. In medieval times, prior
to a funeral taking place, processions would take
a route from Keld, over the top of Kisdon Hill, taking
the wicker coffin to the nearest consecrated ground
at Grinton Church, 14 miles away. The only way that
they could get here was to walk You will see large
flag stones at the side of the path along the way,
where the coffin would be laid down for the weary
pallbearers to take a short rest. It could take up
to two day, with an over night stop, they laid the
corpse in the ‘Deadhouse’ near low row,
which can still be seen, but is now just a ruin.
To the East of Keld are the villages of Thwaite, Muker,
Gunnerside & Reeth, all close by, with the pretty
village of Muker set at the foot of Kisdon hill. The
stunning drive (or walk) over Butter Tubs Pass to
Hawes is breathtaking, with wonderful panoramic views.
To the North, the precarious road to Tan Hill is only
4 miles way, but is not for the faint hearted. To
the West lies the town of Kirkby Stephen, passing
through the small village of Nateby.
Keld is a great place to base yourself with access
to the Lake District, the North East, or just to enjoy
the many pretty dales villages located in Swaledale,
Wensleydale & Wharfedale. |
