Riggs Cottage Holiday Let

Riggs Cottage Holiday Let La'l Riggs is a converted outbuilding, sitting at the foot of Stainmore and surrounded by fields and fells.

It provides an ideal base for walking and exploring the North Pennines National Landscape, the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District.

We managed to squeeze in the 13 mile walk from Orton to Kirkby Stephen yesterday, ready for our 3 day trek tomorrow from...
05/09/2026

We managed to squeeze in the 13 mile walk from Orton to Kirkby Stephen yesterday, ready for our 3 day trek tomorrow from KS to Richmond. It was a bit gloomy and wet crossing Orton fell, but we were cheered up by finding our favourite flapjacks in the Fell Fridge 😃
By the time we reached Smardale bridge the sun had come out, and it was a lovely, mostly sunny walk up to Smardale fell, with views of Smardale Gill viaduct in the distance.
Then, downhill towards Kirkby Stephen, in the beautiful, peaceful Upper Eden Valley, with views of the North Pennines in the distance. It really made us appreciate how lucky we are to live here!

Day 5: Burnbanks to Orton. First stop, the honesty box for delicious flapjacks. This was a really lovely walk across und...
29/08/2026

Day 5: Burnbanks to Orton. First stop, the honesty box for delicious flapjacks. This was a really lovely walk across undulating farmland and windy fells, with ancient cobbled packhorse bridges to cross along the way. We stopped for lunch at Shap Abbey, a peaceful place that's worth a visit. Eventually, we came across the boulder, which is considered so important that it's marked on the map! Then, down into Orton where, in the distance, we could see Wainwright's sleeping elephants - the Howgill fells - which will be part of our next walk into Kirkby Stephen. 13 miles today.
ps We stopped for tea at The Mardale Inn, a community run pub at St Patrick’s Well, Bampton. Can't recommend it enough! Delicious food, characterful pub. Perfect end to a perfect day.

Day 4, from Patterdale to Burnbanks. I can't really think what to say about this one! It was possibly a bit less dramati...
29/08/2026

Day 4, from Patterdale to Burnbanks. I can't really think what to say about this one! It was possibly a bit less dramatic in terms of scenery, with longer stretches of ascents and descents. The route took us up past Angle Tarn and then down to Haweswater. In the distance we could see the terrain becoming flatter - on our next walk we'd be leaving the Lakeland fells behind. 10 miles completed.

Day 3b: two walks in one week! We're under pressure now to complete up to Day 7 before early September, when we have two...
04/08/2026

Day 3b: two walks in one week! We're under pressure now to complete up to Day 7 before early September, when we have two nights booked for our Kirkby Stephen to Richmond leg.

Leaving Grasmere it was uphill from the word go, and we were very happy to stop for lunch by Grisedale Tarn. It was cold up there! There was a group of wild campers there, and also in the distance several groups of walkers heading up to Striding Edge, so it didn't have the same remote feel today, our first weekend day.

As we came down the valley we passed a couple of what would once have been remote Lakeland farms, now converted to holiday lets. And then our first view of Ullswater: just so blue and incredibly beautiful. Dropping down into Patterdale, we ended our walk how it should always be ended: in a lovely sunny b**r garden with a glass of something cold in our hand.

Day 3a: we decided to split Day 3 in two because, although we elderly adults felt fit and raring to go after doing 16 mi...
04/08/2026

Day 3a: we decided to split Day 3 in two because, although we elderly adults felt fit and raring to go after doing 16 miles, Nellie was lame the next day!

Leaving Rosthwaite, it was a slightly less gentle uphill climb towards Lining Crag. We stopped for lunch at the foot of the crag and, seeing a tiny little dot at the top, we realised we had a steep climb ahead of us. The view from up here was absolutely beautiful!

Then, downhill along a flagged path across the boggy bits, and into farmland and civilisation - the contrast seemed stronger this time - and into Grasmere, which was almost a culture shock, as it was so busy and bustling with tourists and walkers.

Just 6 miles today, and it felt too short 😬

No Coast to Coast posts for ages, and then three come along at once!First up is Day 2, Ennerdale Bridge to Rosthwaite, a...
04/08/2026

No Coast to Coast posts for ages, and then three come along at once!

First up is Day 2, Ennerdale Bridge to Rosthwaite, a distance of 16 miles, which we did back in June. It was amazing. Starting off alongside Ennerdale Water it was a kind and gentle incline all the way up to the beautiful Black Sail hostel, where we stopped for lunch. But looking ahead, with high fells on three sides, we kept thinking: there has to be a way out of here, and it can only be straight up.

And it was. Steeply uphill all the way to the top, with the added bonus of rain and wind after a morning of sunshine and calm. At the top though it started to clear, and then it was downhill all the way, through the Honister Pass into stunningly beautiful Seatoller: lush, green, ancient woodland, almost silent except for the birds and the sound of the beck.

Day one on the Coast to Coast! Although we're not genuine Coast to Coasters as we'll need to walk it over quite a few mo...
08/05/2026

Day one on the Coast to Coast! Although we're not genuine Coast to Coasters as we'll need to walk it over quite a few months, not having the time or the money to do it all in one go ☹️
Starting out at beautiful St Bees, we found the coastal path - also part of the King Charles III Coast walk - closed, due to erosion. No mention of this anywhere on the Internet, and the C2C has only just opened as a national trail! So we had to follow a low level detour instead of taking in the high coastal views, and we probably did closer to 10 miles rather than the expected 14.
But anyway. It was amazing! We loved it! Walking to a point instead of turning round and going back, or doing a circular route, really added to the experience. We met other walkers, 3 other groups at one point as we all tried to make sense of the maps when the signs had disappeared.
We were really sad at the end that we weren't stopping over and carrying on the next day. Got in Car 2, drove back to St Bees to pick up Car 1, and then home to study the map and plan for the next one 😃

A warm, sunny day and a walk to the top of Cautley Spout, England's highest above ground waterfall, and on to The Calf, ...
30/04/2026

A warm, sunny day and a walk to the top of Cautley Spout, England's highest above ground waterfall, and on to The Calf, the highest point on the Howgill fells - what could be better! A walker we met at the top said we could see Morecambe bay in the distance. Even Nellie thought the view was worth stopping for!
The last photo shows our way back down - that's the tiny track at the bottom.

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Brough
Kirkby Stephen
CA174DX

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