Yorkshire Dales villages - Keld, Swaledale

This is the first in our series of blogs focusing on villages of the Dales that you can visit on one of our walking holidays. We often concentrate on the gorgeous scenery as the main reason to come walking here (and it is, of course, one of the major draws) but the small, traditional, stone  villages are themselves are one of most alluring parts of the Dales landscape, and always a welcome sight at the end (or in the middle!) of a long walk.

The history, the charm and the real sense of community that still exists in the majority of villages makes them a highlight on any visit to the Yorkshire Dales.

Overview

For our first focus, we have chosen the tiny village of Keld, which is one of the overnight stops on our ‘Remote Swaledale and Arkengarthdale’ route.

Tucked away in the far reaches of upper Swaledale, Keld is one of the most remote villages in the Dales (and one of few settlements in the country that still has no mobile phone signal!). It is an exquisite little place, the main part of the village hidden from the main road and accessible only down a steep, narrow, dead-end lane. For somewhere so tiny (there are about 30 buildings and less than 100 residents), it has a surprising number of places of interest in and around the village, and you can easily spend a day exploring the village itself and its immediate vicinity.

Despite its remote location, Keld is well visited by walkers and tourists, particularly as it is the crossing point of two very popular long-distance paths - the Pennine Way and the Coast-to-Coast path. It is also in the heart of some of the Dales most beautiful, varied and interesting scenery, so makes a great starting point for a day walk or just a short stroll, as well as for those on multi-day hikes.

Buildings and history

In one of the most impressive community projects in the Dales, the Keld Resource Centre – a small charitable organisation set up to, in its own words, “preserve and explain the unique heritage and environment of Upper Swaledale for the benefit of the local community, visitors and the rural economy” – owns three grade two listed buildings in the village, which it took custody of from the United Reform Church in order to restore them and put them to use, after they had been deserted since the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak.

These buildings were the former Literary Institute, Manse and School. The stables and carriage room of the Literary Institute have been turned into the tiny but excellent Countryside and Heritage centre, which has displays about the history of the village including hill farming, local people, lead mining, vernacular architecture, wildlife conservation and the history of the chapel buildings. You can also pick up pamphlets about walks to take around the village. They have also created a well-being garden by the chapel and a community orchard in an abandoned allotment.

About a mile outside the village along an excellent footpath, you can visit the ruins of Crackpot Hall. Dating from the 18th century, it is thought the hall was originally a shooting lodge, then a game-keepers lodge and finally a farm, before being abandoned in the 1950s due to subsidence caused by the mining in the surrounding hills. It is the situation of Crackpot Hall that makes it really special – sitting in an elevated position in Keld Gorge it has stunning views down upper Swaledale.

Local walks

As interesting as the village itself is, it is its situation that really draws the visitors. Keld sits on the edge of a gorge in the River Swale that is home to a series of cascades above and below the village.

Waterfalls

The ‘Keld Waterfalls Walk’ is a 3 mile route taking in the six falls with public access around the village. Pamphlets with walk instructions can be picked up in the Heritage Centre. It starts with visits to the less well-known falls of Hoggarth’s Leap, a ‘wedding cake’ type waterfall of several steps, and the double falls of Catrake Force. They are reached by a permissive path through the campsite at the bottom of the village. Heading back through the village, a short section of road walking along the main Swaledale road (although you are unlikely to meet a huge amount of traffic) takes you to Wain Wath Force, a beautiful spot and great for a picnic, a paddle or even a swim in the pool below the falls.

You then follow a clear track along the far side of the Swale, heading back towards the village until you reach beautiful East Gill Force (a popular spot that falls on the route of both the Coast-to-Coast and the Pennine Way). Crossing back onto the Keld side of the river, a short detour (and a small scramble) takes you to the gorgeous and secluded upper and lower Kisdon Force (another option for a dip if you’re feeling brave!), before you retrace your steps and follow a clear path back into the village.

Keld gorge and Muker

The undeniably popular but stunning circuit of Keld Gorge to the charming village of Muker has a number of variations but our favourite takes the higher level route along the slopes of Kisdon Hill on the south side of the River Swale to drop down into Muker and then returns through Muker’s famous hay meadows and along the north banks of the river before detouring up Swinner Gill to loop around to the ruins of Crackpot Hall, which have a stunning setting with views back down the valley.  It is a route of about 6.5 miles and the Farmers Arms in Muker makes a great lunch stop half way through!

Refreshments

Keld was a ‘dry village’ from the 1950s when the Temperance Society purchased the village pub and closed it down but, fortunately, in 2007 new owners took over the building right at the top of the village on the main Swaledale road (after the Youth Hostel previously occupying it closed down) and opened Keld Lodge, a hotel and restaurant with bar that effectively functions as the village pub.

Ruskins campsite at the very bottom of the village runs a small shop and café when the site is open (Easter to October) for snacks, ice cream etc. Out of season, the people of Keld, in another indication of the great community spirit in the village, have set up an honesty box café in the Public Hall/Reading Room, where you can help yourself to cups of coffee, tea or juice and a choice of bakes made by people in the village. Payment is by way of donation into the honesty box and the room is a cosy spot for a stop, with plenty of chairs, pamphlets, books and, on cooler days, a roaring fire in the stove!

If you would like to visit Keld – or any other parts of the Yorkshire Dales – on a Muddy Boots Walking Holiday, please do get in touch.