Keld to Reeth
Stage 9 of 16 takes you down the length of Swaledale, the loveliest of the Yorkshire Dales, from the waterfall hamlet of Keld to the green-square village of Reeth. From Keld the path crosses the River Swale beside East Gill Force, where the Coast to Coast briefly shares ground with the Pennine Way, then splits. Wainwright's preferred HIGH ROUTE climbs past the ruined farmhouse of Crackpot Hall into the gorge of Swinner Gill and out across Melbecks and Reeth High Moor, threading the gaunt chimneys, flues and spoil heaps of the Old Gang and Surrender lead-smelt mills that once made these dales among the most heavily industrialised upland landscapes in England. The gentler LOW ROUTE follows the meadow-and-meander riverside through Muker and Gunnerside, with tearooms and pubs en route. Both finish at Reeth, a handsome former lead-mining and market village clustered round a broad green at the mouth of Arkengarthdale. At roughly 11 to 12.5 miles depending on your route choice it is a moderate day, but the high moor is exposed, pathless in places and notoriously boggy, with a long, knee-testing descent into Reeth. The Coast to Coast Path was designated a fully waymarked National Trail in 2026.

Keld to Reeth