Reeth to Richmond
Stage 10 of 16 on the Coast to Coast Path (St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay), this is the gentle, green farewell to the Yorkshire Dales. Leaving the broad green of Reeth, the route crosses Arkle Beck and follows lower Swaledale eastwards above the fast-flowing River Swale, often called England's fastest-flowing river, said to rise 3 m (10 ft) in twenty minutes after heavy rain. It passes the riverside ruins of Marrick Priory, a Benedictine nunnery, and climbs the medieval flagged Nuns' Steps through Steps Wood to the hamlet of Marrick. Quiet field and farm paths lead on through sleepy Marske, then up onto the wooded shelf below Applegarth Scar and through Whitcliffe Wood, the day's high ground, before a final descent to Richmond. After days of high fells and bog, this is a short, mostly easy day of about 10.5 miles (16.9 km), though field paths can be muddy and there is no shop, pub or reliable water between Reeth and Richmond, so it pays to carry refreshments. The reward is Richmond itself: the largest town on the whole walk, with its towering Norman castle, vast cobbled marketplace and a full spread of services to resupply and rest. The Coast to Coast Path was designated a fully waymarked National Trail in 2026.

Reeth to Richmond