About 11 miles with around 1450 feet of elevation gain.
A hiker has two options from Keld: the high route and the low route. We of course took the high route, which meant more country roads and fields and moors with some fairly significant ups. We started by walking through Keld (our yurt was on the outskirts).
It seemed like there were perhaps five buildings in all of Keld, so we were quickly back onto country roads and fields.
Soon after the "tractor remains," which are indeed mentioned in the book as a marking point, we continued straight (instead of turning right for the low route).
The high route leads the hiker past Crackpot Hall, one of the local mining ruins.
Up we go...
Onward, through greenery and purple heather and hills...
Looking down toward the ruins of Blakethwaite peat store and smelting mill...
Heading up the other side...
Sheep! Always sheep...
Our next climb took us up to a "wasteland" of old lead mining territory. The area had long been stripped of its vegetation, so walking up along this section, especially in the fog, was a bit eerie.
Greenery eventually returned as the old mining roads sloped downward.
We eventually came to the Old Gang smelting mill, which is a ruin protected by the government (note the please-don't-ruin-the-ruins notice).
From here, it was country roads and moor/field walking gently down into Reeth.
Home for the evening...
Reeth is, as Stedman describes, an "archetypical Yorkshire dales village." It's a fairly good sized town with a bakery, bars, hostels, etc. We bought some food at the local post office/convenience store, but other than that, we didn't do much exploring as we preferred to hang about and rest our legs.
Next post: Hiking Day Nine. Reeth to Richmond.
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