Cautley Spout Height approximately 200m

The Spout tumbles in a series of four major falls as the

waters of Red Gill Beck and Swere Gill Beck plunge over
the edge of Cautley Crags into Cautley Holme Beck. It is
said to be England's highest waterfall above ground but
some dispute this, arguing that it is a cascade fall. The
longest single drop is 76m.
3. (SD 693 968) To shorten the walk, continue straight
ahead to pick up your earlier footpath, cross the bridge over
the River Rawthey and return to your car.
Turn left over Cautley Holme Beck and follow the
footpath up to the right of the beck to Cautley Spout.
(There is a better view of the main falls from lower
down the fell, but as you climb higher the view back
down the valley is quite amazing). Return back down
the same path then bear left alongside the river to return
across the bridge to your car.
Englands highest waterfall and the most
dramatic fell scenery in the Howgills.
As Cautley Spout tumbles from
the dark and sinister Cautley Crags it
provides a spectacular backdrop for an
ancient settlement and burial cairn.
Two small streams need to be forded.
The best walk from
Cautley
Map: Ordnance Survey OL19
Total Climb: 435 metres 1,427 feet
Average Time: 4 hours
Distance: 10 kilometres 6.2 miles
This walk can easily be shortened to 7km with 211m total climb.
Enjoy your walk, but for your own safety, please:
Ensure you have a reasonable level of fitness.
Choose a clear day with good visibility.
Take an OS map and compass for additional reference.
Wear strong boots and protective clothing.
Keep to the footpaths, but avoid disturbing livestock or crops.
Sedbergh / Dentdale
Area
Looking back down the glacial valley from Cautley Spout
The low falls
Wingspan
115-130cm
Fell Ponies To 142.2cm (14 hands )
Our native fell ponies have been on the
Cumbrian fells for hundreds of years, helping
with transportation, agriculture and defence.
They are placid, sure-footed creatures, strong
enough to carry heavy loads and hardy
enough to withstand the cold winters on the
fells. The lack of walls and fences on the
Howgills provides largely unenclosed grazing
for these semi-wild ponies.
Iron Age Settlement
Two thousand years ago, a simple
farming community grew crops
and grazed livestock on the valley
floor beneath
Cautley Spout.
Thei r homes
(probably made from a stone base and thatched roof) and
small yards would have been enclosed within a perimeter
wall. To see the remains of the settlement, continue past the
interpretation panel, cross a small stream, then look on a small grassy hill to the right of
the path . Note the good 3m wide stone-edged track that these ancient farmers
built leading from the settlement to the falls. The ruins of a sheepfold built by
medieval farmers can also be seen over parts of the settlement.
Sparrowhawk
Start of the falls
Meadow pipit 14.5cm Skylark 18cm Wheatear 15cm
Swaledale sheep
Betony
To 50cm
Jun-Sept
Water
forget-me-not
To 14cm May-Sept
1.00
Cautley

Joan Bryden
Settlement
Cautley Crags Yarlside
Cautley Barrow
A Bronze Age (circa 2499-500
BC) burial cairn of loose stone.
By the end of the Bronze Age,
bodies would have been
cremated and later, during the
Iron Age they were often just
dumped in rivers or lakes. The
cairn can just be seen on a small
grassy hill to the left of the path as
you approach the falls.
Burial cairn
Raven
This walk was written in good faith, but please be aware that rights of way, signposts, buildings etc may
be changed. There might be unfenced steep drops, and after heavy rain, becks can be impassable, paths
boggy and rocks very slippery. No outdoor walking is without risk. You are solely responsible for your
own safety and that of your family. Please ensure children dont take any risks in order to tick a box.
Wild Card Discovery Walks Joan Bryden 2009 Latest revision 2012 All rights reserved
Published by Joan Bryden, 2 Rural Workshops, Burrow, Carnforth, LA6 2RL
www.wildcardwalks.co.uk Walks Greetings Cards Photos
Wingspan
60-75cm
summer
Printed under a personal licence.
Not for re-sale or distribution.
Rawthey Bridge
Built in 1822 to replace one
commissioned by Elizabeth 1 in 1585, it
marked the old boundary between the
counties of Westmorland and Yorkshire.
Unfortunately a nearby stone circle was
destroyed for some of the building stone. There is a small carved face on the
west wall. About half a mile upstream is Rawthey Cave believed to be a
Bronze Age burial cave. Wolf remains were found upon excavation in 1997.
Cross Keys Temperance Inn
The original building dates back to
the late 16th century and used to be a
farmhouse called High Haygarth. In
the mid 17th century the farmhouse
was owned by Colonel Benson,
Mayor of Kendal, who had turned
against state religion and joined the
Westmorland Seekers. He became an
early supporter of George Fox since his visit to speak to the Seekers in 1652. A
year later the Colonels first wife gave birth to a son whilst being imprisoned in
York for heckling a priest. She died a few years later and was buried in the
garden at High Haygarth - now probably underneath the dining room! The
initials above the door refer to John and Agnes Howgill who later owned the
farmhouse. The building became an inn shortly after 1819 when the road was
built. In 1902 the landlord drowned in the River Rothay after attempting to
escort a drunken customer home. The inn
was then sold to a Mrs Buck, who sold it
on to a Mrs Bunney and its liquor license
was removed. Mrs Bunney left the Inn to
the National Trust in 1949 on condition
it remains a Temperance Inn.
1. (Grid Ref: SD 698 969) Start at the parking area
by the Cross Keys Inn, Cautley. Leave the parking
area along the footpath signed, Cautley Spout. Cross
the bridge and soon take a smaller path off to your right.
Follow this path to a beck, which needs to be forded
above a small waterfall. Once over Backside Beck, pass
through the gate and make your way up to Narthwaite
Farm. Walk through the farmyard and take the right-
hand bridleway to pass below the farmhouse along a
good track. Leave the track when it makes a sharp right-
hand bend and go straight ahead through an arrowed
gate to walk over the field to another small beck which
needs to be forded. If this beck is too high to cross, I suggest you
return to the small bridge which you will just have passed. Please
note that this is not a public right of way, so only use it in
emergencies! After crossing the bridge, turn left and walk to the stile
in the far left corner of the field * . If you forded the beck,
follow the small path up through the trees to the left of
the wall and cross the stile. Continue straight ahead to
the next stile *. Follow the path through lovely
woodland and flower meadows to a footbridge over the
River Rawthey. Cross to the road.
2. (SD 713 979) Turn right along the road. Soon after
crossing Rawthey Bridge look out for a gated track off
to your left. * Follow this good track for about 45
minutes, keeping right when it forks, until it becomes
surfaced at the buildings of Bluecaster Side. Continue
for a further 5 minutes until a signposted bridleway on
your right drops you down beside a row of trees to the
A683. Cross the road and immediately take the footpath
towards Cautley Spout. Cross a lovely 18th-c bridge,
then continue along the path until you reach a wooden
footbridge over Cautley Holme Beck. Cross the bridge.
The River Rawthey
Flows from the summit of Baugh Fell
to join the River Lune at Sedbergh.
Tormentil
Low creeper May-Sept
Ramsons
(wild garlic) To 35cm
Marsh
thistle
To 1.5m.
White or pink
flowers
Jul-Sept
Herb
Robert
To 30cm
Apr-Oct
Dipper
18cm
Flies low
over streams
in search of
insects.
Harebell
To 40cm Jul-Oct
Cuckoo flower
To 50cm Apr-Jun
Yarlside Kensgriff Randygill
Top
Cautley Crags
Narthwaite Farm
Meadow
brown on
knapweed
Wingspan 50mm
Jun-Aug
Birds-
foot
trefoil
Creeping
May-Sept
Buzzard
Wingspan 115-130cm
Meadowsweet
To 1.25m Jun-Sept
Self-heal
To 20cm Jun-Oct
Bluebell
To 50cm Apr-Jun
The Eastern Howgills from Bluecaster Old Road
The Bluecaster Old Road was the main road between Sedbergh and Kirkby
Stephen before a lower road was built in 1819 (now the A 683) and this old
track is even believed to have Roman origins. Now it makes a wonderful
grassy promenade with fantastic views across to Cautley Spout and the eastern
Howgills. The Howgills owe their rounded shapes to a composition made up
largely of a hard sandstone, Coniston Grit which is resistant to weathering. In
contrast, Cautley Crags is made up of the dark shales of the Upper Ordivician
age. The bowl-shaped hollow beneath the crags is called a corrie and was
gouged out by glacial ice.
If you cant get parked beside the Cross Keys, travel north for
1.7 km (1 mile ) and use the good parking area near Rawthey
Bridge. Turn left out of the park and look out for a gated track
off to the right. Continue the walk from the * in stage 2.
Cautley woodland clearing by a fish trap (Middle English and Old English)