Fremington Edge and Calver Hill from Reeth
Two dales for the price of one. You run the whole 2.5km of Fremington Edge with Swaledale below you, then finish over Calver Hill, which has the best 360-degree view in the district for very little extra effort.
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A 15.8km loop from Reeth village green over the full length of Fremington Edge, down through the old lead workings above Booze into Arkengarthdale, and back over the 490m summit of Calver Hill.
Two dales for the price of one. You run the whole 2.5km of Fremington Edge with Swaledale below you, then finish over Calver Hill, which has the best 360-degree view in the district for very little extra effort.
The route
From the green, cross Arkle Beck and run up through High Fremington to the foot of the escarpment. What follows is the steepest thing on the route and it arrives early: roughly 200m of climb in 600m, zig-zagging through bracken and the old chert quarry workings. It is hands-on-knees steep and nobody runs it. The reward is the top of Fremington Edge at around 450m and 2.5km of high, exposed ridge with a drystone wall for company and Swaledale dropping away to the south.
The mining ground
At Fell End the route swings west into the most heavily worked ground in Swaledale, at the head of Slei Gill above the hamlet of Booze. Hushes scoured out of the hillside by released water, spoil heaps, the remains of lead levels. Take the warnings seriously here: there are open and poorly capped shafts close to the path and no good reason to leave it. The descent is loose and stony, dropping past Storthwaite Hall to Arkle Beck at Arkle Town, the low point of the day at around 250m.
Calver Hill
The second half is a completely different route. A steady moor track climbs west onto Reeth Low Moor as far as Fore Gill Gate, then the line turns back east and traverses the flank of Calver Hill on faint, tussocky ground with bog in the hollows. The final pull to the 490m summit cairn is short, steep and slippery underfoot, and it is the high point of the day in both senses: Swaledale on one side, Arkengarthdale on the other. From there it is a fast descent over Riddings Rigg and down the walled Skelgate Lane into Reeth.
Getting there
Reeth is compact and everything you need sits around the green. The Little White Bus service 30 runs from Richmond Monday to Saturday, and DalesBus 831 comes direct from Darlington station on summer Sundays, which makes this one of the few Swaledale routes you can do without a car.
Fremington Edge, Slei Gill and the ground above Booze are riddled with open and poorly capped lead and chert mine shafts and loose spoil, so stay on the path. The traverse of Calver Hill's western flank is close to trackless and needs a compass in cloud. Arkengarthdale and Reeth Low Moor are managed grouse moors with shooting from 12 August, and access land can be restricted at short notice - check the Natural England map before you go.
Safety on this route
- No signal? Text 999 — pre-register first: text register to 999
- Tell someone your route and expected return time before you head out
Leave No Trace
- Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories.
- Please respect the countryside and all its inhabitants.
- Dogs on leads near livestock, and around ground-nesting birds from March to July.
- Gates as you find them — open or closed, leave it that way for the farmer and the next runner.
- Take it all home — wrappers, peel, tissue, the lot. It doesn't count as biodegradable if you can still see it.
- Stick to the path where the ground either side is wet, planted, or nesting habitat.
Common questions
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