Keld Voyage Tips and guide

Keld is a tiny village in North Yorkshire, near the head of the valley of the River Swale in the Yorkshire Dales. The river cascades down from the Pennines in a series of waterfalls, and several long-distance hiking trails pass through.

In the 19th century Swaledale had a lead mining industry, which collapsed and the valley became depopulated. Keld nowadays has a population of about 200.

54.4054-2.16651 Keld Resource Centre is the visitor information centre in the former schoolhouse, open daily 9AM-9PM. There are public toilets next door.

54°24′18″N 2°10′12″W

Map of Keld

B6270 ascends the valley from near Richmond to Muker, Thwaite and Keld, then crosses the moor to Nateby and Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria.

A lane from Hawes in Wensleydale crosses Buttertubs Pass to join B6270 at Thwaite.

From the south leave A1(M) at Catterick and follow A6055 west to come onto B6270. The valley roads stay open in all but the worst winter weather. If snow falls, the moor roads are lower priority for the snowplough.

Little White Bus 30 runs up the valley twice M-Sa from the supermarket at Catterick Garrison via Richmond, Reeth, Gunnerside, Muker and Thwaite, taking an hour to Keld.

The village sights are all within hiking distance.

• 54.408819-2.1817611 Wain Wath Force is the uppermost waterfall, half-a-mile west of the village. The drop is about 5 ft. "Force" is from the Old Norse foss, a waterfall; "wath" is Anglo-Saxon for a ford, and "wain" is Anglo-Saxon for a farm cart. So this was an old route to cross the river and trudge up the side valley of Stonedale: the modern lane crosses by a bridge 100 yards downstream.
• 54.4099-2.17442 Currack Force is often overlooked, as it's on Stonedale Beck just before that joins the River Swale. Follow the lane across the bridge, ascend the hairpin bend then strike out over the field.
• Catrake Force is by Rukin's Campsite (below). It's in four steps, with the largest a 20 ft drop.
• 54.40615-2.1617193 East Gill Force is where the East Gill stream plunges into the river. The upper falls are a 15 ft drop, the lower are cascades totalling 10 ft.
• 54.403986-2.1572944 Kisdon Force is a double cascade of 33 ft. Canoeists can expect a lumpy ride as the upper falls are Grade IV difficulty and the lower falls are Grade V.
• 54.4031-2.14585 Crackpot Hall sounds more fun than it is. It was an 18th farmhouse that also served as offices for the Beldi Hill Lead Mine, long abandoned, and mining subsidence ruined the building. It had a spell of fame in the 1930s when the author Ella Pontefract (1896-1945) described a 4 year old feral child living here.

Maps: use OS Landranger 91 (1:50,000) "Appleby" for Keld and north, and 98 "Wensleydale" for Thwaite and south; or OS Outdoor Leisure 30 (1:25,000) "Yorkshire Dales Northern & Central".

• The Pennine Way is a hiking trail from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders. The local section is a soggy slog from Hawes in Wharfedale over Great Shunner Fell (716 m / 2349 ft) to Thwaite. It follows the Swale valley to Keld then continues north up Stonedale to Tan Hill Inn (below), thence across the Durham moors.
• Coast to Coast is a trail from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hoods Bay near Scarborough. Stage 8 is from Kirkby Stephen to Keld, Stage 9 to Reeth, and stage 10 to Richmond.
• Herriot Way is a four day circuit of the area where Alf Wight (aka James Herriot, 1916-95) practiced as a vet. It takes in Keld, Reeth, Aysgarth and Hawes.

• Keld Green Cafe is next to Keld Lodge. It's open M & Th 11AM-4PM, F-Su 9AM-4PM.
• Rukin's Campsite has a tea-shop and a few provisions.

• 54.4555-2.16031 Tan Hill Inn, Long Causeway, Reeth DL11 6ED, ☏ +44 1833 533007, [email protected]. Britain’s highest public house, at 1732 feet. It's on the lane from Reeth across the moors to Kirkby Stephen, at the intersection with the Pennine Way. It has live music and rooms, and is sometimes snowed in. (updated Oct 2025)

• 54.4039-2.16771 Keld Lodge, Keld DL11 6LL, ☏ +44 1748 886259. Pleasant hotel in a Victorian shooting lodge, open April-Oct with good dining. B&B double £130. (updated Oct 2025)
• Butt House, Keld DL11 6LJ (by bus stop and Keld Lodge), ☏ +44 1748 886374, [email protected]. Comfy welcoming B&B. (updated Oct 2025)
• 54.4065-2.16722 Rukin's Campsite, Park Lodge, Keld Lane DL11 6LJ, ☏ +44 1748 886274, [email protected]. Good trad campsite open April-Sep. No bookings or groups. Adult £12 ppn. (updated Oct 2025)
• 54.4087-2.17563 Keld Bunk Barn & Yurts, Park House, Keld DL11 6LN, ☏ +44 1748 886549. Comfy yurts after a long day hiking the Mongolian steppes or wherever. (updated Oct 2025)
• 54.4235-2.16934 Frith Lodge, Keld DL11 6EB, ☏ +44 1748 886489. Great reviews for this B&B in a renovated 300 year old farmhouse, open April-Sep. (updated Oct 2025)
• 54.3955-2.17335 Greenlands, Angram Lane, Keld DL11 6DY, ☏ +44 1748 886532. Smart B&B in an old farmhouse open April-Sep. B&B double £125. (updated Oct 2025)
• Keartons is a small hotel in Thwaite village.
• Usha Gap is a campsite midway between Thwaite and Muker.

As of Oct 2025, Keld, Thwaite and the valley roads have no mobile signal from any UK carrier. Individual premises may have cable broadband.

• Richmond 25 miles east has a fine Georgian centre, but is socked in by military accommodation and facilities.
• Hawes 9 miles south is in Wensleydale, where the cheese is made.