Last updated 16:26, Tuesday, 08 July 2008

Enough of all this climbing, it’s time for a gentle stroll through farmland. Vivienne Crow is your guide.

Country idyll: Horses grazing near Ivegill, with the Northern Fells in the background

MAP: OS Explorer map OL5.

START: The walk starts from Christ Church in Ivegill (GR NY419433). There is a small, off-road parking area beside the church, but please avoid this when services are scheduled.

REFRESHMENTS: High Head Sculpture Valley tearoom.

DISTANCE: 4.1 miles

TOTAL ascent: 443ft

TIME: About two hours

GRADE: Easy

OVERVIEW: The rolling farmland just to the north-east of the National Park boundary makes for lovely walking in the early summer.

The fields are an almost surreal shade of green, the trees are fully clothed after their long winter nakedness and the air is alive with the sound of birdsong. This gentle, relaxing stroll starts from the quiet village of Ivegill and heads out in the general direction of Highbridge, before returning via the River Ive.

The paths, although muddy close to the start, are easy to follow thanks to a network of well-maintained stiles. About two-thirds of the way through the walk, you pass close to High Head Sculpture Valley, a good place to stop for coffee or a light lunch.

THE WALK: Turn right along the road to walk down through Ivegill. When the road swings sharp left, go through a metal gate on your right – between two bungalows. It is not signposted, but rest assured this is a public right of way. The grassy track leads to a gate, beyond which you keep close to the top of the steep embankment over to your right.

Drop down the slope at the far end of this fenced area and through a kissing-gate (0.35 miles from the start). Turn left across a footbridge, and then bear left to pick up an overgrown, tree-lined bridleway next to the fence on the right. This track is very muddy in its early stages. Keep right beyond the next gate, so that you are walking between two fences.

You climb slightly, soon gaining your first decent sighting of the Northern Fells to the south-west. A little way after the next gate, be careful not to head into the field through the gap straight ahead; instead, turn sharp left to continue along the fenced bridleway.

Having twisted and turned a few times, and gone through some more gates, the bridleway comes out at a junction of routes near a fingerpost (one mile from the start). Turn right here, along a clear, broad track. When this goes over to concrete, ignore the turning on your right and continue straight ahead. Walk through the farmyard and pass Sewell House on your right to gain access to an asphalt lane.

About 200 yards beyond the buildings, turn right through a farm gate (signpost reads: “Public Footpath Highbridge”). Walk with the fence on your left and then cross a stile in the bottom of the field, turning left to cross another one almost immediately. You now turn right to walk along the edge of the field, close to Curthwaite Beck, always being careful not to damage the crop in the field.

Cross the stile in the next fence you come to and continue in the same direction, alongside the beck. When you reach the next fence, turn left to walk with it on your right for a few yards and then cross it via another stile. You cross the beck via a rickety looking bridge down to the left. Beyond this, head straight up to the metal gates, but don’t go through them; instead, walk with the fence on your right and you will quickly see yet another stile in the fence ahead. Cross this.

The path on the map now cuts straight across the field in a NNW direction, but this would mean trampling through a field of crops. Better to turn left and follow the field boundary. Stick with it when it turns right and you will soon see a line of redundant wooden fenceposts on your left. There is a stile tucked away in the corner below here, but you should ignore this; instead, swing right with the old posts and then continue (ESE) up to a stile (2.35 miles from the start). Cross and turn left to walk with a wooded area on your left.

When you reach the next stile, don’t cross it; instead, turn right along a permissive path running alongside the fence. At the top of the gentle incline, the land to the right opens out and you can see right across to the Northern Fells, including High Pike, Carrock Fell and Blencathra.

Cross the next stile and turn left along the clear track, heading downhill through the woods. The track crosses the River Ive and then swings right to head upstream. Beyond the old farmhouse, the track heads uphill towards High Head Farm. You need to watch carefully for the next stile, which is to the right of the track before you reach High Head (3.15 miles from the start).

If you want to visit the tearoom – and it is worth a visit – just keep walking up the track and you will see the farm shortly after passing the stile. Pass between the shed and the farmhouse to enter a small courtyard and the tearoom is on the right.

Having crossed the stile, you enter the High Head Sculpture Valley. Walk along a grassy trail and then keep left to climb to a gate, beyond which you turn right along a rough vehicle track. Just before this crosses the river, turn left through a small gate. Ignore the path swinging uphill to the left; you need to cross the stile straight ahead. Keep close to the fence on the right, using the duckboards to cross the wet ground. After the next kissing-gate, head straight across the small field. There is a stile to the right of the metal gate next to the farm buildings at Beckside.

Keeping close to the river, you cross more stiles and a plank bridge before reaching the next group of buildings. Go through a large wooden gate next to the ruined stone barn and then through an awkward metal gate (3.6 miles from the start).

After the next kissing-gate, cross straight over the rough ground to a gated gap followed by a narrow bridge. The bridge to the right is the one you crossed early in the walk. Go through the kissing-gate and then swing left to climb the slope and retrace your steps into the village.

POINTS OF INTEREST: High Head was originally a dairy and sheep farm, but Jonathan and Bernadette Stamper decided to diversify after foot and mouth wiped out their stock in 2001.

Some of the land is now used to showcase Jonathan’s artwork. The sculpture valley opened in 2004.