Lyvennet Valley Walk

A closed loop of 6 miles (9.5 km), measured as the full circuit back to the start in Crosby Ravensworth. Allow 3 to 4 hours, with about 3.5 hours a fair point estimate. Difficulty is medium.

The walk begins at the village bus shelter and information point. Leave the village past St Lawrence's church on the footpath for Holme Bridge, cross the beck and bridge, then follow the signed path toward Crosby Lodge. From there the route crosses the River Lyvennet on footbridges and continues on tracks and field paths into the upper valley, skirting Crosby Gill nature reserve and a deer park wall. The return passes the King's Well, the Wicker Street cairn and the Ewe Locks Settlement, then follows the road back to the village.

This is limestone grassland with scattered birch and ash woodland, opening out as the path climbs onto Crosby Ravensworth Common. The Lyvennet itself is a limestone-fed tributary, and the valley is known botanically for plants such as bird's-eye primrose and grass-of-Parnassus. Ewe Locks Settlement is a Romano-British native settlement and farmstead with medieval shielings nearby.

The climb onto the common is gradual rather than steep. The work is in the surface and the route-finding rather than the gradient:

Carry a map and be confident reading it if visibility is uncertain.

• Wet, soft ground in places, especially in the valley bottom and on the common
• Field paths, gates and stiles rather than continuous waymarked track
• Navigation can be tricky in mist or poor light on the open ground

There is a small parking area in Crosby Ravensworth opposite the village hall, between the telephone box and the bus shelter. The village has a pub, so plan to carry what you need for the circuit.

The walk follows public rights of way, including paths through fields with livestock, so keep dogs on a lead around stock. From March through July, keep dogs on a short lead to protect ground-nesting birds. Much of the land is privately owned and grazed, so stay on the rights of way and close gates behind you.

The King Charles II monument is not part of the stored loop. It is a separate there-and-back diversion of about three quarters of a mile, added on top of the 6 mile figure. Navigation on the open ground can be tricky in poor conditions, so treat it as an extra for a clear day.

The payoff is varied valley walking with historic and natural interest. The main loop has wet ground in places, field paths with livestock and route-finding that needs care in poor conditions, and the monument spur remains an optional there-and-back addition rather than part of the circuit.