The limestone pavements over Orton offer a lovely half day walk with good views. Orton itself is an attractive village however it is the beautiful pavements above that are the key to the walk.
Just off the M6 at Tebay is a fantastic area of limestone pavements over Orton, a pretty village. Orton is on the Coast to Coast walk, the centre of a featureless and remote area of moors that are probably the route’s greatest challenge. However it is the old 13th century church of St James’ which stood out for me on the village, other less cultivated individuals prefer the chocolate factory!
I started walking on a misty day to explore the two well known scars (Orton & Great Asby) from Orton. Following a steepish climb through some fields it was not long before I broke on to the exposed limestone. As this is access land I just headed off on to the vast rocky pavement wherever looked easiest. This led unsurprisingly to the highest ground on both Orton and Great Asby Scars. On Orton Scar there is a monument for Queen Victoria’s jubilee, whilst a cairn adorns the higher land on Great Asby. However it is the pleasure of walking on the pavements which make the walk satisfying and very different. I am led to believe the views are a second major attraction but not on the day I was up! Apologies for the not very good photos.
There are some dry stone walls running across the pavements. Please do not climb over them as there are some suitable gates if you search close enough.
The limestone pavements on Great Asby Scar make it very difficult to navigate. There are some landrover tracks which help but basically it is pick your way. There is no convenient right of way so the main problem is finding access through the stone walls. Start on the bridleway then after two hundred metres bear right.
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