High Cup Nick
Walk date – 6th August 2025
Distance – 7.4 miles
Weather – dry, overcast with occasional sunshine, cool and constant wind
This week’s weather, so far, has been unpleasant. Monday’s storm gave us gale force winds and torrential rain, on Tuesday we had equally strong winds but no rain, so I suppose that today’s forecast for lighter winds and no rain, in comparison to what we’ve been having, was correct. However, today’s wind was constant and cool in nature although it did remain dry. The indications were that the northern and eastern fells would offer more chance of success in the sunshine department than would the southern and western ones although cloud and haze would be prevalent everywhere. So we decided to stick with the northern and eastern option and take a walk up to High Cup Nick which we last visited in 2017, just a week short of eight years ago. We did get some very occasional sunshine but for the most part it remained cloudy and quite windy and the wind-proofs remained on throughout the walk.
Route
Out and back from Bow Hall (Dufton) to High Cup Nick
We drove over to Dufton and rather than walk the three quarters of a mile along the tarmac road leading to Bow Hall farm we drove up and parked off road beside the wall around Bow Hall where there is limited space for about half a dozen tidily parked cars. For anyone choosing to walk up the road Bow Hall appeared to be continuing its usual custom of providing cold drinks and snacks, in return for payment via the honesty box, all of which is placed on the grass verge at the entrance to the residence. The view above was taken as we walked the few paces from our parked car to begin our walk over part of the Pennine Way. A couple of female walkers had just disappeared into the dip in the track ahead. They were the first arrivals at the parking area and were just preparing to start out as we arrived. They were walking very slowly and we eventually overtook them even though we were trying not to. The cloudy skies you see in the shot stayed with us pretty much for the entire walk and the puddles in the track are the results of Monday’s heavy rain.
A hill named Gregory, no Hill, Pike or any other designation after its name, from the track alongside Dodd Hill. Although neither are named on our route map they are indicated on it by their heights which are 380 metres and 370 metres respectively.
The view ahead from the track alongside Dodd Hill, which climbs steadily but relentlessly until reaching the upper level of High Cup Nick, .
We have rounded the bend in the track and are now on the part of it which is below Peeping Hill. The shot above is looking back towards Dufton Pike.
The track continues to climb steadily and eventually we arrive at this gate which could be confusing for dog owners. First of all perhaps it would be better placed at the beginning of the Pennine Way so that dog owners could be forewarned. The notice itself is confusing in that on the left side of it states that no dogs are allowed, yet on the right side it states that dogs must be kept on short leads. So which is it? Not being dog owners ourselves none of it applied and we passed through the gate into the former quarry area.
You can walk through the middle of the old quarry but we used the path over towards the left of the shot which explains the little kink on our route map just above the Peeping Hill wording. On our return leg we dropped down through the middle of the quarry just to vary our route a little.
Looking down into the heart of the quarry as we use the path going above it. On our return leg we used the path dropping down from the top of the quarry and went through the middle of it.
A wall of limestone with spoil below it as we passed above the quarry.
Another view of the old quarry and this time with the backdrop of Murton Pike in the distance.
Beyond the quarry we were on open moorland with nothing to shield us from the constant breezes.
The track is clear to see but there are marker cairns all the way along. The far side of Murton Fell has come into view. Below Murton Fell is High Cup Nick which is still not in view.
A look back across a hazy and cloudy Eden Valley as we reached a more level area but …..
….. there is still a bit more climbing ahead of us. We are beginning to see Whin Sill along the slopes of Murton Fell. Whin Sill is the line of columns of igneous rock some distance below the skyline of Murton Fell.
More cairns appears as we walk the flatter ground although in places the track rises and falls as the land undulates above High Cup Nick.
At this point we had a view of High Cup Nick so out came the camera!
Over to our left was Narrowgate Beacon but we didn’t bother to go over and climb it. Our walk of 26 March 2018 to Great Rundale Tarn will give some idea of the bleakness to be experienced up there as both of them share the same flat topped and very soggy area.
Quick, get the camera out, a patch of weak sunlight has landed on High Cup Nick!
The path leads us up to a higher level path between Narrowgate Beacon and High Cup Nick where …..
….. a waymarker with a yellow arrow painted on it points the way. Its a bit superfluous really as the path is clear to see and turning down to the right would precipitate a fall of several hundred feet into the bottom of High Cup Nick.
Along the way we came across this series of little waterfalls which appeared to be coming from the direction of Hannah’s Well which is not indicated on our route map but which emanates from the hillside below Narrowgate Beacon. A very wet, muddy and rocky section of the path lay beyond.
The rim of High Cup Nick is now in our view …..
….. as are the various columns of rock on the side we are walking across.
The rock feature known as Nichol Chair. See our walk of 13 August 2017 for the story giving rise to the name. I compared the photos of it from that walk and this and couldn’t see any signs of weather erosion but then I only have this view of it so who knows what’s going on around the other side of it.
Directly opposite is the entry point for High Cup gill. The darker coloured rocks at the top indicate the dampness of the rocks as the gill enters the valley but then it seems to disappear below ground only to re-appear further down the valley.
Another waymarker stone indicating the route of the Pennine Way which skirts around the bottom of Murton Fell and continues along above Maize Beck as it makes its way into Teesdale.
Approaching the head of High Cup Nick.
A closer look at the vertical columns of rock which make up Whin Sill …..
….. and its counterpart on the opposite side.
Still very cloudy but a brief patch of sunlight landed on the glaciated valley just as I took the shot otherwise it would have looked very gloomy. I was very fortunate indeed and even though the glacial valley is very familiar to us it is still an awesome sight.
We had a break here and treated ourselves to sandwiches and hot coffee. We were trying to get some shelter from the wind but it kept sneaking in and around us. A few people came and went across the several becks which join together here and eventually become High Cup gill.
The point at which the various becks become one and start dribbling down into the valley and …..
….. the side we have been walking over from one of the paths leading over to the Pennine Way.
Back at the gill entry point again where two brave souls have just descended and disappeared behind the wall of rock on the right of the shot. He stepped blithely from one rock to another, she, taking more care, was bent over and clutching at any rock which offered her the chance to balance herself. I’d probably use my fifth point of balance to get down it but J’s plated ankle wouldn’t be at all happy going down there.
We begin our return leg using the same path as our outward one across the sheep mown grassland. There were plenty of sheep around but most of the walkers who were around seem to have left and we have the place to ourselves.
A view of Whin Sill with Murton Pike in the background as we make our way back.
We used the Narrow Gate path on our return leg which gave us a view down into the glacial valley where we could see High Cup beck had re-appeared and was flowing down the valley again.
The path turns rocky in several places so it becomes necessary to take a bit more care if you want to avoid a sprained/broken ankle (or worse). The puddles and mud along the way didn’t help either.
Almost the end of the valley now and another waymarker stone indicates the path to follow. We are now making our way back to …..
….. the point at which the open moorland path and the climb up High Cup Nick meet. A trio of walkers were standing chatting to each other behind me, ahead is a chap looking at a map, below him are two walkers making their way up, and below them are the two female walkers who we had overtaken on the outward leg. We overtook them again later on as they were still walking quite slowly. The chap who is looking at his map kept more or less the same distance between us and later on, when we had just found a new hat lying on the path, he came running back towards us as it belonged to him and he’d just realised that he’d dropped it when removing his outer layer.
Back at the quarry where we followed the route through the middle of it and headed towards the gate in the wall beyond. We overtook the slow walking pair of females at this point.
A quick shot of the gate we passed through this morning and …..
….. soon after that we were on the path below Peeping Hill with Dufton Pike and Knock Pike ahead of us.
Still hazy across the Eden Valley as we reached the Dodd Hill path. We should be able to see the Lake District fells and the Howgills clearly but all we can see are some very indistinct shapes. The hill called Gregory appears just beyond the wall.
The rooftops of Dufton village are in view as we make our way down the Dodd Hill path back to Bow Hall where we met several walkers having an afternoon walk up to High Cup Nick.
The car parking area at Bow Hall comes into view as we walk the last section of today’s walk. A zoom in will reveal a group of walkers coming up and a solo male walker going down, that’s the same chap whose hat we had found and returned to him. We saw him again as we drove through Dufton village on our way home so we assumed he had parked his car in the village and walked up the lane to Bow Hall. Despite the haze and overcast sky there was some shelter from the wind down here and it became quite warm in the hazy sunshine.
There were only three cars parked above Bow Hall when we got back, ours, another one which hadn’t been there when we set off, and the silver coloured one which is the first one in the shot. That one belonged to the two slow walking ladies, Mum and daughter I think, who still hadn’t returned to it by the time we drove away. A good walk, as always, up to High Cup but it would have been even better without the constant wind and overcast skies.