Hoff Beck and Rutter Force
Walk date – 7th August 2026
Distance – 6.1 miles
Weather – very overcast, mild, light breeze
As we headed north last Saturday, driving home after our holiday, we could see a line of cloud hanging over the north of England which seemed to stretch from coast to coast. A gloomy sight indeed and, adding to the gloom and the usual ‘end of holiday’ slump, when we reached Scotch Corner, turned off onto the A66 and pulled into the lay-by we found the cafe and toilets were closed. (I could find no information about whether it would ever open again so we’ve assumed it won’t ever re-open.) When we finally reached home the cloud remained and the temperature was definitely on the cooler side of the thermometer. Having replenished the ‘fridge and freezer, got the washing done and ironed, waited for the thousands of ‘Kendal Calling’ attendees at Lowther to clear off along the A6 (which took up most of Monday), arranged for a new set of tyres to be fitted on my car at 2.00 pm Tuesday, we were ready to resume where we left off in July and take a walk over a few fells. However, the weather was still determined that it wasn’t going to fit in with our plans and today was no different. With a forecast which mentioned low cloud hanging around the fell tops and cloudy skies generally, it seemed unlikely that there would be little chance of any bright weather around anywhere so we decided to stay in the Eden Valley and content ourselves with a local walk.
Route
Hoff – Hoff beck – Rutter Force – Lookingflatt – Tilekiln Tarn – Slosh Farm – Dales High Way – Bandley Bridge – Hoff
We parked down the lane, which is more or less opposite to The New Inn at Hoff, where there is a small parking space for about three vehicles. There is a car park across the road opposite the pub but that is for customer parking only. We walked down the narrow tarmac lane until we came to a signpost pointing to the left and turned down onto the track leading to the bridge in the photo above. The forecast had mentioned early rain but promised a sunny afternoon so we delayed driving over to Hoff until late morning, and finally began our walk about half past eleven.
Shortly after crossing the bridge in the above photo is this ford which we could have used instead of the bridge as the water level in the beck was quite low.
After a pleasant walk alongside Hoff beck we eventually came to this bridge which we used, but again the water level was so low we could have easily crossed via the stones in the bed of the beck.
Hoff beck, taken from just below the bridge, showing just how low the water level is at the moment. The place I was standing to take the shot would normally be underwater. Despite the low water level all the trees and the ground vegetation were still green and lush so they are getting the water they need from somewhere.
We last walked along here on 27th August 2017, almost nine years ago to the day now, when I took more photos so have a look at that walk if you’d like to see more. The two boulders are still in situ although the debris surrounding the larger boulder in the original shot has obviously been washed away in the intervening years. From this point we fought our way through some very overgrown vegetation, mostly prickly stuff and finally the bulrushes, mentioned in the walk we did in 2017, and eventually emerged at …..
….. the ford and bridge at Rutter Force.
Looking down at the ford crossing, again the water level was low enough not to need the bridge …..
….. but we used it anyway as I wanted to take a shot of Rutter Force. As is obvious from the shot the falls are presently reduced to a trickle and a better shot of Rutter Force can be viewed on our 2017 walk.
Once across the bridge there was a clearer view of it with just the apex of Rutter Mill showing above it. Rutter Mill used to be a working mill but it isn’t any more and the waterwheel in the previous shot is just a reminder that it was once a mill and it isn’t functional. When it was a working mill we wondered if it was still able to function with such a low water level. From hereon we were in unknown territory as our 2017 walk followed a different route back to Hoff.
From Rutter Force we took to the Broadmire Road where we found the Right of Way leading to Lookingflatt farm, the buildings of which are just coming into view behind the cow on the extreme left. On the OS maps a Right of Way is indicated by large green dashes and it doesn’t always mean that there is an obvious path to follow. In this case there was a path of sorts but it was at the very edge of the field and all manner of hedgerow bushes and plants were overhanging it so we kept to the edge of the field and avoided it. The entrance and exit gates to the Right of Way had polite notices asking walkers to close the gates after passing through them. As usual the cows were no bother as they largely ignored us and continued eating the grass. In the centre of the skyline is Cross Fell and to its right are two lower ones, Little Dun Fell and Great Dun Fell. With a big zoom in it might be possible to make out one of the civil aviation radomes on Great Dun Fell.
From Lookingflatt farm we walked down to Tilekiln Tarn/Pond, I’ve included ‘tarn’ and ‘pond’ as different maps use either one or the other, and I don’t know which one it really is. Lots of deep hoof marks (along with other incriminating evidence!) indicated that cows had wandered down to the tarn/pond for a drink. Even darker cloud above us now but no mention of rain in the forecast
From the tarn/pond we had a section of tarmac walking to do, up to the junction above Burrells village, where the road becomes the B6260 into Appleby about one and a half miles away. When we reached the junction we followed the road downhill towards Slosh Farm, taking the above shot of the farm’s buildings with its backdrop of Murton Pike together with Cross Fell and the two Dun Fells as we walked along.
The farm house at Slosh Farm. The farm generally was quite large with several outbuildings. Just up the road from Slosh Farm was our next objective, another Right of Way, so we were expecting another tramp across a field but when we reached the signpost, which was so weathered that it was impossible to make out what had been originally inscribed on it, we found it to be a track enclosed by high hedgerows and wide enough to have once accommodated a horse and cart and now provides access to the fields at the end of it for a tractor.
On the Right of Way track now and opposite the signpost was this large residence named Toll Bar Cottage. This is not the original cottage as that was demolished in 2009 and this modern residence was built shortly afterwards but retained the old name. The purpose of the toll collected at the original cottage was to fund the maintenance and repair of the turnpike road (now the B6260) on which it stood. The toll was probably established during the mid to late 1700s under what was known as a Turnpike Trust to keep the road in good repair and required those using it to pay a fee in order to pass through. The original cottage would have been provided for the tollkeeper whose duty it was to collect the charges from passing vehicles before they were allowed to pass. The turnpike toll system was eventually abolished in the late 1800s, although I can personally remember a toll being charged to cross Boothferry Bridge over the river Ouse in the east riding of Yorkshire in the early 1960s.
Towards the end of the track we were following was this old railway freight carriage slowly decaying away, its metal structure was still intact but the wooden roof and sides had mostly rotted away. It reminded me of the one on the Old Coach Road below Clough Head which has deteriorated into a similar state. Carriages such as these once carried all types of freight all across the country, until the ‘Beeching Axe’ fell and removed over 2,300 stations and over 4,000 miles of track thus reducing accessibility and viability for local businesses that had previously relied on rail for supplies.
At the end of the track we turned left and joined The Dales High Way where we met a solo walker who had just descended from a stile and had joined the path we were on. We exchanged greetings with him and then made our way down to Bandley Bridge. J was just opening the gate at the time and turned around just as I pressed the shutter.
Bandley Bridge with Hoff Beck flowing beneath it …..
….. and the view from the bridge as we crossed over it. The notice on the gate indicated that it was the entry to ‘Rachel’s Wood’ but who Rachel was/is I haven’t the foggiest.
Making our way back to Hoff now alongside Hoff Beck over a very overgrown and humpy, bumpy path. Shortly after taking this shot we came across a gate in the accompanying fence which led into a field with a better path. We passed through the gate and within minutes of doing so I experienced the most painful cramp in the toes of my right foot, of all places! Instead of the toes simply cramping towards my body they began curling backwards towards the sole of my boot so there was no way I could continue walking. I dropped onto the grass, managed to get my right boot off, stretched my right leg out, had a drink of water and very slowly the excruciating cramp subsided. Fortunately we weren’t too far away from Hoff at this point and eventually managed to get the unlaced boot back on my foot. I hobbled back to Hoff ever so slowly with one boot still laced up and left the other boot unlaced.
Eventually the white building of the pub came into sight, at least that’s what I thought it was …..
….. until we rounded the bend in the path and saw that the white building I’d thought was the pub had turned into this des.res complete with one of those small robot machines trundling up and down the driveway and sweeping up as it went along. The pub was on the same side of the road as this house but was a couple of yards to one side of it. You can see from the above shot that bits of blue sky are now appearing and every now and again we had a sunny spell. Why does it always happen at the end of a walk? Anyway as the pub was open J suggested that we call in and partake of some light refreshment in the form of half a pint of bitter for him, and half a pint of local lager for me. Which we did and we sat outside in the sunny spells for a while. When we had finished our drinks J said he’d take the empties back so I crossed the road and waited for him …..
….. and there he is, just coming out of The New Inn at Hoff with a smile on his face. Well, pubs are J’s preferred type of establishment, I don’t think we’ve ever passed by one where he hasn’t asked me if I wanted a drink when its really him who wants one! With that over and done with we walked down the lane opposite, with me still hobbling, and back to the car for the short drive home. An interesting walk and we didn’t get the sunny afternoon which had been forecast, that’s turned up today instead!