The best walks and hikes around Culgaith

Great views on the way down from Cross fell.

The highest mountain in England outside of the Lake district, fantastic views if you can catch it on a clear day.

It is wet here, soggy surfaces mean the bike slows down and sometimes come to a standstill. Summer weather would be easier. You are in the clouds in these elevated areas

This section is tough to get through, the surface was very wet, traction and moving becomes difficult, you might have to push the bike up hill, it is quite steep. Weather conditions can be adverse in this location

The River Eden path passes opposite Force Mill and the old weir. The mill and mill buildings are now pretty holiday cottages. Upstream, a short distance, is the railway viaduct.

Sandwiched between Cross Fell and Great Dun Fell is Little Dun Fell. This is a super hill to do, and the walking route to it from both of the aforementioned hills forms part of the Pennine Way, so it is slabbed with stone and well maintained. Little Dun Fell, however, is somewhat overshadowed by its more famous northern and southern neighbours, but I prefer this hill to the others. The views across to Cross Fell and Great Dun Fell are super nice, raw, and barren, with nothing in between just the path of the Pennine Way. It also has a small cairn on the top, and at 842 metres, it is also a UK-designated nuttall.

Great Dun Fell is a great hill to do, and at 848 metres high, it is a UK designated Nuttall. Coming up from Milburn is a great hike, but a tad boggy in places. It also gives you a stiff hike with around 700 metres of height gain. It is all worth it, however, as the views out over the North Pennines are super expansive from out over the eastern side of the hill, a virtual moonscape of moorland. On the western side, you have distant views of the Lake District. There is a cairn on the top, but the true summit sits within the communications compound, which has restricted access.

Now this is the first 'bog' warning highlight that I have put on Komoot. This is the main hiking route going up to Great Dun from Milburn, and as is normal in the Northern Pennines, things are always a tad boggy underfoot. I was hiking here today, however, half way through a very wet July (2024), and the depth of this surprised me. There is an obvious valley here and a gate. For about thirty metres after the gate heading north, the ground is sodden, it is basically a marsh and full of Bog Hair Grass. I only just got over to the other side using some ginger footwork and senile speed. I only went up to my knees in water and muck, but I felt that the bog had the capacity to be even more unforgiving, i.e., deeper. It might just be the wetter than normal July, and it is not like this in normal weather months? There also did not seem to be an obvious route around. It would, however, be a great place to put a duckboard system.