LIMESTONE COUNTRY - A Northern Coast to Coast Walk: From St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay - page 50

2 LIMESTONE COUNTRY
As Shap is reached and passed, so the scenery becomes noticeably dif-
ferent, now entering the realms of limestone country, quite a change
after the ruggedness of the Lake District. Magnificent, refreshing scenery
awaits, traversed without difficulty, but with few opportunities to break the
otherwise lengthy trek to Kirkby Stephen. The only village encountered is
Orton, although walkers not constrained by time may consider dropping
from the limestone pasturelands to Newbiggin-on-Lune.
Walkers with a keen interest in prehistory will know that the ancient
peoples of Britain found this corner of Westmorland (as it used to be)
much to their liking, and there are along and not far from this stretch of
the walk many sites of archaeological and historical significance. The re-
gion, too, is abundant in wildlife, and two large tracts of countryside are
important breeding sites for birds.
Market Hall, Shap
At the time of the first edition of this guidebook (1993), there were
some access issues along this stretch. From 2005, with the introduction
of Open Access in many areas, all these were effectively resolved, leaving
the walker free to press on without worrying about treading on someone's
toes.
Shap to Orton