LIMESTONE COUNTRY - A Northern Coast to Coast Walk: From St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay - page 56

Climbing easily, the route gradually moves away from the wall which has
accompanied the way from Lyvennet Beck, and crosses a stretch of 'no-
man's land' to head first for a large, walled enclosure and then down to-
wards the minor road serving Crosby Ravensworth, reaching it by a step-
stile opposite the Blasterfield Quarry. Now you have two choices.
Either (a) continue on the road, right, to its meeting with the road from
Appleby, on the edge of Orton Scar.
Or (b) cross the road to the corner of a drystone wall. From this, strike
towards the left-hand edge of a nearby plantation. Walk along the bound-
ary, and when this ends, keep on in the same direction to rejoin the Crosby
Ravensworth road almost at its junction with the Appleby-Orton road.
Go right, towards Orton, to cross a cattle-grid, and immediately descend
left on a green cart track to a gate in a wall corner (signposted 'Scar Side'
or 'Orton Village').
ORTON SCAR
After the refreshing moorland traverse from Shap, arrival at the edge of Orton Scar is
a most satisfying moment. The domed heights of the Howgills serve as a backdrop to
the broad patchwork expanse of the Lune valley and the rising Pennines, blue along
the distant horizon. Even on a bleak day, the prospect of the onward journey to Kirkby
Stephen is uplifting.
Beyond the gate follow the curving green path downwards (disused lime
kiln on the left) towards a small plantation. Alongside the plantation, the
descending track becomes enclosed between walls, and leads down to a
gate.
Here, there is a choice of routes. Walkers descending to Orton go for-
ward along the right-hand field boundary. Walkers bypassing Orton, once
through the gate, should go left. This direct option, bypassing Orton, is
described below.