Escape to the Eden Valley

Cradled by England's mightiest mountains, the Eden Valley keeps a low profile in more ways than one. With the Pennines to the east and Lakeland to the west, its topography might seem tame compared with the rocky extremes that most people associate with Cumbria. But while the neighbouring national park soaks up most of the tourists, this wide, sheltered valley remains a place where you don't need to walk uphill for half a day to find yourself alone. Quiet at the busiest times, it is magically silent in winter, with early morning mists rising against the snow-frosted Pennine ridge to reveal a succession of contrasting landscapes. 

At its source near the North Yorkshire border, the Eden starts its 80-mile journey towards the Solway Firth amid the treeless curves and shadowy folds of limestone country. But it flows northwards into more fertile ground, where cattle graze riverside pastures and woodlands punctuate a sloping patchwork of strip fields edged by walls of salmon-pink sandstone. The local stone lends its burnished hue to castles, churches and villages throughout the lower valley and to the steep wooded cliffs that overhang dramatic riverside paths. It can be seen in magnificent scale in the form of Long Meg, a 12-foot standing stone, which, together with around 60 ‘daughters' (smaller granite boulders) makes up the third largest stone circle in Britain.You're unlikely to meet anyone at Long Meg, and the same can be said for the rest of Eden's attractions: a red squirrel is more likely to cross your path than another walker, while the only hold-up you'll suffer on a country road is when you stop to watch a hare skulking beside a gatepost.

Travel in style

Sandstone viaducts are a signature feature here, dating back to the earliest days of The Settle-Carlisle Railway (www.settle-carlisle.co.uk), which runs alongside the Eden. Six trains per day provide superb views and easy access: from the market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland (a great base for car-free travellers) you can be at Armathwaite, near Carlisle, in less than 30 minutes. A short walk from the station brings you to Coombs wood, where a romantic path carpeted with snowdrops climbs up soft, red cliffs alongside foaming rapids.

Walking country

With footpaths in every direction it's hard to decide which way to set off once you've pulled on your walking boots. Thank heavens, then, for Discover Eden (www.eccp.org.uk), a new series of 14 walks from three to 11 miles. They take in a diverse collection of natural and manmade landmarks in the upper and lower valley, including the breathtaking limestone sculpture ‘Water Cut' near the Eden's source at Mallerstang, and the whimsical Lacy's Caves near Little Salkeld, carved into a sandstone cliff by an 18th-century landowner.

The millers' tale

The pastel-pink painted centrepiece of an archetypal Eden village, The Watermill at Little Salkeld (01768 881523; www.organicmill.co.uk) is more than a pretty building. This working 18th-century mill produces wholesome stone-ground biodynamic English flours - its Harvest variety with added linseed, millet and pumpkin seeds is just what bread-making machines have been waiting for. Take a tour of the mill (by arrangement in winter), then try its products in the stove-warmed tearoom. There's another watermill at Acorn Bank (01768 361893; www.national trust.org.uk), a nearby National Trust property renowned for its old English apple orchards and walled herb garden.

Squirrels about

Red squirrels are an iconic inhabitant of the Eden Valley ­­- you won't drive far along its hedge-lined lanes before a road sign reminds you to watch out for them. The best place to see them is in the woodland around Center Parcs near Penrith, which employs a dedicated red squirrel ranger. But if that's not your cup of tea, tread gently in the woods at Dufton Ghyll or Raven Beck in Kirkoswald and you might get lucky. The Eden itself is home to Cumbria's largest colony of sand martins, which dart in and out of the pink riverbanks during the nesting season. It's also a great place to spot otters.

If it rains...

...shop! The market town of Penrith is overflowing with lovely places to buy the rich array of meat, game, pies, pickles and pâtés produced by Eden's innovative farmers and food producers. Cranstons' food hall (01768 868680; www.cranstons.net) is a mini-empire of local produce, and there's always a polite queue at J&J Graham's old-fashioned town-square delicatessen (01768 862281; www.jjgraham.co.uk). You can try before you buy at the Greystone House Farm Shop & Tearoom in Stainton (01768 866952; www.greystonehousefarm.co.uk), and to leave without a box of chocolate fudge from The Toffee Shop (01768 862008; www.thetoffeeshop.co.uk) would be missing a treat.

Places to stay

● Augill Castle, South Stainmore, Kirkby Stephen (01768 341937; www.stayinacastle.com). Big beds, big baths and late breakfasts are the hallmarks of this 11-bedroom Victorian folly, which is grand in style but homely in spirit. Freshly squeezed juice, Cumberland sausages and homemade jams are served convivially around a large table, as are four-course dinners at weekends (£35). B&B £80pp. Book three nights for the price of two by quoting Country Living by 31 March 2009.

● A Corner of Eden, Low Stennerskeugh, Ravenstonedale (01539 623370; www.acornerofeden.co.uk). A pantry of homemade cakes and local cheeses is just one of the complimentary extras that make this exquisitely furnished Farmhouse B&B a welcoming hideaway. But with the Howgill Fells through one window and the Pennines through another, you'll soon be tempted outside. B&B £60pp; dinner by arrangement.

● Crake Trees Manor, Crosby Ravensworth (01931 715205; www.craketreesmanor.co.uk). Farmers Ruth and Mike Tuer take the farmstay concept to another level in a light and colourful barn conversion. Mike is a green oak specialist and his staircases, doors and furniture are paired with antique pieces to striking effect in the bedrooms. B&B from £45 per person; dinner by arrangement.

Places to eat

● George and Dragon, Clifton,Penrith (01768 865381; www.georgeanddragonclifton.co.uk). This elegant coaching inn is part of the Lowther Estate and its menu features produce from in and around its 70,000 acres.

● The Highland Drove Inn Great Salkeld (01768 898349; www.highland-drove.co.uk). Real fires, a lively local crowd and a restaurant make this pub a great winter nightspot. Arrive before 7.45pm and you can order from the bar menu - you'll spend less, eat just as well and get to stay by the fire.

● Village Bakery, Melmerby (01768 881811; www.village-bakery.com). Andrew Whitley pioneered organic baking here more than 30 years ago, and today everything on the menu is organic, from sausage baps to shiraz.

● The Yanwath Gate Inn, Yanwath, Penrith (01768 862386; www.yanwathgate.com). The setting is cosy and the portions are hearty, plus the food is some of the best in Cumbria and includes local salt-marsh lamb, as well as the more exotic oysters.

Maps

Ordnance Survey Explorer Maps

5 English Lakes North-eastern Area and 19 Howgill Fells & Upper Eden Valley.

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