Kirkby Stephen

Surrounded by spectacular scenery, the old market town of Kirkby Stephen stands at the head of the beautiful Eden Valley. Although essentially part of the Valley, Kirkby Stephen has a strong Yorkshire Dales feel about it. Indeed, the church, with its long, elegant nave, has been called the Cathedral of the Dales.

Dating from Saxon times, rebuilt in 1220 and with a 16th-century tower, St Stephen’s Church is one of the finest in the eastern fells, dominating the northern end of the town from its elevated position. Until the last century the Trupp Stone in the churchyard received money from local people every Easter Monday in payment of church tithes. At eight o’clock, the curfew is still sounded by the Taggy Bell. After the chiming of the hour, the bell rings to mark the day of the month. Inside the church are a number of pre-Conquest stones, some of which show Norse influence. The most remarkable is the 10th-century Loki Stone, one of only two such carvings in Europe to have survived. Loki was a Norse God and presumably Viking settlers brought their belief in Loki to Kirkby Stephen.

Between the church and the market square stand the cloisters, which served for a long time as a butter market. The Market Square is surrounded by an ancient collar of cobblestones that marked out an area used for bull-baiting - a ‘sport’ that ceased here in 1820 after a disaster when a bull broke loose. There are many delightful walks from the town, to Croglam Earthworks for example, a prehistoric fort, or to nearby Stenkrith Park where the second of the Eden Benchmarks can be found. Created by Laura White in Ancaster limestone and titled Passage, the sculpture is deceptively simple, suggesting perhaps the course of a river bed. There are also some pleasant strolls along the riverside to a fine waterfall where the River Eden cascades into Coop Karnel Hole. Look out for the unusual shapes of the weathered limestone rock. For more strenuous exercise, walkers could tackle a stretch of the Coast to Coast long distance footpath, which passes through the town.

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