Outhgill

At the heart of this scattered hamlet is the village Church of St Mary, first built in 1311 and later restored by Lady Anne Clifford. From 1643, when she finally obtained possession of the Clifford estates, Lady Anne devoted her life to restoring her many properties and lived in each of them for varying periods of time. Her estates included six castles - Skipton and Barden in Yorkshire, Appleby, Brough, Brougham and nearby Pendragon. Lady Anne’s zeal for restoration didn’t stop at castles, she also repaired the Roman road between Wensleydale and the Eden Valley, a route she often travelled (along with a huge retinue) between her castles and her birthplace at Skipton. The route is now known as Lady Anne’s Way, but in times past it was aptly called the High Way since it was a regular place of employment for highwaymen such as Dick Turpin and William ‘Swift’ Nevison.

The landscape around Outhgill is remote and beautiful. To the south is Wild Boar Fell, a brooding, flat-topped peak where the last wild boar in England was reputedly killed, while tucked down in the valley are the romantic ruins of Lammerside and Pendragon Castles.

Pendragon Castle, about a mile north of the village, is shrouded in legend, including claims that it was the fortress of Uther Pendragon, father of King Arthur. If so, nothing remains of that 6th-century wooden castle. The present structure dates from the 1100s and was built by Hugh de Morville to guard the narrow pass of Mallerstang. De Morville was one of the four knights who murdered Thomas à Becket. The castle was twice burned by the Scots and twice restored, on the latter occasion by the formidable Lady Anne Clifford in 1660.

Another mile or so downstream, Lammerside Castle dates from the 12th century but only the remains of the keep survive. They can be found along a bridle path between Pendragon and Wharton Hall.

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