Nine Standards Rigg

About Nine Standards Rigg

Dominating the skyline above Kirkby Stephen, this expansive peat-covered moorland is famous for the enigmatic drystone pillars standing near its summit. While the true top is a modest trig point, the Standards offer the real reward: a rugged, atmospheric vantage point overlooking the Eden Valley and the distant Lake District fells.

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Did You Know?

• •The name 'Rigg' stems from the Old Norse 'hryggr', meaning a ridge. The 'Nine Standards' themselves are a line of massive drystone cairns whose origins are debated; they likely served as boundary markers between Westmorland and Swaledale, though some legends suggest they were built to look like a line of soldiers to deter invading Scottish armies.
• •The fell sits on the main watershed of England. Rain falling on the western slopes drains into the River Eden and out to the Irish Sea, while water falling just a few metres east feeds the River Swale on its long journey to the North Sea.
• •Though not a Lake District 'Wainwright', the hill is a pivotal landmark on Alfred Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk. It represents a significant psychological milestone for walkers, marking the transition from the Eden Valley into the darker, peat-heavy landscape of the Yorkshire Dales.
• •The viewpoint at the Standards offers a superior vista compared to the actual summit trig point. Looking north-west, the great Pennine heights of Cross Fell and the radar dome on Great Dun Fell are clearly visible, while the south-west reveals the flat-topped profile of Wild Boar Fell and the rounded forms of the Howgills.
• •The descent toward Swaledale is so notoriously boggy that walkers are directed onto different seasonal paths to protect the fragile moorland. It is one of the few places in the Pennines where the 'summer route' is less a recommendation and more a necessary precaution against losing a boot to the peat.