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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Keld
Go for 1–2 nights as a walking base on the Coast to Coast or Pennine Way; skip as a day trip unless you drive the B6270 and want the waterfalls.
Keld is a village of about 200 people at the head of Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales, where the River Swale drops through a chain of waterfalls. It sits on the Coast to Coast and Pennine Way, so most people arrive on foot. There is no mobile signal, one bus up the valley, and beds that fill in summer: book ahead or you will be walking on.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep
- Avoid
- Dec–Feb (moor roads, snow, closed beds)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget (camping, self-catering) £30–50 excl. bed · Mid (B&B, pub meals) £50–80 excl. bed · High (hotel, dining, taxi) £80–120 excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · EU-wide emergency 112 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Campsite pitch, per adult per night | £12–18 |
| B&B double room, per night | £90–160 |
| Café lunch or soup and a sandwich | £8–14 |
| Pub main course | £12–20 |
| Pint of beer | £4–6 |
| Little White Bus 30, one way | £3–6 |
| OS map (Landranger 91 or OL30) | £9–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NCL · Newcastle
- About 2 h 30 min by car via the A1 and A66; rail and bus connections are slow, so a car or a pre-booked transfer is the practical option.
- LBA · Leeds Bradford
- About 2 h by car via the A1(M) and A6055; check onward bus times before you commit.
- MAN · Manchester
- About 3 h by car; the longest of the three main options.
Typical fares
- Little White Bus 30, Richmond → Keld
- about £3–6, about 1 h, twice a day Monday to Saturday
- Taxi, Hawes → Keld
- about £25–35, 30 min
- Keld Lodge double, per night
- about £130 B&B in season
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
On foot. Every sight in the village is within hiking distance, and the waterfalls are reached by field paths and lanes. A car helps for the valley and for Tan Hill; the Little White Bus 30 runs up the valley twice a day Monday to Saturday from Catterick Garrison via Richmond, Reeth, Gunnerside, Muker and Thwaite, taking about an hour to Keld. There is no mobile signal in Keld, Thwaite or on the valley roads, so download maps before you arrive.
See and do
Known for
- Kisdon Force and the Swale waterfalls
- Coast to Coast and Pennine Way junction
- Tan Hill Inn, Britain's highest pub
- Swaledale lead-mining remains
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tan Hill Inn | Walk up Stonedale on the Pennine Way, or drive the lane from Reeth across the moor | 1.5–2 h on foot each way |
| Hawes | Drive the B6270 and Buttertubs Pass, or walk the Pennine Way over Great Shunner Fell | 30 min by car; 4–5 h on foot |
| Richmond | Drive the B6270 east, or take Little White Bus 30 | About 1 h by car; about 1 h by bus |
| Reeth | Walk the Coast to Coast stage, or drive down the valley | 2–3 h on foot; 20 min by car |
| Kirkby Stephen | Drive the B6270 over the moor | About 30 min by car |
Sleep
- Keld village
- Keld Lodge, Butt House, Greenlands and Frith Lodge are all within a few minutes' walk of the Resource Centre and the trailheads.
- Rukin's Campsite and Keld Bunk Barn
- Camping, bunk barn and yurts on the edge of the village; the campsite has a tea shop and a few provisions.
- Thwaite and Muker
- Two villages down the valley with more beds, a pub and a shop; 30–60 min walk or a short drive from Keld.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the path to the falls? | Where's the path down to Kisdon Force? |
| Is there any mobile signal here? | Do you get any signal round here? |
| A table for two, please | Table for two, please. |
| Can I pay by card? | Do you take card? |
| What time does the bus back go? | What time's the bus back? |
| Where is the nearest shop? | Where's the nearest shop? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- No mobile signal from any UK carrier in Keld, Thwaite or on the valley roads; some premises have cable broadband, so plan your check-in and emergency calls around that.
- Moor roads are lower priority for snowploughs in winter; the valley roads usually stay open but the high lanes can close.
- Keld Lodge and most B&Bs open April–October only; Rukin's Campsite opens April–September. Winter beds are very limited.
- The upper falls at Kisdon Force are Grade IV–V water; canoeists only, and walkers should keep back from wet rock.
- The nearest shops and cash points are in Hawes, Reeth or Kirkby Stephen; bring what you need for the length of your stay.
A very low-crime village; the real risks are weather, wet rock at the falls, and having no mobile signal when something goes wrong. Tell someone your route and carry a paper map.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Keld yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Kisdon Force and the Swale waterfalls
- Coast to Coast and Pennine Way junction
- Tan Hill Inn, Britain's highest pub
- Swaledale lead-mining remains
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Yorkshire Dales National Park — visiting and planning: www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/
- Keld Resource Centre: www.keldresourcecentre.co.uk/
- Tan Hill Inn: www.tanhillinn.com/
- Keld Lodge: www.keldlodge.com/
- Rukin's Campsite: www.rukins-keld.co.uk/
- Coast to Coast path: www.coasttocoast.uk/
- National Trails — Pennine Way: www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/pennine-way/
- Wikivoyage: Keld, revision 5163710 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5163710
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Keld
Keld, Richmond, North Yorkshire DL11
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No consulates in the Dales; the US embassy is in London, and most other countries' embassies are in London or Edinburgh. Check your own country's list before you travel.
No mobile signal in Keld or on the valley roads; save the numbers and your route offline before you arrive.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/keld). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.