Winton

Hotel choices right in Winton are limited — this is a one-pub village, not a resort — but that is exactly its appeal for anyone wanting a genuinely quiet base in the Eden Valley. A short drive or walk brings you into Kirkby Stephen, which has a proper spread of options: guesthouses and B&Bs around the town centre, inns with rooms such as the Black Bull, and self-catering cottages converted from old stone buildings, many aimed squarely at walkers tackling the Coast to Coast path or exploring the Nine Standards Rigg fells. Further along the Eden Valley, Appleby-in-Westmorland and Brough add more choice, from traditional coaching inns to farmhouse B&Bs, while Ravenstonedale, a few miles south, has well-regarded inns including the Kings Head and Black Swan. Booking.com and similar platforms list a reasonable spread of these options for the wider area, and it is worth widening a search to Kirkby Stephen, Brough or Appleby if Winton itself turns up little, since most visitors to this part of Cumbria stay in one of those towns and simply drive or walk out to the surrounding villages. Expect straightforward, comfortable places rather than luxury hotels: this is working farming and market-town country, popular with walkers, cyclists on the C2C route, and those touring the Dales and Eden Valley rather than a conventional short-break destination, and accommodation reflects that practical, unpretentious character.

Winton itself is small, but it sits within easy reach of some of the best walking and scenery in the north Pennines and Upper Eden Valley.

• Nine Standards Rigg — a striking fell above Kirkby Stephen, topped by nine mysterious stone cairns and the watershed point where rivers begin flowing either west to the Irish Sea or east to the North Sea; a classic, tough walk and a famous landmark on Wainwright’s Coast to Coast path.
• Kirkby Stephen — the nearest town, just over a mile south, with a handsome Market Street, the parish church of St Stephen, independent shops and a regular farmers’ market.
• Stenkrith Park — a small nature park on the edge of Kirkby Stephen where the River Eden has carved a dramatic limestone gorge, with riverside paths and the popular picnic spot at Frank’s Bridge.
• The Coast to Coast Walk — Alfred Wainwright’s 190-mile route between St Bees and Robin Hood’s Bay passes directly through Kirkby Stephen, making the area a natural stop for long-distance walkers.
• Brough Castle — the ruins of a medieval castle a few miles north, built on the site of a Roman fort guarding the old route over Stainmore.
• Settle–Carlisle Railway — one of England’s most scenic railway lines runs close by, with Kirkby Stephen’s own station giving access to Dales towns and the high viaducts of Ribblehead and Dent.

The village pub, the Bay Horse, is Winton’s own contribution to the local food scene, recommended locally as one of the better places to eat outside Kirkby Stephen itself. In Kirkby Stephen, options include the Black Bull on Market Street, the town’s two micro-pubs, the L’al Nook and the Old Forge, along with cafes such as the White Hare and the Mulberry Bush for daytime food and coffee. Further afield, the Kings Head and Black Swan in nearby Ravenstonedale, and the Inn at Brough, are well regarded for a short drive out.

Winton and the surrounding Upper Eden Valley offer classic Cumbrian countryside for a camping trip, with the high moorland of Nine Standards Rigg and the northern Yorkshire Dales within easy reach and the River Eden threading through nearby Kirkby Stephen and its Stenkrith gorge. As with anywhere else in England, wild camping on open fell or farmland here is not legal without the landowner’s explicit permission, whatever assumptions visitors may carry over from Scotland’s right to roam — this is working farmland and grouse moor country, and permission should always be sought directly from the landowner before pitching. Fortunately the area is well served by proper campsites and small farm-based sites around Kirkby Stephen, Brough and further into the Eden Valley, many aimed at walkers on the Coast to Coast path and offering simple, honest facilities rather than heavily serviced holiday parks. The terrain ranges from gentle valley pasture around the villages to exposed, boggy moorland higher up towards Nine Standards Rigg, so a valley-floor site makes the most comfortable base, with the fells kept for day walks rather than wild pitches. Weather in this part of Cumbria can turn quickly even in summer, and the high ground holds water well into the warmer months, so a good waterproof tent and layers are worth having whatever the forecast promises. May to September is the most reliable stretch for camping, with long evenings for sitting out after a day on the fells or exploring Kirkby Stephen, though a settled early autumn spell can be just as rewarding with the added bonus of quieter sites once the summer walking season eases off. For those who would rather leave the tent at home, glamping options in the wider Eden Valley — shepherd’s huts, pods and yurts on working farms — offer a comfortable way to enjoy the same views and access to the Nine Standards and Coast to Coast paths without sacrificing a proper bed, and tend to book up well ahead over peak walking season.