Ordnance Survey Map
The best walking map for the immediate area is the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Outdoor Leisure 19 'Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley'. You can buy this map with a 10% discount and free UK postage in standard paper or weatherproof form from Aqua3. Just enter 'Kirkby Stephen' in the place search.

Books
There is an extremely good guidebook for walks in the Eden Valley, written by Vivienne Crow and published by Cicerone. 'Walking in Cumbria's Eden Valley' has 30 walks of varying lengths, all well researched and illustrated, with excerpts from Ordnance Survey Landranger mapping. Around half are in the Upper Eden Valley, close to Kirkby Stephen; the rest are to be found nearer Carlisle. The book costs £12.95.

Various walking guide books are available from the Kirkby Stephen Tourist Information Centre. Click the link above for 'Tourist Information' for contact details.

Online
You can find a variety of local walks with detailed step-by-step guides and Ordnance Survey maps on Walkingworld. Put Kirkby Stephen into the 'Place' search to find walks nearby. Walks can be bought individually for £1.95 or an annual subscription of £15.50 gives you unlimited access to over 5000 walks. Use the voucher code KIRKBYS to save £2.50 on the usual subscription of £18.

Two very popular local walks, at Smardale Gill and to the summit of Wild Boar Fell, are free to download from Walkingworld. Just join the site as a member and then look at the free sample walks page for these and a number of other walks in Cumbria.

A Walk on the Clouds
The 'Clouds' is a rocky limestone outcrop found at the foot of Wildboar Fell. There is a wealth of geological, ecological and historical interest to be found on a short walk through them. You can download a free guide that takes you through the 'Clouds'. If you enjoy the walk please support the Cumbria Wildlife Trust by making a text donation. Simply text WILD20 £1,2,3,5,10 to 70070, filling in the gift aid form too if you can.