Leave the village green at its southwest corner, passing the National Park Centre, and walk into Anvil Square. Bear right, past the Garden House, into a narrow, walled path signed ‘To the River’. Continue along a lane to a T-junction. Turn left and at the next junction turn right (signed ‘Doctor's Surgery’). After the medical centre the lane soon turns to a stony track with a flagged path alongside. Where the track ends, turn left down a narrower, stony path.

At the bottom go through a gate and bear right on a boardwalk. Continue through fields, through a gate and a gated stile, to the  suspension bridge. Cross the bridge and continue almost straight ahead, following the sign to Harkerside. Go over a plank bridge (often redundant), then continue left of a clump of trees and up to a small stile.

Follow the direction of another fingerpost to a gate and continue through a gate up to meet a clear track as it goes through a gateway. Turn right along the track to farmyard (Harkerside Place), then turn left up the access track to a lane and turn right.

Where the wall on the left ends, go up through rushes to find a small path going diagonally up the slope towards a green knoll. From the knoll (the round barrow) you can see two parallel lines of stones, like collapsed walls, running through the heather. Follow a thin path between these to the bank and ditch enclosing Maiden Castle.

The path continues across the centre of the fort, but the best option is probably to follow the right-hand edge, above the ditch. At the far end, just below a tree, a path crosses the ditch. Follow this path, heading diagonally downhill to meet the lane again at its junction with another track.

Go left along the metalled lane, then follow the wall on the right downhill through rushes and ferns to a gate just right of a small barn. Go down the field, first right then back left to a gate into a farmyard. Go through a series of gates left of the farmhouse and its attached barn, and down a short, gated, walled track.

Turn right along a green terrace above the river until a small path slants down to a gate on the river bank. Follow the riverside path for about 0.5 miles (800m) until the river curves away left. Bear slightly right on a green track to a gate, then along the edge of a field until directly opposite the swingbridge. Turn left to recross the plank bridge and head to the suspension bridge. Cross over, and retrace the first stage of the walk back into Reeth.