Black Dub is the small upland spring traditionally regarded as the source of the River Lyvennet, rising quietly on Crosby Ravensworth Fell. Beside it stands the Charles II Monument, a Grade II listed pillar erected in 1861 by local benefactor Thomas Bland to commemorate the king’s reputed visit in 1651. According to local tradition, Charles II paused here to drink from the spring while fleeing north after the Battle of Worcester, linking this remote fellside source with one of the most dramatic episodes in English history.

The south face of the Charles II Monument carries the weathered inscription that ties the structure directly to Black Dub and the source of the River Lyvennet. It records the tradition that Charles II paused here on 8 August 1651 while marching south from Scotland, drinking from the spring and rallying his forces before the events that would culminate at Worcester. Three bas-reliefs decorate the remaining sides — a profile bust of the king, a crown symbolising the throne he sought to reclaim, and a lion — while the inscribed face is left plain, its softened lettering exposed to the fell weather.

Reaching Black Dub involves leaving the main Coast to Coast line near the ford of Lyvennet Beck and striking out across the open limestone fell. The path is faint and often boggy underfoot, and although it does not appear on most Ordnance Survey maps, a trodden line can usually be followed along the beck’s north bank. This subtle approach reflects the quiet nature of the Lyvennet headwaters, where the landscape opens into wide, undulating moor with only the faintest signs of passage.

Lyvennet Beck issues from Black Dub and threads quietly eastward across Crosby Ravensworth Fell, soon crossing the line of the Coast to Coast path. Near the ford, a faint trod follows the beck’s north bank back towards its source, offering the most direct approach to the spring. In these upper reaches the watercourse is narrow and easily overlooked, but it marks the beginning of a Cumbrian river that will gather strength through the Eden valley beyond.

Here at Crosby Ravensworth the young Lyvennet Beck is still little more than an upland stream, gathering volume as it leaves the fell behind. Downstream it strengthens through pasture and limestone country before becoming the River Lyvennet at King’s Meaburn, eventually joining the River Eden near Temple Sowerby. From its quiet beginnings at Black Dub, this modest beck grows steadily into one of the lesser-known but characterful tributaries of the Eden Valley.