Wild Wharfedale
The Wharfedale Naturalists Society
Nats walking in Littondale

Walks

The Dales are renowned as an area which is best explored on foot. 'Like so much of nature the air in high places is an inexhaustible source of beauty' said John Hillaby, and Priestley before him - 'You caught the fever when you were quite young, and it never left you. However small and dark your office or warehouse was, somewhere inside your head the high moors were glowing, the curlews were crying, and there blew a wind as soft as if it came straight from the middle of the Atlantic.' Because the Dales have been a classic walking area for decades, there are many guides to suggest routes.

First an introductory walk, one of a number in Wharfedale Nats Amanda and Brin Best's book Wild flower walks of the Yorkshire Dales (Southern Region). It is a gentle introduction to the middle dale.

Grassington

Defra lists countryside walks in areas managed under environmental schemes providing public access, such as countryside stewardship schemes.

Walking Englishman includes many walks in our area, some of them demanding treks off the paths. The illustrated web site is an excellent introduction to off-road Wharfedale. They include:

Almscliff Crag Leathley, Stainburn & Lindley Lindley Wood & Norwood Edge
Fewston Reservoir Timble & Swinsty Thruscross & Rocking Moor
Harewood House Estate Otley Chevin Blubberhouses Moor
Ilkley Moor Round Hill from Askwith Beamsley Beacon
The Strid in flood The Strid and Simon's Seat Simon's Seat and Troller's Gill
Troller's Gill in flood Grassington Moor Conistone Dib & Mossdale Scar
Buckden Pike & Great Whernside Penyghent from Litton  

Conservation Walks takes you to the Search page where you can check for walks in regions or counties. These are the walks in our area:

Bank Slack Gill Heads Shaws Farm
Barden Moor and Fell Harewood Estate Tarn End Farm
Bavd Shaw Hebden village Trollers Gill
Capleshaw Beck Hesleden Bergh Trollers Gill
Foxup Beck Rain Pot Hole Trollers Gill

Walking Britain has over 3000 pages of information on walks throughout Britain. There are a number of walks in the Wharfedale area:

Arncliffe Great Whernside Valley of Desolation & Barden Fell
Barden Bridge & the Strid Mastiles Lane & Conistone Dib Yockenthwaite & Hubberholme
Buckden Pike Simon's Seat  
Cosh and Foxup Starbotton  

Walkingworld has over 1700 routes, of which 14 fall within our area:

Arncliffe - Kettlewell - Arncliffe Chevin Park Ilkley Moor - Swastica Stone - Cow & Calf
Barden Moor above Bolton Abbey Embsay - Upper Barden Reservoir - Embsay Moor Ilkley Moor - White House /Swastika Stone
Buckden Rake Grassington-Burnsall-Linton-Grassington Kettlewell - Buckden Pike - Buckden - Kettlewell
Bolton Abbey - Draughton Grassington - Conistone Dib - River Wharfe - Grassington Stump Cross - Grimwith Reservoir - Trollers Gill - Stump Cross
Bolton Park - Dales Way - Simon's Seat - Valley of Destruction - Bolton Park Ilkley Moor - Gill Head - Stone Circle - Cow & Calf  

Outdooryorkshire.com is a Yorkshire Tourist Board site with walks all over the county, of which only one is in our area:

Capplestone Gate and The Dales Way

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Virtual Visitor Centre has some suggested walks:

Grass Wood Circular Around Grassington Around Burnsall
Kettlewell Circular Around Buckden Around Kettlewell

The Inn Way to the Yorkshire Dales is a 76 mile (122km) circular tour of some of the most beautiful corners of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, including 26 local hostelries.

Walks in Yorkshire has two walks in our area:

Grass Wood, Gaistrill's Strid and the River Wharfe
Bolton Abbey along the River Wharfe and the Strid

The Walks & Trails page of the Ilkley.org site has a list of walks around the town, on the Moor, and as far as Beamsley.

Bus walks is a site with walks where you can leave your car at home:
Over Bordley Kettlewell to Grassington Strid Woods and Burnsall

The Walking and Camping Index has links to numerous web sites with further information on our area among many others.

The Dalesway is a long-distance route, from Ilkley to Lake Wndermere, of which the first half takes you the length of Wharfedale.

Sherpavan will take care of your baggage for you:

Dales Way


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