walks require an appropriate degree of physical fitness, none demand more than an ability to walk. The Dales are hilly rather than mountainous and, with gains in altitude during the walks of between 190m (623ft) and 730m (2395ft), climbs are generally moderate with any steep sections usually brief. And in any case, the captivating scenery so begs attention that frequent pauses for retrospective admiration are almost mandatory.
Almost all of the walks are circular, most beginning from recognised car parks, most of which are furnished with public toilets. However, public transport in the Dales, particularly during the summer months and at weekends now offers a real alternative for reaching many of the more popular locations and increases the opportunity for adapting and devising many satisfying ‘one way’ walks around the routes described in the book. Yorkshire’s hospitality is renowned and you’ll find welcoming pubs, cafés and tea shops throughout the area, although it is always a good idea to check opening times in advance if you are relying on a somewhere for a meal. Details of the terrain and nature of the walk together with the local facilities available are given in a box at the start of each walk.
PART 1: LOWER WHARFEDALE AND BARDEN MOOR
The River Wharfe as it runs below Grass Wood (Walk 5)
WALK 1
Bolton Abbey
| Start | Strid Wood (SE 058563) |
| Distance | 6.5 miles (10.5km) |
| Total Ascent | 320m (1050ft) |
| Time | 2hr30 |
| Terrain | Rougher paths over Middle Hare Head |
| Maps | Explorer OL2 – Yorkshire Dales (Southern & Western areas) |
| Refreshments | Dusty Bluebells Tea Room at start and Pavilion Café at Posforth Bridge |
| Toilets | Beside car park and at Posforth Bridge |
| Parking | Strid Wood car park |
Well-made paths run along both flanks of the Wharfe between Bolton Bridge and Barden Bridge and, with several other crossing points between the two (but not at The Strid), there are various possibilities for circular walks, from a simple two-mile (3km) stroll to a satisfying eight-mile (13km) circuit. The route described here combines the best stretches of the river with a taste of the open moors above.
Leaving the Strid Wood car park go right along the lane, crossing to a stile from which a path is signed up the field edge to Broad Park. Over another stile in the top corner, turn right and follow a clear path contouring the hillside above the wall. Ahead lies the expansive sweep of Barden Moor while to the right is a picturesque view along Wharfedale to Barden Tower, from here looking more like a baronial castle than the ruin of a mere hunting lodge. Keep with the main path as it describes a gentle arc across the moor, eventually rising at the far side to a wooden stile blocking a gap in a stone wall. Carry on to a gate beside a lane.
Remain inside the wall, turning left and following it up some 250m to a stile. Now strike a left diagonal line up the hillside to meet a clear path running along the top. Follow it left through a gateway, rising over Middle Hare Head and then swinging left beside a wall below old workings on Little Hare Head. Continuing downhill the prospect opens across the lower reaches of Wharfedale to Barden Fell.
Leaving the moor through a gate, walk away along a trod. Ignore a crossing track by concrete covers pertaining to an underground pipeline from the reservoir, and stay ahead another gate in the far boundary. Bearing left, the bridle path continues to Westy Bank Wood and descends pleasantly through the trees. Going out at the bottom, cross a small field to the nearer of two gates in the far corner. A well trodden line leads you on at the edge of grazing pastures, eventually emerging onto the main road opposite the former priory gatehouse. Follow the road through the low, narrow arch, leaving just beyond onto a drive towards the church and ruins of Bolton Priory.
BOLTON PRIORY
The monastery at Bolton was founded by Augustinian canons in 1154 as a priory, only acquiring its ‘abbey’ status as part of the PR accompanying the new railway in the 19th century. The small community had originally settled on the edge of the Embsay moors some 30 years earlier, but were grateful for the gift of a more sheltered location on the banks of the River Wharfe from Lady Alice de Romilles of Skipton Castle. A touching tale, immortalised in Wordsworth’s poem ‘The Boy of Egremont’, attributes her largesse to a desire to create a memorial to her son William, who lost his life trying to leap The Strid when out hunting, although his signature appears on the deed of gift – such is the stuff of legend!
However, the priory was never well-endowed and, beleaguered by intermittent poverty, sickness and the unwelcome attentions of Scottish raiders, failed to realise the prosperity and status enjoyed by some of the other Yorkshire monasteries such as Fountains and Rievaulx. By the time of the Dissolution, almost four centuries later, the West Tower still remained incomplete and, despite an attempt by the last prior, Richard Moone, to bribe Thomas Cromwell for a reprieve, the lands were seized by the Crown and sold off to the Cliffords, who were by then the rulers at Skipton Castle. To his lasting credit Moone did, however, manage to secure the 13th-century nave for the use of the parish, a status that it retains today.
Dedicated to St Mary and St Cuthbert, the church is noted for its fine medieval roof and stained glass, the latter added by Augustus Pugin as part of extensive renovations during the 19th century. Surrounded by the evocative ruins of the former priory, the east wall of which still rises majestically to its full height, it drew many of the Victorian romantics and both Turner and Landseer captured its haunting setting in paintings and sketches.
The ruins of Bolton Priory
Crossing the River Wharfe by the Friar’s Steps
Just before reaching the church, a path leaves to skirt the ruins on its way to meet the River Wharfe at the Friar’s Steps, once the only means of crossing the river. As you climb up the far bank towards Cat Crags, there are some splendid atmospheric views back through the trees. At a junction, keep left along a high path above the steep bank, ultimately coming out onto a lane at the foot of Pickles Gill. Cross the ford (or use the bridge just upstream if you don’t want to risk wet feet), but then abandon the lane just beyond for a path signed to Posforth Bridge. Returning to the riverbank, follow it up to a wooden bridge opposite the Pavilion Café. Cross there to continue upstream through Strid Wood, the fragmenting paths reuniting to lead to The Strid itself, a mile (1.6km) up the valley.
Suddenly forced into a narrow gap, barely two metres across, the river abruptly drops its innocuous appearance to become a thundering torrent at The Strid. Its very narrowness attracted the daring to leap across, earning it the name ‘strid’ or ‘stride’. But the stakes are high, because a slip means almost certain death in swirling pools up to nine metres deep. And when the Wharfe is really in spate, the fury of the deluge overspills the banks to sweep across the rocky platform. The rocks can often be slippery, so take care.
Ever since the Devonshires opened the woods to the public at the beginning of the 19th century, the spot has been a popular haunt, with a network of paths leading to striking viewpoints and vistas, laid out by a former vicar of Bolton Priory Church. Strid Wood is now a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and contains native sessile oak, ash and beech as well as other trees. In spring, the ground bursts into colour with snowdrops, bluebells and wood anemones and over 60 different types of plant have been recorded. The wood is also rich in bird life with over 40 species breeding here, including nuthatches, tree creepers, dippers and wagtails.
