Walks in the Wharfedale area of the Yorkshire Dales
Classic walks in the Wharfedale area of the Yorkshire Dales can be found on this page. All content is free to download including map, GPS route and statistics
Wharfedale is one of the best known Yorkshire Dales as it is the closest to the city of Leeds and town of Harrogate. Towns and villages in Wharfedale include Buckden, Starbotton, Kettlewell, Kilnsey, Conistone, Grassington, Hebden, Ilkley, Burley in Wharfedale and Otley. The first fifteen miles or so of the valley is known as Langstrothdale, including the settlements of Beckermonds, Yockenthwaite and Hubberholme, famous for its church, the resting place of the writer J. B. Priestley. As it turns southwards, the Wharfe then runs through a green and lush valley, characterised by limestone outcrops, such as Kilnsey Crag, and woodland, generally quite unusual in the Dales. It is one of my favourite walking places as demonstrated by the many walks featured on this page. There is lots of variety to the walks.
Interactive map of Yorkshire Dales walks
| Walk | Miles | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Addingham High Moor, Windgate Nick, Black Hill and the Doubler Stones | 2.0 | A short walk with some amazing vistas to Addingham High Moor and on to the fascinating Doubler Stones. |
| Otley Chevin | 2.1 | The fabulous Chevin provides the walker with great views. |
| Coniston Dib & Coniston Pie | 2.5 | A fascinating walk through Wharfedales interesting geology including a narrow gorge and an inedible pie! |
| Buckden, Cray and Hubberholme | 5.3 | A winter walk in Upper Wharfedale and Langstrothdale which came about because of a whiteout snowstorm. |
| Hebden, Edge Top, Grassington, Linton Falls and River Wharfe | 5.6 | A walk of hill and dale, the first half on a high edge over Wharfedale and the second half a walk along the River Wharfe. |
| Appletreewick, River Wharfe, Howgill, Skyreholme and Troller's Gill | 5.8 | A walk of ups and downs in Wharfedale which includes riverside, upland and a limestone gorge. |
| Leathley, Stainburn, Braythorn and Lindley | 6.1 | A lovely walk in the nice countryside of Lower Wharfedale just beyond Northern Leeds. |
| Ilkley Moor and Burley Moor | 6.3 | A heather moor walk to the Twelve Apostles Stone Circle and to the famous Cow and Calf rocks. |
| Kettlewell, Old Cote Moor, Arncliffe, Littondale and Hawkswick | 6.6 | Normally a moderate walk but it was hard on this occasion due to walking in deep snow! |
| Beamsley Beacon, Hazlewood and Storiths Walk | 7.0 | A walk to the top of a well known hill. Views from Beamsley Beacon are amongst the best in Wharfedale. |
| Grassington Moor, Priest's Tarn, Black Edge and Mossdale Scar | 7.3 | A moorland yomp in a miscellany of old lead mine workings, shooting beats and wild nowhere land. |
| Buckden, Cray, Yockenthwaite and Hubberholme | 7.7 | A walk in the pretty dales of Upper Wharfedale and Langstrothdale which visits the villages and hamlets of the area. |
| Spofforth, Kirkby Overblow and Sicklinghall | 8.1 | Walk the wonderful countryside around Spofforth, Kirkby Overblow and Sicklinghall. |
| Skyreholme Bank, Grimwith Reservoir and Stump Cross | 8.3 | This is a quiet moorland walk from Skyreholme Bank which includes some easy right to roam challenges. |
| Sicklinghall, Stockeld Park, Wetherby and Linton | 8.6 | A walk with lots of variety including Stockeld Park, the Harland Way, Wetherby Ings, Linton & Lime Kiln Wood. |
| Grassington, Conistone Pie, Conistone Dib, Grass Wood and Ghaistrill's Strid | 9.5 | Follow the Dales Way by limestone pavements, cliffs and gorge before enjoying woodland and the River Wharfe. |
| Embsay Crag, Rylstone Cross, Cracoe War Memorial, Upper Barden and Embsay Moor | 9.6 | An interesting walk to Embsay Crag, Rylstone Cross and Cracoe Monument. |
| Grassington, Conistone, Mossdale Scar, Black Edge and Kimpergill Hill | 9.6 | A walk from Grassington to two Yorkshire Dales highlights, one a scene of tragedy. |
| Hebden, Grassington Moor, Linton Falls and River Wharfe | 10.0 | A walk around Grassington and Hebden with many highlights including a visit to old mine workings. |
| Scar House Reservoir, Little Whernside, Dead Man's Hill and Great Haw | 10.4 | A tough moorland walk for determined walkers as there are sections of off route on tough ground. |
| Kettlewell, Buckden Pike, Starbotton and Upper Wharfedale | 10.8 | A walk from Kettlewell following Top Mere Road to Bucken Pike before hiking down to Starbotton for a walk along the River Wharfe back to the start. |
| Harewood, Leeds Country Way, East Keswick & Ebor Way | 11.0 | Parkland, heritage village, landscaped estate grounds, open countryside, tree lined lanes and a riverside walk. |
| Storiths, Posforth Gill, Simon's Seat, Lord's Seat, Hammerthorn Hill and Hazlewood Moor | 11.1 | A walk centered on the wonderful upland country of Barden Fell and Hazlewood Moor. |
| Ilkley Moor | 11.3 | A tour of the moor from Panorama Wood to the Swastika Stone and Doubler Stones. |
| Kettlewell, Buckden Pike & Great Whernside | 12.0 | A walk from Kettlewell to Buckden Pike, a dales hill with a WW2 memorial and then on to Great Whernside. |
| Valley of Desolation, Simon's Seat, Troller's Gill and the Strid | 13.2 | A classic walk in lower Wharfedale with many exciting features and a gill of legend. |
| Bolton Abbey, The Strid, Simon's Seat, Barden Moor and Valley of Desolation | 14.0 | A lovely river walk along the Strid followed by a walk to the iconic rock formation of Simons Seat. |
| Kilnsey, Mastiles Lane, Malham Tarn, Cote Moor and Hawkswick | 14.2 | A winter walk along a drovers road to Malham Tarn then over rolling fells to a hidden waterfall of character. |
Feedback and Suggestions:
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(Note: Walking without proper preparation can be dangerous. Information and downloads on this website are provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check the material and use accordingly. Postscript: My walk reports are not route guides and should not be treated as such. They are written with personal reflections of my walks)
