Walks in Dent
From easy city strolls to challenging trails, discover the best of Dent on foot.
Walk: Bewerley, Yorke’s Folly & Guisecliff
A monastic grange, an intriguing folly and Guise Cliff with commanding views across Nidderdale. The Route what3words for start point: ///sling.fabric.tripped Start Point: Bewerley, Nidderdale Finish Point: Bewerley, Nidderdale Distance: 4.25 Miles GPX Route Map yorkes-folly-guisecliffDownload Walk Description Bewerley lies just across the river from Pateley Bridge, the ‘capital’ of upper Nidderdale. This is an attractive village of stone houses and old miners’ cottages clustered around a narrow village green complete with a red ‘phone box and an old water trough still with a working tap. Bewerley is much older than neighbouring Pateley Bridge and was once owned by Fountains Abbey who had a grange, or monastic sheep farm, here. Hidden away along the road through the village is Bewerley Grange Chapel, built between 1494 and 1526 by Marmaduke Huby, the last Abbot of Fountains Abbey before the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This chapel was built to serve the grange, and is still in use as a chapel. Our walk climbs up onto the moors above Bewerley from where there are wonderful views across Nidderdale towards Pateley Bridge. Visible for miles around, the conspicuous landmark of Yorke’s Folly was built over 200 years ago by the local wealthy Yorke family to provide employment for local people during a period of hardship. There were originally three pillars, however one fell down during a storm in 1893. From Yorke’s Folly a path leads across the top of Guise Cliff, a ridge of sandstone rocks weathered into weird and wonderful shapes with rocks jutting out high above the trees below with precipitous cliffs and crevices – keep away from the edge and children and dogs under close supervision as there are hidden crevices and sheer drops. The return ‘leg’ of this walk meanders through Guisecliff Wood, a wonderful expanse of ancient woodland with a small hidden lake amongst the trees. This woodland is carpeted with bluebells in spring.
Walk: Thruscross Reservoir
A more challenging route than the average reservoir walk, this hike runs passes around Thruscross Reservoir and through the moorland and rough pastures alongside the edge of the reservoir. The Route what3words for start point: ///cyclones.fatigued.cookers Start Point: Yorkshire Water free car park on Reservoir Road (HG3 4BB) Finish Point: Yorkshire Water free car park on Reservoir Road Distance: 5 Miles GPX Route Map walkshirethruscrossreservoirDownload Walk Description Exit the car park by the main entrance. Turn left, cross the road into woods and follow the green way marker signs. Continue the path through the woods to Breaks Gill. Cross the bright and continue along the path, looking right to see a ruined mill in the water. Continue through the wood, and after crossing a track and coming around an inlet, the path turns left and leaves the wood with a building on the right. The path becomes a track with walls on either side and reaches the main road. Cross over the road, and follow the public footpath sign over the stile into the field. Follow the clear path on the ground to the right to a gap in the wall, then through another wall. Turn right to rejoin the road over the stile. Turn left and then turn right after crossing the bridge, to walk a track along a stone wall. Keep the house to your left and enter into the field behind, heading for the top left corner. Walk along the wall to leave the fields, passing Whitmoor Farm on the right. Follow the signs, through the gap in the wall to turn left at the wood. Walk along the field at the edge of the wood, crossing a stone stile and down the steps to the river. After crossing the bridge over the River Washburn, climb the stile directly in front of you and head uphill over the moor. The way is clear from the moor path on the ground. Cross a field boundary with a ladder stile, and after some time, the path gently descends to a ladder stile at the edge of the wood. Follow the path to the water’s edge and turn left to follow the edge of the reservoir past a small plantation. Ignore the road off to your left and instead continue along the path until you reach the fence alongside the public road. Find the gap and turn right onto the road.and follow it around to the car park. Food afterwards Try Otley, Ilkley, Pateley Bridge or Summerbridge, depending on which direction you are travelling.
Nidderdale Way Walk
The Nidderdale Way is a circular walk which explores the valley and uplands of the Nidderdale areas. The Route Start Point: Hampsthwaite Finish Point: Hampsthwaite Distance: 53 GPX Route Map nidderdalewayDownload Walk Description what3words for start point: ///inclined.canoe.campus The Nidderdale Way is a circular walk which explores the valley and uplands of the Nidderdale areas. It can be started at any point but many start from Hampsthwaite just north of Harrogate and head west towards upper Nidderdale by following the River Nidd upstream. the route goes through Birstwith, Swarcliffe, Darley, Dacre Banks and Summerbridge before leaving the river and climbing to High Shaw, Abraham Crags and High Crags where there are stunning views down to Nidderdale from Yorke's Folly. The route continues onto Bewerley and heads down to the east side of Gouthwaite Reservoir. Leaving the reservoir side near Ramsgill the walk heads deep into upper Nidderdale via Stean Gorge and Middlesmoor to Scar House Reservoir. The route continues south along the valley on paths and trails by the east side of Gouthwaite Reservoir again but this time in the downstream direction close to Pateley Bridge. Then more low moor paths are followed to the south of the spectacular Brimham Rocks before continuing to Shaw Mills and then to Ripley. A short walk back to Hampsthwaite then completes the stunning circular walk.