Walks in Brackenbottom
From easy city strolls to challenging trails, discover the best of Brackenbottom on foot.
Walk: Helwith Bridge to Pen-y-ghent Circular
The Helwith Bridge to Pen-y-ghent Circular Walk is a popular and rewarding route in the Yorkshire Dales, offering walkers a mix of stunning scenery, challenging terrain, and the opportunity to summit one of the famous Three Peaks. Starting in the tranquil hamlet of Helwith Bridge, this walk takes you through picturesque countryside, across rolling fields, and up the slopes of Pen-y-ghent, one of Yorkshire's most iconic peaks. This circular walk is ideal for those looking to experience the natural beauty of the Dales while also enjoying a good physical challenge. Route What3Words: ///tangent.slides.newer Distance: 10 miles Start location: Austwick Rd, Helwith Bridge, Settle BD24 0EH Finish Location: Austwick Rd, Helwith Bridge, Settle BD24 0EH OS Walking Map & GPX Download Our OS map below shows the full route. Under the map, you can find a GPX file download for your navigational device. helwith-bridge-pen-y-ghent-circularDownload Walk Description Begin your walk at the picturesque hamlet of Helwith Bridge, located beside the River Ribble. The historic Helwith Bridge Inn makes for a convenient and welcoming starting point. Cross the B6479 to get on the path signposted Moor Head which leads towards Pen-y-ghent. You should be able to see the peak in the distance on a clear day. Keep left and continue on Long Lane. There is another fork on the track, join the Pennine Way, and keep Pen-y-ghent in sight. The path on Pen-y-ghent is rocky and steep in places, but it's well-trodden and easy to follow. The final section of the climb involves a bit of scrambling, but it's manageable for most walkers and adds a sense of adventure to the hike. Summit of Pen-y-ghent Reaching the summit of Pen-y-ghent, you'll be rewarded with panoramic views stretching across the Yorkshire Dales. On a clear day, you can see as far as the Lake District to the west and the Pennines to the east. The summit is marked by a trig point, where many walkers stop to take photos and enjoy a well-deserved rest. Descent Follow the Pennine Way down and stop at the cave of Hull Pot if you wish. This part of the walk requires careful footing, especially in wet conditions. Horton-in-Ribblesdale Then follow the Pennine Way to Horton-in-Ribblesdale. Cross through the main carpark for Horton village and the public toilets. Take the footbridge over the River Ribble and then follow the river almost all the way back to Helwith Bridge. Helwith Bridge The Helwith Bridge Inn provides a perfect place to relax after your walk, with hearty food and refreshing drinks to help you unwind. This circular walk, covering approximately 10 miles, is a full-day adventure that showcases the very best of the Yorkshire Dales. Whether you're drawn by the challenge of Pen-y-ghent or the serenity of the river paths, this route is sure to leave you with lasting memories of one of England's most beautiful landscapes.
Yorkshire Three Peaks Walk
On this challenging 25 mile long circular walk you will take in Yorkshire's famous three peaks; Pen y Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough. Not for the faint of heart, this is a popular charity challenge walk, and for good reason, you'll need to be very fit, and make sure there's plenty of daylight too. Ribblehead Viaduct, visible on much of the route The Route Start Point: Horton-in-Ribblesdale Finish Point: Horton-in-Ribblesdale Distance: 25 miles GPX Route Map yorkshirethreepeaksDownload Walk Description what3words for start point: ///confining.verges.hedgehog The route for the Yorkshire Three Peaks starts in the civil parish of Horton in Ribblesdale. This walk first heads to Pen-y-Ghent climbing 694m to the summit via Brackenbottom Scar. The route then descends along the Pennine Way taking in, Tarn Barn, Horton Scar, Jackdaw Hill and Hull Point before continuing to the second peak, Whernside. Ascending 736m to the summit of Whernside via Ribblehead Viaduct you pass Blue Clay Ridge, Little Dale Beck and Force Gill where you will see a series of waterfalls. You will descend through Broadrake, Philpin Lane and Low Hill before tackling the final ascent and the third of the three peaks, Ingleborough. After climbing 723m to the summit the route descends back down to Horton in Ribblesdale where you began. Are you taking on the Three Peaks? Let us know about your walk or challenge in the comments below. If you work for a member of Welcome to Yorkshire and would like to raise money for charity through your work or office challenge, you can do so here. You can sign up your business here.
Walk: Stainforth Force
This walk starts in the quiet town of Settle and takes you down to fascinating Stainforth Foss. The Route what3words for start point: ///accented.buns.operated Start / Finish Point: Ashfield Car Park, Kirkgate, Settle BD24 9DZ Distance: 1 Miles GPX Route Map drawaroute-10Download Walk Description Close to the village of Stainforth, just to the north of Settle, is the magnificent waterfall of Stainforth Force which is on the River Ribble. From the National Park car park follow the Pennine Bridleway signs under the road, through a picnic area, and over the railway. After crossing over the narrow and ancient packhorse bridge, take the footpath through the fields and you will be treated to one of the National Park's most popular beauty spots.
Walk: Pennine Bridleway National Trail
From the Peak District to the Yorkshire Dales, follow old drover’s roads, ancient packhorse routes and bridleways on a journey through the stunning and varied landscapes of the Pennines. The Route what3words for start point: ///woof.perch.saves Start Point: Middleton Top, Derbyshire Finish Point: Ravenstonedale, Cumbria Distance: 205 Miles GPX Route Map penninebridlewayelev20200819Download Walk Description The Pennine Bridleway is the only National Trail specifically designed to be used by walkers, horse riders and cyclists. The 205 mile route stretches from Middleton Top in the Peak District to Ravenstonedale in the Yorkshire Dales and traverses a variety of landscapes, from open moorland to steep-sided wooded river valleys, along ancient packhorse routes, drovers’ roads and bridleways. The Yorkshire Dales section features spectacular limestone landscapes including great views of Malham Tarn and the Three Peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside, as well as the 10 mile circuit of the Settle Loop. Much of the trail is stile-free and sections of it are accessible for those using all-terrain wheelchairs. The trail calls at historic Yorkshire towns such as Hebden Bridge as well as tranquil villages, and you'll find a host of pubs, cafes, accommodation options and visitor attractions along the way. You can walk a section of the Pennine Bridleway as a day out, or if you're looking for a longer walk , enjoy it as a multi-day adventure.
Walk: Ribble Way
The Ribble Way is a scenic long-distance footpath that stretches from the Lancashire coast to the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, closely following the River Ribble as it journeys from the Ribble Estuary to its source on Gayle Moor. The route offers a rich variety of landscapes, including tidal marshes, expansive moorland, and dramatic limestone gorges, providing walkers with a diverse and ever-changing backdrop. Route What3Words: ///:rainy.fruitcake.replenish Distance: 65 miles Start location: Just near the River Douglas, by The Dolphin Inn, Marsh Lane, Longton, Preston, Lancashire PR4 5JY Finish Location: Newby Head Pass, Hawes DL8 3LX OS Walking Map & GPX Download Our OS map below shows the full route. Under the map, you can find a GPX file download for your navigational device. ribble-way-routeDownload Walk Description Starting at Longton on the Lancashire coast, the path meanders through or near several key locations. It first reaches the historic city of Preston before continuing to the ancient Roman town of Ribchester, known for its archaeological significance and the remains of a Roman fort. From there, the path leads to Hurst Green and the picturesque grounds of Stonyhurst College, a Jesuit school with centuries of history. Continuing onward, the route passes through the quaint village of Great Mitton, with its medieval church, and the bustling market town of Clitheroe, dominated by its iconic Norman castle perched on a limestone knoll. As the trail progresses, it winds through the charming villages of Chatburn and Sawley, with its serene abbey ruins, and then enters Gisburn, known for its proximity to Gisburn Forest, a popular spot for walking and cycling. The Ribble Way then takes walkers through the peaceful hamlets of Paythorne and Halton West, eventually reaching the historic village of Wrigglesworth. From here, it meanders through Rathmell, a village nestled in the shadow of the Pennines, before arriving in the lively town of Settle, a gateway to the Yorkshire Dales. Settle is famed for its stunning limestone scenery and the Settle-Carlisle Railway. The route continues through the picturesque village of Stainforth, known for its ancient packhorse bridge, and crosses the River Ribble at Helwith Bridge, a popular spot for anglers. It then passes through Horton in Ribblesdale, a key stop for those undertaking the Three Peaks Challenge, before ascending towards Ingleborough and Whernside, two of the Yorkshire Dales’ highest and most iconic peaks. Finally, the Ribble Way traverses the remote and rugged Blea Moor, offering expansive views of the surrounding dales, before culminating at the river’s source near Cam Head on Gayle Moor, a desolate yet beautiful highland that marks the end of this remarkable journey through the diverse landscapes of Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Walk: Pennine Way National Trail
This iconic 268 mile walk takes you through three of England's finest national parks. The Route what3words for start point: ///mice.ages.improvise Start Point: Edale Finish Point: Kirk Yetholm Distance: 268 Miles GPX Route Map pennine-wayDownload Walk Description Embark on an epic journey along the Pennine Way, a majestic 268-mile trek that weaves through the heart of England's most captivating landscapes. Your adventure begins in the charming village of Edale, nestled in the rugged Derbyshire Peak District. From there, you'll set your sights northward, traversing the rolling hills and serene valleys of the Yorkshire Dales. As you journey onward, each step reveals the rich tapestry of England's natural beauty. You'll cross the historic Hadrian's Wall, a testament to ancient times, in the awe-inspiring Northumberland National Park. Your trek culminates in a triumphant arrival at Kirk Yetholm, a quaint Scottish village that marks the end of this extraordinary trail. Regarded as England's premier Long Distance Footpath, the Pennine Way is more than a hike; it's a pilgrimage through the soul of the Great North. While the path demands resilience and fitness, it generously rewards with unparalleled vistas and breathtaking landscapes. Highlights of this grand expedition include the surreal limestone pavements of Malham Cove and the towering trio of the Yorkshire Three Peaks. Traverse the mysterious moorlands bordering Yorkshire and County Durham, descending into the Tees Valley, where the river guides you past a cascade of awe-inspiring waterfalls. Your journey reaches a crescendo as you ascend to the edge of a dramatic canyon, offering a panoramic view over the Eden Valley that will etch itself into your memory forever. The Pennine Way is not just a walk; it's a journey through history, nature, and the depths of your own endurance, culminating in an experience that transcends mere physical achievement.
Walk: A Pennine Journey
From Settle to Hadrian's Wall and back the walk showcases the wonderful variety of walking experiences available within northern England with its mountains, moorland and river valleys. The Route what3words for start point: ///watchdogs.gifts.trash Start Point: Settle station Finish Point: Settle station Distance: 247 Miles GPX Route Map pennine-journey-complete2Download Walk Description A Pennine Journey is a circular long-distance footpath in northern England originally devised and walked by the Yorkshire-born Lakeland fells guide book writer Alfred Wainwright in 1938. It is 247 miles (388 km) long, starts and ends at Settle in North Yorkshire and traverses some of the most delightful terrain that northern England has to offer. Of its 247 miles route over 220 miles lies within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Northumberland National Park. During the route it touches on sections of the Pennine Way and Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trails and crosses Alfred Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Walk at it’s half way point at Keld. Yorkshire highlights on its way north are Hull Pot, reputedly the largest hole in England, followed by stretches of Wharfedale and Swaledale before the route leaves Yorkshire soon after passing the 17C Tan Hill Inn – at 1732 feet the highest pub in England. On its return to Settle it enters the Yorkshire Dales at Garsdale, which has a station on the Settle-Carlisle Railway Line, passes close to the book town of Sedbergh before arriving back in limestone country at Ingleton after the ascent of one of the Three Peaks – Whernside. The final day from Ingleton sees the ascent of another of the Three Peaks, Ingleborough, before the journey ends back in Settle.
Wainwright's Yorkshire Masterpiece
Longer than the Coast to Coast, more varied than the Pennine Way – and circular. Nick Hallissey discovers the emotional story behind Wainwright’s Pennine Journey, then grab your boots and try it yourself. The name of Alfred Wainwright might be more synonymous with a landscape on the other side of the M6. But long before he became famous for his Lake District guides, he embarked on an epic circular walk through the Yorkshire Dales and the Pennines – a walk that uncovered some of the greatest landscapes in these Broad Acres. A walk that is only now being rediscovered and treasured. Photos: Tom Bailey The gathering storm The story begins in September 1938. The world was heading for war. Newspapers and radios blared with talk of Hitler; of rearmament, air-raid precautions and decontamination squads. As one man remarked: “You turned on the news and sat waiting, with an inside quaking and empty.” That man was Alfred Wainwright, a 31-year-old clerk to the borough treasury of Blackburn. Already a lover of the hills of Yorkshire, it was to these very hills that he looked for escape from the dreadful tidings on the radio. In the steps on the Romans After taking a train from Blackburn to Settle at the bottom edge of the Yorkshire Dales, he set off on foot with a plan to walk to Hadrian’s Wall, some 110 miles to the north. To get there, he would follow the eastern edge of the Pennines. To come back to Settle, he’d follow the western edge, thus creating a grand circular walk up and down the backbone of England. If that didn’t get Hitler out of his head, he had no idea what would. Halfway along the route, Neville Chamberlain came back from Munich declaring “peace in our time”, and like everyone else’s, the heart of Alfred Wainwright suddenly lifted. But by the time he got back to Settle, that peace had been torn up, and Britain was at war. Published walk Back home, Wainwright committed the whole thing to paper, writing a book titled A Pennine Journey. It was a meticulous account of a magnificent walk. It was the story of the people he met and the meals he ate. But it was also a superb documentary on the build-up to the Second World War and what it did to the hearts and minds of those living through it. There was only one problem. He didn’t want anyone to read it. The Lost Manuscript The book was written “not for others to see but to transport my thoughts to that blissful interlude of freedom”, said he. He showed it to a select group of work colleagues, but the war came and went, and the book lay in a drawer until 1986. By then, he had become A Wainwright, the guide-poet-artist of the Lake District. Also in the interim, the Pennine Way had been created, with Wainwright himself writing a guidebook to it. The Way shared fragments of the route of his old Pennine Journey – but only fragments. And it was linear, from Edale to Kirk Yetholm, rather than circular. And crucially, it wasn’t his own creation. So in 1986, when Wainwright and his publisher were discussing projects to help raise funds for his animal rescue charity, he remembered the Pennine Journey. It emerged from the drawer and at his insistence, was published word for word and unedited. Thus it’s an in-the-moment eyewitness account of Britain’s national psyche and the landscapes of the Pennines, frozen in 1938 and thawed out 48 years later. But at this point it’s still just a narrative. It was never intended to be a practical guide to walking the route. Modern update For that we have to skip forward 12 more years to 1998, and meet compulsive long-distance walkers David and Heather Pitt. Having walked almost every other mega-mile trail that Britain has to offer, the indomitable Pitts were looking for something new. Wainwright fans both, they decided to see if they could translate the Pennine Journey into something they could follow. It took a colossal effort of map-reading, cross-referencing and improvisation, but they not only managed it; they loved it. And in 2004 they convinced the newborn Wainwright Society to adopt the Pennine Journey as an official project, with a guidebook edited by David and Heather, and sections checked and updated by volunteers. Since then, the Pennine Journey has attracted a cadre of devoted fans, and waymarkers have appeared at key points along the trail. But last year – 25 years after the death of Alfred Wainwright – something has happened that is likely to make his first big walk go stratospheric. It’s just gone on the OS map. The journey today “I would never, ever call it my baby,” says David Pitt. “This is Wainwright’s journey; his story. That said, it has been part of our lives for 20 years or so, so I am very attached to it. Some people have called it an obsession, but I don’t think it is. I just love this route and I want others to see it too. Evangelism, maybe, but not obsession!” And it has been a team effort. David says the project would be nothing without the efforts of the volunteer route-checkers, and is full of praise for illustrators Ron Scholes and Colin Bywater, who provided the beautiful Wainwright-style maps and drawings for the guidebook. But the inclusion of the Pennine Journey on OS mapping is perhaps the biggest step forward in its history. It makes the route that much more obvious to anyone scouring a Pennine map for a good idea, and it gives the Journey equal weight against the far better known Pennine Way. David loves the Way, but he thinks the Journey has more to offer. “It goes to many places that the Pennine Way goes nowhere near: Buckden, Semerwater, Ingleborough, Weardale and Mallerstang, to name just a few,” he enthuses. “But it also includes a lot of the must-see highlights of the Way, so you don’t miss out – like Pen-y-ghent, High Force, Cross Fell and the very best bits of Hadrian’s Wall. “I also like the circular nature of it: the fact that you do this journey and it brings you back again, which of course the Way doesn’t.” The details The Journey is 247 miles long; 20 miles shorter than the Way. It breaks down into 18 sections, in line with Wainwright’s own walk, and most are between nine and 15 miles. The shortest (Day 1, Settle to Horton) is 7.5 miles, while the longest (Day 17, Sedbergh to Ingleton) is a whopping 17.5 miles. But there are options for downsizing some of the chunkier sections. For example, the 17.5-mile stretch from Buckden to Gunnerside can easily be broken at Bainbridge (in fact I urge you to try this, because Low Mill Guesthouse in Bainbridge is one of the loveliest places that I’ve ever stayed). Wainwright himself didn’t measure in miles but in valleys. Essentially each stretch of the Journey hops from one valley to another, taking in the likes of Ribblesdale, Wharfedale and Wensleydale; Swaledale, Weardale and Teesdale; the Eden Valley, Chapel-le-Dale and the Mallerstang Valley. And thanks to some slight tweaks by David and Heather, the route also climbs all of the Yorkshire Three Peaks. The Pennine Way only climbs one. GPX Route Map penninejourneyDownload Hadrian's Wall And up at the apex is Hadrian’s Wall – or at least, the sensational ten-mile stretch of the wall from Housesteads fort to the village of Greenhead, in which the wall lollops along the beetling crags of the Whin Sill. The wall was Wainwright’s primary objective; he’d never seen it before. There’s almost an irony there: he opens the book by comparing Hitler with Alexander the Great – remorseless empire-builders who sought to invade every corner of the worlds they knew. And yet his destination on this walk to forget all that was the very symbol of empire-building; a relic of another set of conquerors who wanted to possess and control everything they saw. But he was doing this before English Heritage (#ad) was there to protect the wall and tell its story. Before there was a Hadrian’s Wall National Trail. Before there were national parks, visitor centres or even walking guidebooks as we would know them today. In 1938, vast tracts of the countryside were still in private ownership and fenced off from public access. This all makes Wainwright’s endeavour even more remarkable: a man following his own path, using his wits, surviving on cartographical skill and occasional acts of charity; threading together corpse roads, green lanes and the trackways of forgotten industry. And yet despite all this mental agility, the Journey did its job. With every mile, come rain or shine, Alfred Wainwright’s mind found peace. Our own Pennine Journey I walked several stretches of the Pennine Journey with photographer Tom Bailey, using David’s newly-reprinted guidebook and relishing the lack of all the hardships mentioned above. We met up with David and longtime PJ helper Jill King and walked from Buckden in Wharfedale to Bainbridge in Wensleydale. It’s one of the loveliest days of the trail, and exemplary of its nature as an exercise in valley-hopping. From one splendid dale to another across high, wild moorland: that’s what this journey is all about. Along the way is the unexpected treasure of Raydale, the secretive offshoot of Wensleydale that’s home to the fine sheen of Semerwater and England’s shortest river, the Bain. So, brain off, eyes and ears open, enjoy. As an appetiser to the grand enterprise of the Pennine Journey, the day was delicious. The urge to free up two and a half weeks to do the whole damn thing is nagging at me as I type. It would be contrived to liken today’s era of global anxiety to the circumstances in which Wainwright undertook his Pennine Journey. But with every awful thing we hear about on our radios, it’s hard not to feel that going for a massive walk is a brilliant idea. On the other hand, you don’t have to be unhappy to go on this walk. And you don’t have to be alone either: David and Heather will vouch for that. The truth is, whatever your mental landscape when you set out from Settle, I’m pretty certain that by the time you return, the world will look and feel a lot better. It’s not about the destination, you see.It’s about the Journey. Nick Hallissey and Tom Bailey are the deputy editor and photographer forCountry Walking Magazine.