Walks in Wensley
From easy city strolls to challenging trails, discover the best of Wensley on foot.
Walk: Middleham, Hullo Bridge, East Witton and Cover Banks
Middleham Castle, the gorge of Cover Banks, the legend of the Kelpie and some great Dales pubs. The Route what3words for start point: ///populate.operating.tanked Start / Finish Point: Middleham, Wensleydale Distance: 6 Miles GPX Route Map middleham-and-cover-banksDownload Walk Description Middleham is an elegant town of Georgian houses and older cottages set around two old market places, behind which lie the ruins of Middleham Castle, often described as the ‘Windsor of the North’. The castle dates back to 1190 and has played an important role in the history of England as this was once the stronghold of the powerful Neville family, Earls of Warwick, for over 200 years from where they ruled their vast Northern estates. The heyday of the castle was during the 15th Century, especially during the War of the Roses. Richard Plantaganet, later the Duke of Gloucester then Richard III, grew up at the castle where he later met his wife Lady Anne Neville, the daughter of the Earl of Warwick - the Kingmaker. Their son Edward, Prince of Wales was born at the castle. Richard became king in 1483 but was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. The castle soon fell into disrepair and remained Crown property until 1625 when passed into private ownership. Much of the stonework was plundered in the 17th Century and went to build local houses. Whatever time of day you visit Middleham, there always seems to be sleek racehorses either going up onto or returning from the gallops across Middleham Low Moor. Horse breeding and training can be traced back to the monks of Jervaulx Abbey; however, it was during the 18th Century that racehorse training began to flourish in this area as the wide open spaces of Middleham High and Low Moors provided the perfect gallops. This brought prosperity to the town and it was not long before a racecourse was laid out on High Moor, with races being held until 1873. Middleham remains a major centre for racehorse training. Between Middleham and Cover Bridge, the River Cover flows through a steep-sided wooded gorge known as Cover Banks. Indeed, the name of this river is derived from the ancient British word that means ‘a stream that flows through a deep ravine’. This river is also steeped in legend for it is the haunt of the 'Kelpie'. From the turbulent waters this horse-like creature is said to lure the unwary into riding on its back, only to disappear beneath the waters and so drowning its victim. The Kelpie is a supernatural water horse that dates back to Celtic folklore thousands of years ago.
Walk: Wensleydale Challenge - Askrigg to Leyburn
Rise to the challenge: get dropped off at Askrigg and walk back to Leyburn. After a brief climb, the rest is fairly flat and Wensleydale at it's best. The Route what3words for start point: ///modes.officials.bangle Start Point: Askrigg Finish Point: Leyburn Distance: 13 Miles GPX Route Map wensleydalechallenge-askriggtoleyburn2Download Walk Description After an enjoyable bus journey "up dale" to Askrigg on the volunteer Little White Bus featured on Countryfile, the rest is up to you but rise to the challenge and you will follow the River Ure through Wensleydale into Leyburn Market Square with an enormous sense of achievement. It is a long but rewarding walk, however as an alternative, there is the option of jumping aboard the Wensleydale Railway in Redmire. This is just over halfway and can provide a ride back to Leyburn in comfort. The route climbs initially but gently through fields and woodland and then flattens out to contour along the hillside with spectacular views. Above Haw Bank on the right before crossing the wooden foot bridge, it is worth stepping carefully off the route to enjoy Disher Force which thunders down the steep sided gill. There is still evidence of the lead mining industry on the edge of Carperby Moor before seeing the imposing Bolton Castle ahead. The Castle has been owned by the same family since it was built in 1399 by Sir Richard Le Scrope, Lord Chancellor of England whilst Richard II was on the throne. In 1568, Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned there. The end for Bolton Castle came in the Civil War, when John Scrope, only a teenager at the time, held the castle for the royalist cause. Parliament besieged the castle for an entire year but in November 1645, Scrope was forced to surrender. Parliament intended to slight the castle to make it unusable in future, but the south-west tower and the west range survived almost completely intact and habitable. Below the castle walls is a medieval garden, a maze, a rose garden, herb garden, vineyard, birds of prey and a bowling green. The route takes you under Great Wegber and Wegber Scar above Carperby where James Herriot had his honeymoon. On the top of Wegber is a prominent building which is Greenhaw Hut, a bothy shelter. Following along the banks of the River Ure leads past the Ice Pond and through the Bolton Hall estate, over the attractive Lords Bridge before continuing the other side of the river into Wensley. It is easy to see how the area was affected by the floods in 2019. Wensley is a pretty village and of course, gives its name to the dale itself.