Walks in the Yorkshire Dales around Swaledale and Wensleydale

One of the best ways to explore the Yorkshire Dales National Park is by walking. Walking and hiking allows you to get away from everything and immerse yourself in the stunning scenery. Here are some of my favourite walks in the Yorkshire Dales around Swaledale and Wensleydale.

Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means if you click on the link and make a purchase, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please note that all sales are processed by the linked website, not Rays of Adventure, so you’ll be subject to their privacy policy.

When to go walking in the Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales can be beautiful at any time of the year. My favourite time to visit is in the spring, when the fields are full of lambs and the weather can be sunny and not too hot for walking. Whenever you visit the Yorkshire Dales, make sure you’re prepared for rain at any time, even in the summer. And in the winter, be prepared for cold wind and snow which can make walking more challenging. Whatever time of year you visit, there are plenty of great walks in the Yorkshire Dales around Swaledale and Wensleydale.

For all of the below walks, I’d recommend you buy an Ordnance Survey map of the North Yorkshire Dales and follow the route on the map.

Disclaimer: these directions are not intended to be sufficient for you to be able to follow the entire walk. They are designed to give you an indication of the route so you can follow the route on the map, and then find your way on the walk. Rays of Adventure takes no responsibility for these walking directions – it’s up to you to follow the route on a map and ensure you are prepared for a full day of hiking.

What to pack for a day of walking in the Yorkshire Dales around Swaledale and Wensleydale

One of the best things to take for a hiking trip to the Yorkshire Dales is a walk book. I’d recommend this Ordnance Survey book for the Yorkshire Dales, which gives a great variety of walks and also the extract of the Ordnance Survey map so you can follow the route easily (affiliate):

If you’re heading out for a day hiking in the Yorkshire Dales, make sure you take these essential things:

• Hiking boots – preferably waterproof with ankle support so you can walk over rough terrain
• Waterproof coat and trousers – ready for rain showers
• Jumper and fleece – depending on the weather, but it’s best to have a couple of extra layers in case it gets chilly
• Map and compass – if you’re planning to do some serious walking, it’s best to have a map and compass and some basic navigation knowledge
• Camera – for taking lots of photos of the views and sheep
• Binoculars – if you’re keen on birdwatching and want to identify some of the birds you see
• Water bottle and picnic – make sure you have plenty of water for your day, and taking a picnic lunch means you can do full-day hikes
• Backpack – to carry everything you need for a day out
• Sunglasses, sun cream and sun hat – don’t underestimate the strength of the sun, even on a day that’s a bit cloudy
• Basic first aid kit – especially if you’re planning to be hiking in remote areas

Walk 1: The moors of Swaledale to Wensleydale, 11km

Starting in Oxnop Ghyll or Gunnerside, this walk gives you great variety of views as you start in Swaledale and head over towards Wensleydale. It’s definitely one of my favourite walks in the Yorkshire Dales around Swaledale and Wensleydale.

Start your walk along the well-marked footpath called A Pennine Journey, heading south. You’ll find a well made up track that could have a 4×4 vehicle down it. It’s easy to follow with great views down into Swaledale behind you. Keep going along the track across Satron Moor and marvel at the vast expanse of empty moorland all around you. Keep an eye out for wildlife as well. Rabbits can be running all around, and in the spring you can see the ground-nesting lapwings and curlews in this area. Skylarks and swallows can be seen flying overhead, and you’ll never be far from lots of sheep and lambs. 

Keep following the road until it starts dipping down into Wensleydale, the next dale over from Swaledale. This one is greener, and you can see great views across to a river and reservoir. Keep going down into the village of Askrigg as far as you want, but beware how far you go down as you’ll need to come back up. 

Turn around when you’re ready to walk back up to the Moors and enjoy views in the other direction. When you come to a fork in the road, take the left one to stay on the narrow road. This will take you back along a different route to the Penine Way with some different views. Walk along the quiet, narrow road and marvel at the tall limestone cliffs of Oxnop Scar. You’ll be looking up at where you were walking earlier on your right. Keep going down the road, walking next to a small river with rabbits and sheep all around. Then take one of the footpaths on your right to cross back over to the Penine Journey path and get back to your car. 

Walk 2: Muker to Gunnerside along the river, 10km

Park at Muker village for the start of this walk. This is a great walk for a variety of views – you walk along the river to start with, and walk back along a higher road.

There is a pay and display car park in Muker, but if you carry on through the village there’s also plenty of parking on the side of the road. Walk through the village of Muker past the Church, then follow the footpath out of the village through several fields of sheep. The gates and gaps in the walls between each field are very narrow so be aware, it can be challenging with a backpack! After about 5 fields of sheep, you get to a very narrow bridge over the river.

After the bridge, turn right and walk along the footpath with the river on your right. Enjoy the lovely river views through fields of sheep. Look out for wildlife, including grey wagtails and ducks. There are plenty of places to stop for a picnic off the path near the river. 

Walk on until you get to Gunnerside, then walk through village and turn to the left to walk up the road. Follow this road back towards Gunnerside. This road it quite high up from the river, so you get views on your left down to the river and also through the valleys of Swaledale. I walked this route with heavy showers and a thunderstorm as well as sunny spells so had lots of variety with the views. The view looking in front along this path was particularly nice.

The road stays quite high for a while after you first see Muker. Eventually the road does go downhill and you meet the footbridge where you started the walk. Just walk back through the fields of sheep and back to the car. 

Walk 3: Aysgarth Falls and Wensleydale, 9km

Another of my favourite walks in the Yorkshire Dales around Swaledale and Wensleydale takes in the famous Aysgarth Falls. Park at Aysgarth Falls, and it’s best to use the quieter car park near the Church rather than the National Park car park. Walk past the Church and follow the footpath along the quieter side of Aysgarth Falls, away from the main tourist route. You can see the impressive waterfalls through the trees. It’s a lovely walk along the south side of the river.

Follow the path until it meets the road, then walk a short distance along the A road uphill, being very careful of traffic. From the road, enjoy views across the dales, including to a building that looks like Thornfield Hall from Jane Eyre. Walk along road until you get to collection of buildings, then take the footpath to the right. Walk up a stony path, which is steep uphill and after heavy rain can feel like you’re walking up a river. At the top, turn right at the ruins of the small chapel and then enjoy the lovely flat section of the walk with views to the right across Wensleydale. 

Turn right and go down a stony path, heading steep downhill to get to village of West Burton. This is a really nice pretty village with a beautiful blossom tree in the centre in the spring. Make sure you take the very short diversion to West Burton Waterfall while you’re here. It’s a really impressive waterfall but feels very secluded and undiscovered. There are some lovely pubs and tea rooms in the village as well if you want a break.

Coming out of the village, follow the path on your left through more fields of sheep, follow the trails through the fields. There are lots of narrow gaps in the walls with gates, which show you where the path is, but it can be a tight squeeze with a backpack. Just before you get back to Aysgarth, there’s a really steep hill just at the end, but the views make it worth it. The footpath takes you back to the church in Aysgarth to the car park.

Walk 4: Swaledale at its best from Thwaite to Keld, 11km

The views from this walk make it one of my favourite walks in the Yorkshire Dales around Swaledale and Wensleydale, so try to save this walk for a sunny day so you can enjoy it at its finest.

Park in the village of Thwaite for the start of this walk, and head out of the village to walk up the Penine Way. The walk begins with a steep uphill climb but the views are just amazing. The walk takes you almost to the top of the mound.

Turn left at the first footpath you see, and carry on uphill. Just before you get to a wall, follow the footpath left to begin your clockwise circuit of the hill. This path follows the contour line on the map so it’s roughly flat. There are more great views across the open moorland.

Follow the path as it goes around the hill and then starts to go downhill into the village of Keld. The best thing to do here is to go into Keld and follow the road and adjacent footpath back to Thwaite. However, I decided to try to complete the circuit on the walk instead of going down into Keld. The path seemed ok at first, but quickly disappeared and I ended up trying to find my way through open moorland, heather, rabbit holes and boggy marshland. It was great to see lots of rabbits but it was hard walking. After a while, I gave up trying to find a path or a way around a dry stone wall so went back to Keld and enjoyed finishing the walk from there.

After getting to Keld, you can then follow the road back to Thwaite. There’s a choice to either walk along the quiet road, or do some of the walk on a footpath just off to the road through fields of sheep and gap stiles. Both routes will take you back to the car at Thwaite. 

Walk 5: Hawes and Hardraw Force, 8km

The highlight of this walk is the amazing waterfall, which makes it one of the best walks in the Yorkshire Dales around Swaledale and Wensleydale. Park in Hawes for this walk, with plenty of options for parking along the streets, station car park or car park near the school. Walk to the East of the village and join the Penine Way going north. Enjoy the lovely river views and views across green rolling hills of Wensleydale. After a short section of walking along the road, turn left to follow the footpath through fields of sheep. It’s a fairly flat, easy walk with lovely views. 

When you get to Hardraw, follow signs to the waterfall. You have to go through pub car park called the Green Dragon, and there’s a charge to go into the waterfall of £4 each for adult. You can read more about the waterfall here. There are two options for walks to see the Hardraw Force waterfall. The short walk up the gravel path leads you to the bottom of the waterfall, giving great views of it. Or you can choose the steeper, muddier half mile walk up to the top of the waterfall and look down on it from above.

When you get back to the pub, walk out of the pub car park then almost turn back on yourself to follow a footpath north west. This footpath is easy to follow, as you just go between gaps in the wall for each field. Lots of them are narrow gaps with a gate so can be challenging and a tight squeeze, especially if you have a backpack. Enjoy seeing lots of sheep, lambs and rabbits as you go through each field. Follow this path until it joins up with the road by the river where you started the walk, to go back into Hawes. 

Hawes is a nice small town, and is one of the bigger settlements in the area. At the end of this walk, take some time to look at shops, pubs, tea rooms. And make sure you visit Wensleydale Creamery to buy some cheese and visit the gift shop. They also do tours there where you can see how the cheese is made.  

Walk 6: Reeth and the River, 9km

This final walk is a gentler stroll near the river, with great views up into the hills. Park at the village of Reeth, with plenty of parking in the centre around the village green. Walk north west along the well-marked footpath and quiet road. Enjoy great views down to the river and through Arkengarthdale. The river on this walk is called Arckle Beck. The footpath is well-marked through fields of sheep with lots of gap Stiles. Listen out for cuckoos in the trees around you, as well as other birds like goldfinches and rabbits in the fields. 

When the grassy path meets a well marked stony track, follow the path downhill to a bridge over the river, then up the other side. Walk back towards Reeth on other side of the river. The path takes you through an area of more trees and woods, then back into sheep fields.

Follow the path near the river back to Reeth, but instead of turning right into Reeth you can extend the walk by carrying on south along the road. Take a footpath on the right along an easy, stony flat path through sheep fields to the village of Grinton. At Grinton, turn right along another flat road then footpath. 

Follow the footpath until it meets the river and go over the suspension bridge. After the bridge, turn right to head back to Reeth. 

Enjoy walking in the Yorkshire Dales! Remember to look at this walking guide to get ready for your trip (affiliate). And make sure you check out some other things to do in the Yorkshire Dales and more tips for your trip in my other blog on the Yorkshire Dales. If you’re looking for some other places in the UK to explore, check out my guide to the top 10 places for a UK holiday. Why not head to Cardigan Bay, Wales for some coastal walks, or head south and explore the beautiful Cotswolds.