Cosy Pub Walks
Walking into the Craven Arms, one of our favourite pubs in the Yorkshire Dales
Here are the cosiest family friendly pub walks in the Yorkshire Dales!
Shall I say it again? Cosy. Pub. Walks. Three little words that warm the cockles of my heart and have my mind drifting off to a roaring log fire, low slung oak beamed ceilings and the family squeezing round a tiny little table…. Sorry. Back in the room!
Yes. I am a huge fan of a classic pub walk, but you know what? Whilst Summer may be the realm of the sunny beer garden, Winter calls for COSY PUBS BABAYYYYY!
And I am pretty well versed in the family friendly pubs of the Yorkshire Dales. Let’s call it….. research. Yes, research.
But not any old pub walk has made the cut, oh no! Just our absolute FAVOURITE family friendly cosy pub walks stretching from Wharfedale in North Yorkshire to Ravenstonedale in Cumbria, these are absolute belters and all within the Yorkshire Dales National Park!
Whilst these are our favourites, if you want to check out all of our pub walks then head to our Pub and Cafe walks page!
The outside of the Kings Head Pub on a VERY wet day!
Walk: Smardale Gill
Pubs: The Kings Head in Ravenstonedale & The Black Swan
We are starting in the far west of the Yorkshire Dales National Park with two of our favourites!
We have been coming to the Kings Head in Ravenstonedale for YEARS now and have always had a warm welcome into this super cosy pub. Offering traditional pub grub done well, we have whiled away many a cosy afternoon in the rain whilst camping at Low Greenside, or after a super soggy winter walk (for whenever we come here… it RAINS!)
The Black Swan was ranked in the top 100 gastropubs in the country earlier this year and is a super cosy pub with EXCELLENT food! Both are found in Ravenstonedale, so take your pick!
A cosy pub is always better after a walk right?
Well the walk to Smardale Gill Viaduct will take you from the pub, in a circle to the spectacular viaduct and then back again! To the PUB!
Oh and it’s only a 2 minute walk to the park too! We say it’s a Winter winner!
Standing in front of the HUGE Smardale Gill Viaduct
Walk: Burnsall to Appletreewick
Pubs: Red Lion and the Craven Arms
There are not one, but TWO of our favourite family friendly cosy pubs on this super circular that starts from Burnsall in Wharfedale.
This is one of our most local areas and so these two pubs are probably the ones we have been to the most of ALLLLL the pubs and the walk we’ve walked the most too.
The circular walk to Appletreewick will have you meet the Craven Arms (picture at the top and below) at the half way point. A place that is one of our most favouritest of pubs EVER! (I don’t care about the grammar and made up words. That’s just how much I love that blummin’ pub!)
It also has a little bit of a celeb rep too! The Craven Arms first and foremost offers brilliant quality pub grub. LIke REALLY good. And with log fires and a maze-like feel to the higgledy-piggledy interior, you’ll be in character heaven! But in case you’re interested, the pub has been visited by none other than Ruby Wax and Keira Knightly and has been used in the filming of several TV shows and films!
In case you were thinking we were done? Oh no! There is the Red Lion too, with its open fires, traditional pub grub and a stunning riverside setting. You’ll be spoiled for choice on this walk so why not try both….?
Sat in the old kitchen area of the Craven Arms with a cosy candle for company!
Walk: Force Gill, Whernside
Pub: The Station Inn at Ribbleshead
Oh yes. A classic walk and an absolutely iconic family friendly Yorkshire Dales pub! The Station Inn in Ribbleshead is perfectly positioned right next to the Ribblehead Viaduct and opposite Yorkshire’s highest peak, Whernside. Whilst the beer garden has some of the greatest views in the whole of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, step inside and you’ll find all the characteristics of a traditional cosy pub.
On the walls, you’ll find plenty of artwork and information about the history of this site, for history it has in SPADES. The area around the pub and the viaduct is an ancient monument and was the site of the camps for the workers who built the viaduct. An absolutely BRUTAL place to live, they were exposed to some truly extreme conditions.
Oh and if the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge is your kinda thing, you will find out plenty of information here about that too! It may not be the traditional start point of the challenge, but it was my start point and I would heartily recommend you do it that way…. because there’s a pub at the end!
Anyway…. It’s a proper hearty pub, with traditional food but with a super cosy vibe and sometimes live music! This place will almost always be busy, so if you want to eat there book in advance.
And why not try our walk to Force Gill or to Whernside itself.
Force Gill in its icy glory. You’ll be grateful for the cosy pub if you chance a dip like this!
The Walk: Yordas Cave
The Pub: The Marton Arms in Thornton in Lonsdale
Ok… admittedly, the cave is a short drive from the pub, but the road to Yordas passes right by the Marton Arms and we say, pay it a visit!
This pub was a childhood stop off for me on the way to the Lakes, and it used to serve EXCELLENT curly fries and I believe there was an occasional Ostrich on the menu.
And the Marton Arms remains a foody pub and we dearly love it.
If you’re looking for a consistently great place to grab a roast or some pub grub done well, then this is your place. The staff are always super friendly and of COURSE it’s kid friendly too! In fact, the last time we visited there was a power cut (on account of a huge storm) and you could not have seen a place handle that situation any better. Utterly brilliant.
But to work up an appetite for all the tasty food, you can explore the cave down the road (it has a waterfall INSIDE it! Yes. That’s cool right?)
The walk to Yordas Cave is a super short one, and the ex Victorian show cave is quite frankly astounding in its size. Be careful not to enter the cave after heavy rainfall, as it can become flooded by the beck that flows through it. It’s that beck that creates the stunning waterfall at the back end of the cavern, in a smaller cave called the Chapter House.
A festively cosy Lister Arms, an ace way to while away an hour or two on a cold winter’s afternoon!
Walk: Gordale Scar and Janet’s Foss
Pub: The Lister Arms and Malham
Yes, Malham is busy. Very busy. But just occasionally during the winter months, you might hit lucky and get it a little more peaceful than during the peak season in Summer.
If you do? We love the Lister Arms for a cosy family friendly comfy place to warm up after a winter walk. Probably the largest of the pubs we’ve recommended so far, the Lister Arms has a bar and restaurant so has a little more space to squeeze in! That said, if you want to eat there, it’s best to book because even on a rainy day, Malham is BUSY!
And what better way to start off your day in Malham than by heading for a rendezvous with the Queen of the fairies at Janet’s Foss, then heading to the gargantuan Gordale Scar, whose towering rocky sides with have you staring in awe. Oh and the waterfall is FAR better in winter… (just saying!)
Swimming in Janet’s Foss waterfall in the Summer
The Walk: Litton Stepping Stones
The Pub: Queens Arms at Litton
Heard of Littondale? Nope, thought you hadn’t! Well, this truly magical part of the Yorkshire Dales is the home of the Queens Arms pub, which is the teeniest tiniest pub imaginable. With its own brewery out back!
This pub is an absolute must visit. With award winning pies and excellent home made food, the pub’s micro brewery will bring you LITERALLY home brewed beer and Litton is a stunning place for a wander to work up an appetite.
A walk to Litton stepping stones is short and sweet, but starts and ends at the pub, so the truest of pub walks there possibly could be!
(Be aware that the River Skirfare will rise after heavy rain, so the stepping stones may not be passable).
Walk: Grass Woods
Pub: The Devonshire
Alright. I feel like there would be some kind of backlash from the stalwart fans of All Creatures Great and Small if I didn’t include The Devonshire in the mix for cosy pubs! There are so many awesome pubs to choose from in Grassington, but the iconic ‘Drovers Arms’ stands out for its period beauty and embodies that higgledy-piggledy-upsy-downsy vibe that I for one certainly love in a cosy pub!
So draw in your chair by the log fire and grab a game, you’ll get cosy pub grub and a good old range of Tim Taylors at the Devonshire, as well as getting your fix of All Creatures Great and Small paraphernalia!
The walk? Well if you head up the cobbled street from the Devonshire, you’ll pass notorious Tom Lee’s old smidy (you’ll see the plaque to tell you where it was). Our walk takes you to Grass Woods passing Tom Lee’s dastardly cave hideaway…. after committing an awful murder in the woods….. hundreds of years ago thankfully! Oh and to the play park too! (Bit of a contrast there….. admittedly! )
The Drovers Arms … SORRY, The Devonshire at night at Christmas
Walk: Cray Gill Waterfalls
Pubs: The George Inn and The Buck Inn
Almost forgot about this one! Which is strange because it’s definitely one of our favourite walks! (Nothing to do with the two pubs….)
Cray Gill Waterfalls are a series of stunning cascades located on Cray Gill beck. There are several to spot along the way and at a lovely 6 miles circular, which is about to become even better with a brand new footpath being constructed to take walkers of some of the road section, you’ll feel like you’ve really earned the two cosy pub stops!
The historic George Inn is a tiny pub, with a roaring log fire and a tasty traditional menu. The very definition of cosy! You’ll meet the pub at roughly the half way mark of this walk. At the end, there is the Buck Inn, with it’s welcoming bar area, boasting not one but two log fires (it also has hot chocolate…. just saying!)
One of the many waterfalls at Cray Gill
So there we go!
Some super cosy pubs to try and the walks that go with them. Because we all know that food tastes better after a heavy hit of fresh air!