Yorkshire Bluebell Walks
In and around the Yorkshire Dales
Are you looking for Yorkshire Dales Bluebell walks?
Around the months of April and May the world goes CRAZY for bluebell walks! Well, you know what? We are right here for all your bluebell walking desires!
These walks all feature fantastic places to go and wallow in bluebell heaven! So what are you waiting for?
GO BLUEBELL HUNTING!
Not here for the bluebells? Then you’ve headed right off piste! But never fear, we have waterfall walks, peak bagging walks, pushchair walks and MORE! So head up to the Walks menu and check out what else there is to offer!
Walk Difficulty Ratings
All of our tried and tested kid friendly walks have been divided into 3 categories dependant on difficulty, length and terrain:
⭐ Little Monkeys:
Walks suitable for younger children. Shorter length walks with occasional pushchair access.
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers:
Walks suitable for pre-schoolers. Medium length/ difficulty walks.
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers:
Walks suitable for older children. Longer length walks with some difficult terrain.
Walks at a Glimpse
Here is our quick look key so you can identify what each walk has without taking too long!
👶 Suitable for Pushchairs
🎒 Suitable for Carriers
🚘 Car Park/ On Street Parking
🚌 Public Transport Links
🐶 Dog Friendly
🥾 Sturdy Footwear or Wellies
🧒 A park or play area
🦆 Ducks to Feed
💦 Water play/ paddle/ swim
✨ Cool history or geology
👻 Legendary Story
🌳 Walking Games
Catrigg Force
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers/ ⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📍Stainforth, Yorkshire Dales National Park
🚘🎒🥾💦🌳🚌🐶
📏 Less than 2 miles linear there and back again, 4.5 miles longer circular
There are two options for this walk. The linear walk is short and sweet and takes you to the super waterfall and back. The longer circular takes you through the woodland on Stainforth Scar, where you’ll find loads of bluebells in April!
Fishpond Woods and Ice House
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Bewerley, near Pateley Bridge
🥾🚘🎒🦆✨🧒🌳🚌🐶
📏 2 miles
This circular walk is short, sweet and PACKED full of cool stuff to explore!
You’ll find woodland packed full of ALL OF THE NATURE! A 200 year old Ice House, hungry ducks and spooky cave spiders all topped off with a park!
Perfect for little legs! (P.S. If you hate spiders like me, visit on a cold winter day when they’re all hiding away!
Middleton Woods
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Ilkley, West Yorkshire
🚘🎒 🥾🦆💦🧒🌳🐶🚌
📏 2.5 miles
This circular walk will take you to Middleton Woods in Ilkley as well as going along Ilkley riverside.
You’ll find a park, plenty of stick dens, stone throwing, paddling, ducks and picnic spots here! SO MUCH GOING ON!
Skipton Castle Woods
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Skipton
🥾🚘🎒🦆✨🧒🌳🚌🐶
📏 As short or as long as you like.
We love a little wander through Skipton Castle Woods and during the Spring, you’ll find wild garlic and bluebells too, so it’s the perfect time to pay it a visit.
We have written a blog with all the need to know details about visiting Skipton Castle Woods, so check it out by tapping the link on the button below!
Grass Woods in Grassington
📍 Grassington, Yorkshire Dales, Wharfedale
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🥾🚘🎒🧒👻✨🌳🚌🐶
📏 4 miles circular walk
Woodland and Water. We think that is a perfect walk combination!
This circular walk starts and ends in the beautiful Dales town of Grassington, where you’ll also find a play park with skate ramps and plenty of places to eat and drink afterwards!
Swinsty Reservoir
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Washburn Valley, North Yorkshire, near Harrogate
🥾🚘💦👶/🎒🌳🚌🐶
📏 4 miles circular
This is an excellent little wander around the smallest of the Washburn Reservoirs! And with the circular route having just reopened after maintenance it’s a cracking bluebell walk!
Aysgarth Falls and Freeholders Woods
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Aysgarth, Wensleydale, North Yorkshire Dales
🎒/👶🥾💦🦆🌳✨🐶🚌
📏 2 miles linear walk
I’ll bet you will have heard of the famous Aysgarth Falls!
But did you know it is located next to the Woodland Trust Site of Special Scientific Interest and nature reserve, Freeholders Wood?
Strid Woods, Bolton Abbey
⭐ Little Monkeys
📍 Bolton Abbey Estate, North Yorkshire
🎒/👶🌳🚘🥾🚌🐶
📏 3 miles linear walk
This family friendly walk through the famous Yorkshire woodland will mean finding SO MANY EXCITING THINGS!
Starting and ending at the Cavendish Pavillion (COFFEE!!!!) this walk will take you to the infamous Strid which is a waterfall in the middle of the Bolton Abbey Estate and is regularly the home to the Bolton Abbey Seasonal Trails.
Riffa Woods, near Otley
📍 Near Otley, West Yorkshire
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🥾🚘🎒🌳🐶
📏 4 miles
Looking for bluebell walks? Then look no further!
This walk is a top secret woodland wander during Bluebell season!
Heber’s Ghyll, Ilkley
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Ilkley, West Yorkshire
🚘🎒🥾💦✨🌳🚌🐶
📏 2 miles
A waterfall, woodland and a Neolithic carved stone. What more could you want from a walk? (Unless you fancy a dinosaur hunt as well…)
Middleton Calvary and Middleton Woods
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🎒🚘🥾💦🦆✨🌳🧒🚌🐶
📍 Ilkley, West Yorkshire
📏 6 miles circular dependant on how much exploring you do!
This walk will take you right past the spine tingling and atmospheric Middleton (or Myddleton) Calvary, and along Ilkley Riverside which is a paddler’s paradise!
Oh…. and there are ducks to feed and a park too!
Nidd Gorge
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Between Knaresborough and Ripon, North Yorkshire
🥾🎒🚘💦🌳🐶🚌
📏 Less than 2 miles
The most woodlandy woodland that ever woodlanded!
Nidd Gorge is another place owned by the Woodland Trust and is packed full of woodland wonder, stick dens, places to splash and loads more!
Flintergill, Dent
📍 Dent, Cumbria, Western Yorkshire Dales National Park
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📏 Circular walk 6 miles
🥾🎒🚘🚌🧒✨👻💦🌳🐶
This fab circular walk starts and ends in the village of Dent. The walk is PACKED full of cool stuff for the kids, it features a waterfall, a small farming museum, ruins, paddle spots, ice cream, a park AND a vampire stone! You’ll have to read more about that in the walk details!
Hackfall Woods
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers (dependant on how much of the trail you do)
📍 Near Ripon, North Yorkshire
🥾🎒🚘💦🌳🐶🚌
📏 Variable dependant on the route you choose
Hackfall Woods is Woodland Trust owned area that is packed full of bluebells! With trails of varying lengths around the woodland, you can always find something to suit your needs!
Check out the follies too and find out all about Hackfall Woods by reading the blog!
Bluebell Facts and Useful Stuff to Know!
⭐ It’s tempting to grab that super Instagrammable shot by plopping the kids and yourself right amongst the masses of blue, but please don’t! A crushed bluebell cannot effectively produce food for the plant and it will die back, taking 5-7 years to recover from the damage. Sad stuff right?
⭐ Did you know that the UK is the home for more than HALF of the ENTIRE WORLD’S population of bluebells? That’s why we have to take care of them.
⭐ DO NOT PICK OR UPROOT BLUEBELLS!! They are protected by law and you could be landed with a hefty fine.
⭐ The native bluebell is under threat by the more vigorous Spanish bluebells. You can tell the difference by looking at the style of the flower. The native bluebell is curved with the bells hanging to one side, whereas the Spanish is more upright with bells all around it.
Scroll using the arrows for all our Family Friendly Walks
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![Swimming in Janet's Foss Yorkshire Dales]()
Waterfall Walks
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![Malham cove walk for kids]()
Pushchair Friendly
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![Pinhaw Beacon trig point walk near Skipton]()
Peak Bagging Walks
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![The Park at Greenhow Nidderdale]()
Walks with Play Parks
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![Gordale Scar in Malham Yorkshire Dales]()
Organised by Location
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![Walking in the woodland in Wensleydale]()
Woodland Walks
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![Playing on the shore of Embsay Reservoir Yorkshire Dales]()
Reservoir Walks
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![The ruins of Bolton Abbey]()
Bolton Abbey Estate Walks
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![Leaping over the stile at Almscliffe Crag]()
Walks Under 2 Miles
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