Great Whernside

How to walk to Great Whernside

 Here’s the walk description!

1. From the Kettlewell Car Park, head out, turning left at the toilets. Cross the road to the Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream kiosk that’s on the opposite side of the road next to the bridge. Head along the road here, that heads through the village, keeping the river on your left. Follow the line of the river past the Kings Head pub on your left, and keep following the road along the side of the river.

2. After around 750 yards, the road turns from tarmacked road to stony track. There is a bridge on your left, a signpost to Whernside Pasture on your right and a stony track that heads straight on in the middle. You need to ignore the sign for Whernside Pasture and head along the middle track. This track continues to follow the river for a short while, until it bends around to the right, and you reach a bridge over the beck.

3. Cross the bridge, but go no further! The footpath you need heads right, along the wall on the far side of the beck and is signposted, Hag Dyke and Providence Pot. You will reach a little gate in the wall on your left after a few seconds, and you need to head through this. It is signposted Hag Dyke. Here, you will start to climb.

4. Continue along the path. It is signposted as a public footpath regularly along the way and heads through several walls and gates until you reach Hag Dyke. Here, you will see a signpost, which points towards Kettlewell, and Great Whernside. Surprisingly, take the route up Great Whernside! (Here is a point in the walk where you can cut it short if you need to. If you do, take the signpost that points left towards Kettlewell, and continue along the track following the wall. )

5. The footpath takes you towards Hag Dyke Hostel, and heads along the far right of the building. It is well waymarked, so you can’t miss it! Follow the footpath past the end of the building, then head left up the steep rocky section. The path levels out for a while as the footpath becomes pretty boggy, and a bit ambiguous! There are several waymarked posts to keep you on track, but you do have to weave around the soggy bits!

6. After the boggy bit, the path heads up steeply again. At the point there are some stone steps that head up to the summit trig point!

7. From the top, head back the way you came to Hag Dyke, then turn right at the gate into Hag Dyke. It is signposted Kettlewell, and comprises a wide stony track (which is used as an access track to Hag Dyke). You need to follow this track more or less all the way back! It’s easy to navigate this bit! COW WARNING! I know that some people aren’t keen on our bovine friends. We encountered some cows at this point. Not in the slightest bit worried about us, but a heads up nevertheless!

8. About a mile along the access track, you will reach a T junction with another access track. Here turn a sharp left and continue along this route. 750 yards along this track is the remains of the Kettlewell Smelt Mill, which you can head through the gate to go see. It is on your right and is accessible to the public. There are information boards about its history here. There is a bridge and a beck, where we stopped for a paddle.

9. Head back to the stony track, turn right and continue along to the bridge where you originally started the climb of Great Whernside, then head on back into Kettlewell!