Kettlewell to Starbotton

How to walk the Kettlewell to Starbotton loop

Directions

1. Starting at the Kettlewell pay and display car park, head towards the toilets, and the road bridge over the beck (don’t cross it!). Cross the road, and head between the Yorkshire Dales Ice cream kiosk and the cafe on the opposite side of the road. Continue to walk along this quiet road until you reach a triangular cross roads. Take the fork that heads straight on towards the Kings Head pub.

2. Here, turn left and head over the bridge crossing the beck. Immediately on your left hand side is the village store. Continue straight on, passing the Kettlewell YHA on your right and head to the end of the road. Immediately in front of you at this point is a row of houses. The path heads up right, up a stony track running between the houses. It is signposted Starbotton 1 3/4 miles.

3. Head through the wooden gate at the top, and then up slightly. The path then heads left and runs along side the wall (keep that on your left). The path is clear to see and easy to follow and heads in the direction of Starbotton passing through several gates, and over several stiles. After around 1.5 miles, you will reach Starbotton at which point the path heads left through through a wooden gate in a dry stone wall and then descends steps on the other side. There is a handrail here too.

4. Head downhill as far at the public footpath sign, which points right towards the road, through a gate in the wall on your right. Head through the gate, then through a gap in the next wall, then down the track to a gate at the bottom of the field. You will meet a little lane leading left towards the main road between Kettlewell and Buckden. Head towards the main road.

5. On your right, you will see the village sign for Starbotton. At this point, cross the road (taking care. Although this is a country road, it can be busy, particularly at weekends). Directly opposite, is a signpost for Arncliffe/ Kettlewell/ Buckden. Head through the wooden gate here, and then down the walled stony track on the other side, until you reach the footbridge over the River Wharfe.

6. Cross the footbridge and at the far side, turn left. At this point, you will meet the popular trail, The Dales Way. It is extremely well walked, and is very well waymarked, which makes my job very easy from this point onwards!

7. The path loosely follows the line of the river all the way back into Kettlewell. As long as the River is on your left, you are headed in the right direction! After around 2 miles, you will be back in Kettlewell. Make sure you stop off at our favourite paddling spot on the river before you head back into the village. We love it here and have spent many an hour splashing! (Should you choose to paddle, be aware that the water depth can change quickly, so supervise children at all times. Rivers can have strong currents, and also the River Wharfe is renowned for being fast rising after rainfall. So be aware and if in doubt, do not let children enter the water).

8. Follow the footpath all the way back to the road heading into Kettlewell, cross the road bridge over the river, and head back into Kettlewell!

Should you wish to extend this walk further, you can walk on from the bridge to the stepping stones further along the river. Find the Kettlewell stepping stones walk details here!