Walks with a Dark Side
Yorkshire Dales walks with a Dark History
Ooh the Yorkshire Dales has had some shady characters in the past…
So many, that there is a whole LOAD of places that have a gruesome and grizzly tale to tell, and all of them are right here on this page!
These walks will take you to the places that ooze a dark past or have tales of shady shenanigans…
You’ll find highwaymen, murderers, poor unfortunate souls and dastardly plotters…. all here! There are so many gripping stories that have taken place during the history of the Yorkshire Dales, and if you want to set a foot in the reality of the stories? Then these are the walks for you!
Remember to scroll to the bottom of the page to get the full stories on the blog!
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
The Lodge Murders
Scar House Reservoir
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📍 Lofthouse, Upper Nidderdale
🥾🚘🎒🌳🚌🐶
📏 4.5 miles
If you take a walk around Scar House Reservoir in Upper Nidderdale, you will chance upon the remains of a village named Lodge. A once bustling village on the old trade route over Dead Man’s Hill, it was at the Inn there that three Scottish pedlars were brutally murdered.
The fact that the trade route was the favourite haunt of the notorious killer jighwayman Tom Taylor… well that’s just coincidence…. right?
Poor Old Robin Proctor
The Norber Erratics
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
💦🚘🥾🎒🌳✨🧒🐶🚌
📏 5 miles circular walk
📍 Clapham, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire Dales National Park
If you take a wander to the Norber Erratics from Clapham, you will walk right under Robin Proctor’s Scar. This craggy rock face is a haven for climbers and is named after poor old Robin, who met his grizzly end after falling asleep on a horse after a ahem…. heavy session at the local pub. The story is quite a tragic cautionary tale….
Buckden Bill
Buckden Pike, Upper Wharfedale
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🚘🥾💦🎒🌳🚌🐶
📏 7 miles
📍 Buckden, Upper Wharfedale, the Yorkshire Dales
Another tale about a poor unfortunate soul. This time Buckden Bill, whose skeleton was found wearing a felt hat and still holding a walking stick, by a group of students charting the old levels of the lead mine under Buckden Pike back in the 1960’s.
Who Bill was remains a mystery, but there have been some investigations into trying to fathom his identity… how successful? You’ll have to read the story!
The Star Crossed Lovers
Mill Gill Force
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📍 Askrigg, Wensleydale The Yorkshire Dales
🚘🥾🎒💦🌳🚌🐶
📏4.5 miles
From poor unfortunate souls to tragic grudges. Mill Gill force was the final resting place of two young lovers who were killed because of a family rivalry back in the 1500’s. It’s all very Romeo and Juliet except it involves curdled milk...
Murder at the Country’s Tallest Waterfall
Hardraw Force
⭐ Little Monkeys
📍 Hardraw, Wensleydale. The Yorkshire Dales
🚘🥾👶/🧒💦👻🌳🚌🐶
📏 1-2 miles circular trail
Not only was this the filming location for Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, but it was the scene of a grizzly murder hundreds of years ago.
A brawl turned bad when the poo victim fell to his death from the top of the waterfall. It wasn’t until the investigations found the remains of a melted dagger that the perpetrators were brought to justice.
The Construction of the Ribblehead Viaduct
📍 Whernside, Ribblehead. The Yorkshire Dales
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🚘🚅🥾🎒✨👻💦🚌🐶
📏 6 miles there and back again
This absolute behemoth was an incredible achievement in architectural terms, but required the labour of thousands of navvies, all of whom were housed in camps at its base.
The harsh conditions coupled with the danger of the work resulted in a high death toll. The area of the camp is now a designated historical site of interest and the stories surrounding life up there are brutal.
Notorious Tom Lee
Cove Scar and Grass Woods
📍 Grassington, Yorkshire Dales, Wharfedale
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🥾🚘🎒🧒👻✨🌳🚌🐶
📏 4 miles circular walk
More dastardly crimes!
The notorious Tom Lee was a blacksmith in Grassington and was responsible for the murder of a local doctor in Grass Woods. He hid out in the cave on Cove Scar but was found and later brought to justice….
The Gatenby Sisters
Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
📍 Ingleton, Yorkshire Dales
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🥾🚘🎒🧒👻✨🌳🚌🐶
📏 5 miles circular walk
From many (many) murders, to a misplaced poison plot. So a kinda murder gone very wrong. The Gatenby sisters of Ingleton were plotting to kill each other in order to claim an inheritance and keep it alllll to themselves. Problem was…. they both came up with the same plan and ended up executing it at exactly the same time… let’s just say it didn’t end up very well for either of the murderous sisters…
The Yorkshire Dales Grizzly Tales
Read the Full Stories of the Dark History of the Yorkshire Dales
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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