Wharfedale Walks
Family walks in and around the Wharfedale area of the Yorkshire Dales
Are you looking for walks in and around the Wharfedale area?
Wharfedale is an absolute HUB in the Yorkshire Dales. You’ll find Grassington, Burnsall, Bolton Abbey, Kettlewell and more! So when it comes to family friendly walks, in Wharfedale you really are spoiled for choice!
You know what? You’ll find all of the Yorkshire Dales Wharfedale walks right here on this page! And you will NOT be disappointed because this beautiful part of the National Park will give you ALL of the cool kid stuff!
You’ll find walks with waterfalls, walks with the ruins of the once thriving lead mining, peaks filled with fairies, super cool caves and magically disappearing rivers…
Welcome to Wharfedale!
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
Grassington
Walks in and around the Grassington area of Wharfedale
Grassington and Grass Woods
📍 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!
Linton Falls and Stepping Stones
📍 Linton, Wharfedale, Yorkshire Dales South East
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
🚘🥾💦🎒✨🌳👻🧒🐶🚌
📏 2 miles circular walk
Linton Falls are a super popular stop off and are spectacular after heavy rain! Although…. if you do this walk after heavy rain, you’ll probably not get over the stepping stones!
This fantastic circular takes you from Linton Falls to the stepping stones and back!
Grassington Lead Mines from Hebden
📍 Hebden near Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🥾🚘💦✨🌳🚌🐶
📏 5 miles circular (can be further)
This family friendly circular walk delivers. It’s got waterfall splash value, an immense amount of industrial history and a pub at the end. Ok, that’s probably more for the grown ups….
Scale Haw Force, Hebden
📍 Hebden near Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🥾🚘💦✨🌳🚌🐶
📏 5 miles circular (can be further)
This family friendly circular walk delivers. It’s got waterfall splash value, an immense amount of industrial history and a pub at the end. Ok, that’s probably more for the grown ups….
Grimwith Reservoir
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📍 Wharfedale, The Yorkshire Dales, near Grassington
🥾🚘🎒🌳🚌🐶
📏 4.5 miles
This reservoir boasts incredible views across Wharfedale, from it’s elevated position. Plus, it is home to the Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club, so there are often boats to watch too!
Threshfield Quarry
📍 Near Grassington, Wharfedale Yorkshire Dales
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
🥾🎒🚘✨🌳🚌🐶
📏 Circular walk, 4 miles
This circular walk is around the remains ofthe old Threshfield Quarry. A quirky family friendly walk, this one will take you past glimmering turquoise pools (look but don’t touch), past towering quarry walls, it gives you glorious views across Wharfedale and you might be lucky enough to catch the waterfall!
Burnsall Circular
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
🥾🚘🎒🦆💦👻✨🌳🚌🐶
📏 3-4 miles circular walk
📍 Burnsall, Wharfedale - Yorkshire Dales South East
The perfect kid friendly circular walk starts and ends in the beautiful village of Burnsall and it does what it says on the tin! It’ll take you in a loop past Loup Scar (ah… the two loops…) up to Thorpe and then back underneath the lower slopes of Burnsall and Thorpe Fell. Super!
Burnsall to Appletreewick
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
🥾🚘🎒🦆💦👻✨🌳🚌🐶
📏 4 miles circular walk
📍 Burnsall, Wharfedale - Yorkshire Dales South East
Want a circular walk that starts and ends in Burnsall (that’s NOT the other circular walk we have above…) This one will take you to Appletreewick and back!
Why? BECAUSE! (Nothing to do with the fact it has 2 pubs….. one with a set of stocks outside for the kids…. SORRY. NOT for the kids….)
Trollers Gill
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Skyreholme, Wharfedale
🚘🎒🥾💦🌳🐶
📏 3 miles there and back again
This is an epic Wharfedale walk that can’t be missed if you’re headed to the area. With stories of angry trolls and demon dogs, this walk is literally the stuff of legends!
Burnsall to Hebden Circular
📍 Burnsall to Hebden Circular
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📏 Circular walk 3.5 - 4 miles
🥾🎒🚘👻🧒💦🌳🐶
This super circular starts and ends at the Red Lion Pub in Burnsall. It heads past paddling spots, swim spots, the stunning Loup Scar to yet ANOTHER pub or a fantastic tearoom in Hebden, it has a play area and more!
Kettlewell
Walks in and around the Kettlewell area of Wharfedale
Kettlewell to Starbotton
📍 Kettlewell, Upper Wharfedale
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🥾🎒🚘💦🧒🌳🚌🐶
📏 Circular walk, 4.5 miles
This circular walk from Kettlewell to Starbotton is about 4.5 miles and starts and ends with ice cream and a park! (Oh and the pub….. three pubs!)
There are paddle spots, a park and it’s dog friendly too!
Kettlewell Stepping Stones
📍 Kettlewell, Upper Wharfedale, The Yorkshire Dales
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
🚘🥾💦🧒🌳🐶🚌
📏 2 miles circular walk
We love Kettlewell! Located in the heart of Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales this walk will take you on a short walk to the stepping stones and back. It’s a great walk for a Summer’s Day with places to get down to the water’s edge to splash!
Great Whernside
📍 Kettlewell, The Yorkshire Dales National Park (South/ Central)
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🥾🚘🎒🧒💦🌳🚌🐶
📏 6 miles circular
Not to be confused with THE Whernside, Great Whernside is located in Kettlewell, is the 6th highest Yorkshire Peak and this walk takes you past the highest chapel in England, the ruins of a Smelt Mill, it has perfect paddling spots, Ice Cream, a park and PUBS! Gotta love it!
I do!
Caseker Gill Force, Kettlewell
📍 Kettlewell, The Yorkshire Dales National Park (South/ Central)
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
🥾🚘🎒🧒💦🌳🐶
📏 1 mile linear
To put it simply, this walk is there and back again to a pretty cool waterfall. But only visit when it’s been raining, because without the rain, it’ll be dry! We’ve done this walk in both conditions, and actually they both have their bonuses!
Halton Gill, Littondale
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Littondale, near Wharfedale, Central Yorkshire Dales
🎒🚘🥾💦🌳🐶
📏 2 miles
This circular walk was born out of my desire to visit a movie location! So if you want a dose of Hollywood, coupled with a heavy hit of Yorkshire Dales phwoar in a super secret location? This one’s for you!
Scoska Cave, Littondale
📍 Litton, Littondale The Yorkshire Dales National Park
⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐ Short circular: Little Adventurers Full Cave: Superstar Hikers
🚘🥾💦✨🌳🐶
📏 2/ 3.5 miles
Finding a hidden cave is a TRUE adventure and this walk will take you right to it!
Don’t like caves? This walk can be adapted to be a fab little stepping stones circular too!
Hubberholme to Yockenthwaite, Upper Wharfedale
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Hubberholme, Upper Wharfedale, the Yorkshire Dales
💦🎒🌳🥾🐶
📏 3.5 miles
This stunning circular is a top wander with the splash factor! Starting and ending at the pub in Hubberholme, why not also grab yourself a bite to eat too!
Buckden Pike, Upper Wharfedale
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🚘🥾💦🎒🌳🚌🐶
📏 7 miles
📍 Buckden, Upper Wharfedale, the Yorkshire Dales
Ok. I’ll level with you. At over 700m, Buckden Pike is the 7th highest peak in the Yorkshire Dales, so this one is NOT for the faint hearted!! But, the route will take you past an abandoned lead mine and Buckden Beck, the perfect place to dip your toes and cool off those achy feet!
Buckden Beck Waterfalls
⭐ Little Monkeys
🎒🚘🥾💦🌳🚌🐶
📍 Buckden, Upper Wharfedale
📏 less than 1 mile linear walk there and back.
This walk is a very short walk to the Buckden Beck Waterfalls, but for less than 1 mile, you will get LOADS of waterfall action! We love this walk and it is one of our go to wanders for an end of the day paddle if we are in the area!
Cow Close Waterfalls, Cray Gill
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
🎒🚘🥾💦🌳🚌🐶
📍 Cray, Upper Wharfedale. The Yorkshire Dales.
📏 4.5 miles linear walk
A waterfall for a true explorer!
This little gem of a find is a little off-piste and located in plain sight in Upper Cray, but will have you channelling your full inner explorer to get up close!
Cray Gill Waterfalls, Upper Wharfedale
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📍 Buckden/Cray, Upper Wharfedale
💦🎒🥾🚘🌳🚌🐶
📏 5 miles circular
There are 11ty billion waterfalls on this walk. Fact.
Ok, I got the kids to count, but there are so many wonderful waterfalls to spot that 11ty billion isn’t a bad shout and for only 5 miles, that’s a lot of waterfalls per mile!
It’s also got 3 pubs…. that’s a pretty decent ratio too in my opinion….
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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