The Yorkshire Dales Witches

Walks with Witches

Walking with the Yorkshire Dales Witches…

It’s the season of the Witch right?

And so of course we have a whole page dedicated to these ladies of the Dales. Ladies who were the victims of superstition, fear and ignorance. There’s a whole lot of history involved in understanding the stories surrounding these remarkable women, but right here, you’ll find the walks that take you to the places where they once lived, or were rumoured to be…

I say rumour, because whilst some are firmly rooted in fact, some may be a little figment of somebody’s imagination…. but I’ll let you read on to find out who is who! (Or Which is Witch…. pun intended!)

You can read my full blog about the Yorkshire Dales witches at the bottom of the page!

Full credit to Eileen Rennison, who’s book I studied to blog about these stories. Coupled with a little bit of internet research, I have written up the full blog on the Yorkshire Dales witches (and those who might be a little less witchy and more… sketchy…)

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 Timble Witches

Swinsty Reservoir

⭐⭐ Little Adventurers

📍 Washburn Valley, North Yorkshire, near Harrogate

🥾🚘💦👶/🎒🌳🚌🐶

📏 4 miles

Who were the Timble Witches? They were six women who were accused of witchcraft by the Fairfax family. Timble is a tiny hamlet found just above Swinsty Reservoir, however the old residence of the Fairfax family lies firmly in the middle of what is now the reservoir. The allegations of witchcraft related to the Fairfax family children and it was in this area that the alleged crimes of the six witches took place….

Tap here to head to Swinsty Reservoir

The Witch of Semerwater

Semerwater

📍 Raydale, just up from Bainbridge Wensleydale

⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers

🥾🚘🎒🌳👻✨🐶

📏 5 miles

This ‘witch’ is perhaps a little less set in historical record…. sometimes referred to as the angel of Semerwater, the story goes that the Witch is the reason for the natural lake. The old village of Semmerdale was flooded by the witch in a fit of rage after being shunned and shown mistreatment by the villagers who turned her away. They say you can still hear the drowned church bells ringing from beneath the water…

Tap here to head to our Semerwater walk

Alice Ketyll of Clapham

Gaping Gill, Clapham

⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers

💦🚘🥾🎒🌳✨🧒🐶🚌

📏 8 miles linear (there and back again) walk

📍 Clapham, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire Dales National Park

This is one of my favourite witch stories! Alice was said to be the resident witch of Clapham back in the 1400’s, she lived in a cottage found at the foot of Trow Gill (an epic gorge that you’ll encounter on this walk). Alice was said to have made a pact with the Devil to help her stepson in the War of the Roses by standing in a ring of 9 dead cockerels (a piece of Clapham history that was put in the millennium stone at the church).

But it turns out that the story of Alice is not quite all that it seems…. and if THAT doesn’t have you scrolling to the bottom to read the full story I don’t know what will!

Tap here to head to Gaping Gill

The ropoe swing over the River Nidd Knaresborough

Mother Shipton, Knaresborough

📍 Knaresborough, near Harrogate North Yorkshire

⭐ Little Monkeys

📏 Under 1 mile

💦🌳👶🥾✨🚌🐶

If you’ve ever been to Knaresborough, you will have heard of Mother Shipton’s Cave, one of the country’s oldest tourist attractions. Mother Shipton was referred to as a witch and came up with some pretty terrifying prophecies during her lifetime. As most alleged witches were, she was shunned and mocked by many of the residents and took to hiding away in the woodland surrounding Knaresborough. Whilst you can’t walk to the cave without paying the admission charges, this walk takes you through the woodland she would have known well, and along the river near her cave.

Tap here to head to Knaresborough Circular

The Yorkshire Dales Witches

Read the Full Stories of the Yorkshire Dales Witches…

Tap here to head to the Witch's Stories

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