A walk through James Herriot’s Yorkshire Dales

By Gill Atkinson

This year I chose the Herriot Way for my Mickledore staff fam trip. One of the main reasons for this decision was that although the Yorkshire Dales are really not very far away from home, I’m ashamed to say that it’s an area that I just don’t know, so I was looking forward to getting out to explore a totally new area.

I opted for our shortest itinerary HE5, consisting of 5 nights with 4 days walking, starting and finishing in Aysgarth with an even spread of approximately 13 miles per day. I quite like circular routes starting and finishing in the same location, as it makes life very easy with regard to transport. We were driving over to the Dales and the circular route meant we could park our car at the start then walk straight back to it at the end.

So we arrived at the Aysgarth Falls Hotel early evening where they’d very kindly agreed we could park our car with them for the duration of our walk. After a quick freshen up we headed down for a relaxed drink in the bar prior to dinner. Luckily for us Sunday roast was available on the evening menu, so roast beef it was! I am coeliac and as such follow a strict gluten free diet, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that home-made gluten free Yorkshire pudding was served with my roast – quite a treat for me.

Day 1: Aysgarth to Hawes

The forecast for today was for a grey cloudy day but we were pleasantly surprised to wake up to fairly warm sunshine! Yippee (because to be honest we haven’t had much in the way of sunshine where we live this summer).

The start of route took us north out of Aysgarth and down towards to the River Ure, before heading west through meadowland along the banks of the river, parallel to an old disused railway track towards the village of Askrigg (name derived from the old Norse meaning ‘the ridge where Ash trees grow’).

Askrigg was the original location used for the filming of the TV series All Creatures Great and Small which depicted the life of the veterinary surgeon James Herriot who lived and worked in the Yorkshire Dales. Askrigg isn’t a big place so it didn’t us long for a wander round and so we had plenty of time to stop for coffee in the sunshine outside the village café. Although we’d started the day with an enormous breakfast, Stan couldn’t resist ordering a huge slab of Rolo cake. I told him not to because it was simply too big and very rich (and not gluten free so I couldn’t help him out with it), but he wouldn’t be deterred. Safe to say, he barely got half way through before he couldn’t manage anymore, so we wrapped it up and put it with his packed lunch for later!

On the way to Askrigg we’d very quickly got used to the numerous stone stiles and narrow gates so typical of the Yorkshire Dales countryside. As the route left Askrigg we had to negotiate what must be the narrowest gate of them all, where I’m sure most folk would need to squeeze through sideways (was Stan already regretting eating the cake?)!

Just after leaving Askrigg we missed a fingerpost sign for an optional detour to Mill Gill Force, one of several impressive waterfalls in the area. It was a shame, but we made a mental note to try and remember to stop off to see this on our way home at the end of our walk.

Soon we reached the tiny hamlet of Sedbusk where we found a small bench to sit and enjoy our packed lunch in the sun. To be honest, although our packed lunch was good, I don’t think Stan enjoyed his as much as I did due to his cake coma! I did tell him….

The rest of today was spent walking through gentle Yorkshire countryside, fields ribboned with beautiful stone walls and dotted with immaculately built stone bars, negotiating what seemed like hundreds of narrow gated stiles along the way.

Just before the route would take us through the fields towards Hawes, we took advantage of a little detour to visit Hardraw Force where the water from Hardraw Beck drops a vertical 100 foot into a bowl below. Very impressive, especially when seen after heavy rain.

Then it was a fairly short walk through fields to reach Hawes, the highest market town in England. We checked into the White Hart and enjoyed a relaxing pint in the sunshine before heading to our room to relax before dinner.

One of the main things which struck us about our first day was just how quiet it was on the trail.

Day 2: Hawes to Keld

Today’s walk would take us from Hawes to Keld via Great Shunner Fell (Yorkshire Dales third highest mountain), and how lucky were we with the weather. After what must have been some quite heavy rain overnight the skies had cleared and we were treated to some fresh sunshine, and the day would only get warmer as it went on.

After having a chat with our friendly luggage courier who’d called to collect our bags, we headed out of Hawes where traders were busy setting up for market day. Once out of the village, the landscape was initially very similar to yesterday, easy walking through agricultural fields, negotiating the obligatory stone stiles along the way. Despite the overnight rain, the fields really weren’t too wet either which was good.

Shortly after passing Appersett the Herriot Way joins the Pennine Way for the steady climb to the top of Great Shunner Fell (the climb is not steep and some would perhaps just describe it as a long slog). The views along the way were wonderful, Yorkshire landscape showcased in the fresh sunshine. As we got closer to the top of Great Shunner Fell the path became mainly paved which helps avoid damage and erosion to the peat and provides an easy surface to walk on.

We ate our packed lunch sheltered from the breeze at the top and enjoyed the views before starting the long descent towards the hamlet of Thwaite. By now the sun was warm and we had hoped to stop for refreshments, or at least an ice cream in Thwaite, but were disappointed to find both the café and hotel shut. So we had no choice but to carry on and start the final climb of the day up the slopes of Kisdon on the final stretch to Keld.

On this final climb we were rewarded with some lovely views down into Swaledale and a visual taster of tomorrow’s journey to Reeth. It was here that we were joined briefly by the cutest baby hedgehog who seemed determined to scuttle after us for a while.

We are both fairly fit and perhaps walk faster than most, and knew if we pushed on we would arrive in Keld a little bit too early to check in. So, as it was such a lovely afternoon, we rested a while and soaked up the sun.

Although it wasn’t busy, we’d definitely seen more people out on the route than yesterday, which is probably because much of today’s route was shared with the Pennine Way.

Day 3: Keld to Reeth

We enjoyed a very sociable evening after our meal in the Keld Lodge last night, having a few drinks and exchanging stories from our day with other guests, some of whom were doing the Herriot Way, but also those on the Coast to Coast and Pennine Way. Keld is a tiny hamlet but is an important crossroad on these popular long distance paths, so there’s always going to be someone around to share your story with.

After two lovely days, today’s forecast was for light rain most the day – slightly disappointing but not unusual for this summer! For the journey to Reeth we had a choice of two routes: despite the forecast for rain, we opted for high level route up and over the moors.

This turned out to be a complete contrast to the last two days, leaving behind the rolling green fields, stone walls & stiles and instead was replaced initially by the much bleaker landscape of Gunnerside Moor & Healaugh Side.

In the past much of this moorland area supported lead mining industry and many relics of this were clear to see including ruined smelt mills which used to burn coal and peat that had been cut from the surrounding hills. Peat was stored to dry in long open fronted buildings with archways to allow the peat to dry out. Two particularly impressive ruined peat stores were visible at the site of Blakethwaite Smelt Mill and Old Gang Mill (further along the route), where the arches of the 100ft long buildings remain fairly intact.

Nowadays however the new industry on the moors is grouse shooting and all along the route we regularly came across grouse butts and the estate teams who were busy preparing them in readiness for the imminent grouse shooting season which always starts on 12 August. We quickly got used to seeing grouse which would suddenly take off from the cover in the heather as we walked past and which flew off with a loud cackle.

The last part of our journey today took us down past Surrender Bridge (famed for the opening scenes of All Creatures Great & Small) and then down towards Healaugh and finished with a final gentle flat stretch across the fields to Reeth. We’d made good time, arriving in Reeth early afternoon, so we headed to the little café for Yorkshire tea and cake before checking into the Buck Inn for the night.

Again, it had been fairly quiet on the route today – maybe because we’d chosen to follow the higher route, possibly due to the weather, who knows. However it was a vibrant atmosphere in the bar of the Buck Hotel where we enjoyed our evening drinks and meal.

Day 4: Reeth back to Aysgarth

Our last day today would take us from Reeth all the way back to our original starting point at Aysgarth.

We set out from Reeth in pleasantly warm sunshine but were under no illusion that it probably wouldn’t last, with rain forecast for the afternoon.

After a short gentle climb up to Grinton Lodge Youth Hostel, we were soon out onto Hakerside Moor amongst the purple heather again, enjoying lovely views back over Swaledale and across the moors above Reeth and Gunnerside, which had been our route from yesterday.

The path was very easy to follow, mainly on a wide four wheel drive track. On this part of the trail we were never far away from grouse butts and many grouse on the ground, who again would suddenly fly out from the heather as we walked past them. Poor things, they really didn’t have any idea that the Glorious 12th was just days away!

On this section the guidebook mentioned to keep an eye out for a ‘large pile of stones beside the path on the right’ for remains of an old lime kiln. When viewed from the track there wasn’t much to see other than a pile of stones but it was well worth the short but steep scramble down to view it from its base where it was much more impressive in size. In the past it was used to produce lime for use in agricultural fertilizer and mortar for building work.

After this the route then turned and we headed down the long valley of Apedale down towards Dents House. This section of the trail still bears the scars of the bygone lead industry with spoil heaps and shafts visible but there was evidence of new tree planting on both sides of the valley which will eventually help restore some of the biodiversity and regenerate the landscape.

Although it had been a blowy on the tops, the forecast rain never materialised and from Dents House it was just a short climb before heading gently down towards Castle Bolton with its very impressive Castle where Yorkshire tea & cake were in order from the cafe.

From Castle Bolton the Herriot Way was easy walking through fields and along Thoresby Lane (an old Drovers lane) and eventually back to Aysgarth via the famous Falls. We had plenty of time to explore the falls before checking back into the Aysgarth Falls Hotel for our final night.

We both thoroughly enjoyed our Herriot Way walk which led us on a journey through some very picturesque valley and moorland scenery in the Yorkshire’s Dales. The route had led us from the Aysgarth in Wensleydale, through Swaledale, briefly into Richmondshire and then back to Wensleydale.

For anyone new to the idea of a walking holiday and who fancies trying out a short one by way of introduction before tackling one of the longer walks such as the Coast to Coast or Pennine Way, then I would recommend the Herriot Way as a good choice. It offers plenty of variety from gentle meadows walking to really quite strenuous up (up and over Great Shunner Fell) as well as plenty moorland walking too. It is very easy to navigate following the detailed directions given in the guidebook alongside the OS Map. For more information on the Herriot Way email us [email protected] or call 017687 72335 to speak with one of our Customer Sales and Support team.