Yorkshire Dales Walk 4: Aysgarth Falls and Bolton Castle

Date: Wednesday 27th July 2011
Route: Aysgarth Falls to Bolton Castle and back
Distance: 6 miles

After two days of hard-going uphill and down dale walks - which have taken their toll on our calves - we wanted a slightly easier walk, so opted for this one, walk 13 from the Pathfinder Guide.

It sets off from the National Park Visitor Centre at Aysgarth Falls, starting off with a trip to the Falls, where the roaring water of the River Ure can be heard before you can see it. There are postcards in the Visitor Centre, which show the Falls in full flow and looking very impressive, however I suspect that none of these were taken at the end of a (thankfully) dry July.

From the Falls the path continues on to Bolton Castle, mainly on an easy-to-follow but frankly pretty dull enclosed path called Thoresby Lane. Although very green and straightforward, the defining features of this stretch seem to be lots of wayside thistles and occasional castle views. Thankfully, this is a walk of two halves - and the second half is a lot better!

It all starts getting better as you get closer to the castle, which looms over the hillside, looking mightily impressive (and in decent-ish condition for a building dating from 1379). The village of Castle Bolton is very pretty and the closer you get to the castle the more detail is revealed.

If you have plenty of time (and £8.50) to spare, you could quite easily spend a few hours at the castle (there are various furnished rooms - including one where Mary, Queen of Scots stayed - plus falconry displays, a maze and loads of building to climb over and get great views of the surrounding countryside). If you have less time or just want to get on, you can still wander into the castle tea-rooms (dominated by a massive fireplace) or shop (dominated by the usual collection of tea towels, model castles etc).

From the castle, the views out over the countryside are very impressive - lots of green rolling hills, dotted with cows and sheep and as the walk continues you get to see these views from different angles. The route leads through a number of pastures and meadows - dodging cows, sheep and associated dung/ droppings - to the village of Carperby, then back to the wood above Aysgarth Falls, where the path is fringed by raspberry bushes.

In summary, an easy but not overwhelming walk, with a couple of good sights on the route and great views in the second half especially.