Yorkshire Dales Walk 6: Bolton Abbey

Date: Friday 29th July 2011
Route: Bolton Abbey to Barden Tower then back along the River Wharfe
Distance: 7.5 miles

The last walk of our week in the Yorkshire Dales had a lot in common with our first - beautiful scenery, an easy path beside the River Wharfe, Yorkshire Dales ice cream, fantastic weather and outstanding hillside paths.

This one came from the Pathfinder Guide (although there is a variant in the AA 1001 Walks Guide too, which misses out the Barden Tower) and was an outstanding way to round off the week.

The walk starts off at the Bolton Abbey car park, then heads off over the hills, climbing up through woodland and over open pastures before rejoining the road near the Barden Tower. It seemed fitting that as we entered the woodland, a hare sat in the middle of the path, before turning tail and heading off into the distance - the next stage of the walk took us on to Lower Hare Head and Middle Hare Head. The views from the tops of these hills are nothing short of breath-taking, with green hillsides and wide-open spaces in every direction.

The 15th century ruins of the Barden Tower sit at the bottom of the hill, not far from Barden Bridge. The walk turns right before the bridge but you might want to make a slight detour to the other side to pick up a Yorkshire Dales ice cream from the handy kiosk (apparently all of the Dales ice cream kiosks are staffed by glamorous, blonde Eastern European ladies) before heading along the riverside path.

The Wharfe is wider at Barden Bridge than at Burnsall (see Yorkshire Dales Walk 1 below) but the path is just as easy to follow - and quieter - until you reach "The Strid", which, thanks to a handy car-park and the strange sight of a very wide river being forced through a very small gap in the rocks, is suddenly full of people. The Strid comes complete with multiple warnings about the danger of trying to jump over the rocks - frankly, the moss on the rocks and the very foamy, Guinness-like appearance of the water just past the Strid should be enough to put anyone off.

The path continues on alongside the water until the car park and cafe at the Cavendish Pavilion, a welcome lunch stop, before heading off over the footbridge to follow the river on the other bank (school holiday activities for the kids including a bouncy castle and a kite-making workshop are, of course, another alternative!).

From here, it is only a couple of ups and downs then the 12th century ruins of Bolton Priory come into view. One last footbridge (or stepping stones for the adventurous) and you are on the path up to the Priory, half of which is still used as a church; the other half of which is in picturesque ruins.

This is a fantastic walk, with a great combination of hill-tops, riverside walking and beautiful scenery. A perfect way to end a week of brilliant walks, which have surpassed all expectations and will be difficult to leave behind (sigh).