The dales get crowds. The rivers get ignored.
Most visitors walk up hills or park at waterfalls. They take the usual routes to Malham Cove, past Aysgarth, or along Bolton Abbey’s riverside. These are good but busy walks.
The Dales have seven major river catchments and several smaller rivers. Most are only walked in the busiest spots. Follow these rivers away from the car park, and you’ll find empty paths, the same scenery, and solitude.
These ten walks follow little-walked rivers in the Dales. All are accessible, require no special fitness, and are among the north’s finest yet are little known outside the area.
QUICK FACTS
Region: Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire
Best for: Walking, wildlife, geology, history, solitude
Getting there: Settle-Carlisle railway serves Ribblehead, Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Settle, and Dent; DalesBus seasonal services connect Grassington, Hawes, Reeth, and other Dales villages.
Time needed: Half a day to a full day per walk; a long weekend to cover a cluster
1. THE RIVER SWALE FROM MUKER TO KELD
Most visitors to Swaledale stop at Reeth to look at the green or drive up to Keld to see the waterfalls. Yet the riverside path between Muker and Keld, passing through flower-rich hay meadows and below the ruins of Crackpot Hall, is walked far less than it deserves. Alfred Wainwright called Swaledale his favourite dale—and for good reason.
The word Swale comes from the Anglo-Saxon swalwe, meaning “rushing water,” a name the river earns for its reputation as one of England’s fastest-rising flood rivers. Muker—named from Old Norse for ‘narrow cultivated field’ was a centre for hand-knitting from the 16th century onwards, when Elizabeth I’s embrace of woolly stockings gave every villager work. Crackpot Hall, perched above the Swale, takes its name from the Norse kráka-pot, meaning a pot where crows live. It moved from a hunting lodge to a lead mine office before the decline of Dales lead mining in the 1880s left it a ruin. Today, what remains is preserved with grant funding.
Walk from the car park at Muker along the riverside path heading upstream toward Keld, following the Pennine Way markers. The path is gently undulating and mostly level, clearly marked, and passes through internationally protected hay meadows in June at peak flower diversity. Farmer grants preserve this traditional landscape. The outward route stays close to the Swale; the return climbs slightly on a well-defined path, passing Crackpot Hall. The round trip is about six miles on easy-to-follow tracks. On a still October morning, the river runs fast and clear below the limestone scars, and the air smells of wet stone.
Where to Stay: The Punch Bowl Inn at Low Row in Swaledale is a 17th-century inn with 12 en-suite rooms and views across the dale, well-placed for the Muker and Keld walks.
Worth Knowing: The hay meadows around Muker are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. They are among the finest surviving examples of upland, flower-rich meadow in England, supporting species such as wood cranesbill, pignut, and yellow rattle.
2. THE RIVER URE FROM BAINBRIDGE TO AYSGARTH
The Ure is Wensleydale’s river and has been since before the Romans came. They built a fort at Bainbridge, on the tongue of land where the Bain, England’s shortest river at just two miles, joins the Ure from Semerwater. Part of the Roman road from the fort is still walkable up Wether Fell to the south.
The dale’s old name was Yoredale, after the river, and gives its name to the Yoredale Series of Carboniferous rocks, the geological layer sequence that explains why Wensleydale has so many waterfalls. The alternating beds of limestone and shale that make up Yoredale rocks weather at different rates: soft shale undercuts harder limestone, which then collapses and steps down, creating the waterfall sequences at Aysgarth, Hardraw, West Burton, and Askrigg. Bolton Castle, visible on the hillside above the valley, was built between 1378 and 1399 and served as a prison for Mary Queen of Scots in 1568. She is said to have escaped once, reaching as far as Leyburn before being recaptured.
Walk from Bainbridge village along the south bank of the Ure, following a signed riverside path through meadows to Aysgarth. The riverside route is mostly level and on clear tracks, totalling about seven miles one way. It passes through Askrigg, the filming location for the BBC’s All Creatures Great and Small series. The signed path to Mill Gill Force waterfall adds half an hour and is moderately steep but straightforward. At Aysgarth, the High, Middle, and Low Falls are accessible via surfaced paths. In spring, the upper falls run heavy and loud after snowmelt from the fells.
Where to Stay: The Crown Hotel in Hawes is a traditional Dales inn at the head of Wensleydale, a short drive from Bainbridge, with rooms and a good bar.
Worth Knowing: The River Bain, which joins the Ure at Bainbridge, is generally considered the shortest river in England, running for just two miles from Semerwater to the Ure. Semerwater itself, one of only a handful of natural lakes in the Yorkshire Dales, was formed by a glacial moraine damming the valley at the end of the last ice age.
3. THE RIVER WHARFE THROUGH LANGSTROTHDALE
Bolton Abbey and the Strid are the famous sections of the Wharfe. Langstrothdale, the highest and most remote stretch of the river above Buckden, is visited by a fraction of the people who crowd the lower valley. The path follows the Dales Way upstream through a landscape of limestone pasture and ancient farmsteads to the river’s headwaters on Cam Fell.
The Strid, the narrow gorge where the Wharfe is forced through a six-foot gap and drops deep into caves cut beneath the rock, takes its name from the Anglo-Saxon stryth, meaning turmoil. The depth beneath the Strid is unknown. The undercurrent has been described as lethal, and no person who has fallen in has survived. William Wordsworth wrote about it. The caveat is that the gorge’s reputation may have been embellished: a young man named William de Romilly is said to have been killed jumping across it, but documentary evidence suggests he was alive and signing estate documents in adulthood.
Walk from Buckden car park north along the Dales Way through Langstrothdale. This well-marked riverside route follows clear, gently undulating footpaths through Hubberholme, where J.B. Priestley asked that his ashes be scattered. A memorial plaque marks the spot in St Michael and All Angels Church. Continue to Yockenthwaite, visiting a Bronze Age stone circle in the field above the river, then return the same way. The round trip is about 9 miles on good paths, with no technical sections. In November, the Wharfe runs slate-grey beneath the white limestone scars.
Where to Stay: The Buck Inn at Buckden is a 17th-century stone inn with rooms directly in the village at the head of Wharfedale.
Worth Knowing: Hubberholme church, St Michael and All Angels, is one of the few churches in the Dales with a surviving rood loft, dating from 1558. J.B. Priestley described the view from Hubberholme as one of the smallest and most pleasant places in the world. His memorial tablet is on the north wall of the church.
4. THE RIVER NIDD THROUGH UPPER NIDDERDALE
Nidderdale was excluded from the Yorkshire Dales National Park when it was designated in 1954. The most commonly cited reason is that the reservoirs built to supply Bradford with water had altered the landscape to such a degree that straightforward designation was difficult. In 1994, Nidderdale was instead recognised as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The consequence is that the valley receives fewer visitors than comparably beautiful dales, even though the river and the limestone gorge at How Stean are among the finest in the region.
The Nidd partly disappears underground above Lofthouse, sinking into the sinkhole known as Manchester Hole and flowing through Goyden Pot, a cave system that extends 3.5 miles beneath the moor. At Gouthwaite Reservoir, completed in 1901 as a compensation reservoir for Bradford’s water supply, the valley opens into one of the best birdwatching sites in the Dales, with breeding curlew, redshank, and snipe, and regular winter visitors including red kite.
Walk from Pateley Bridge north along the Nidderdale Way, a well-maintained waymarked path, to Gouthwaite Reservoir. Continue along clear valley paths to Ramsgill, then follow signed tracks upstream to Lofthouse and How Stean Gorge. The gorge has narrow, constructed footpaths and footbridges (entry fee required; some stairs and uneven ground). Continue on a steady climb to Middlesmoor on good paths, where St Chad’s Church overlooks the valley. The full walk is about 12 miles round trip, mostly on established, easy-to-navigate routes.
Where to Stay: Sportsman’s Arms at Wath-in-Nidderdale is a highly regarded restaurant with rooms on the Gouthwaite Reservoir side of the valley.
Worth Knowing: The Church of St Chad at Middlesmoor contains the shaft of a Saxon cross dating from around AD 665, attributed to the saint himself, who was Bishop of Northumbria from 669 to 672. The shaft is one of the earliest surviving Christian artefacts in the Dales.
5. THE RIVER RIBBLE FROM SETTLE TO STAINFORTH
The Ribble is the only major Dales river that flows west to the Irish Sea rather than east to the Ouse and the Humber. It rises above Ribblehead below the Three Peaks and flows south through Ribblesdale past the Settle-Carlisle railway before leaving the Dales at Settle. The riverside path from Settle to Stainforth Force follows the Ribble Way along two miles of flat valley floor through classic Dales countryside.
At Stainforth Force, the Ribble drops over a series of limestone ledges in a dramatic cascade that, after rainfall, becomes a wildlife spectacle: Atlantic salmon returning from the sea to their spawning grounds attempt to leap the falls from late September through to November. The packhorse bridge at Stainforth, a narrow arched stone structure just wide enough for a loaded pack animal, was built in 1675 by a local Quaker to allow trade between York and Lancaster. It is Grade II listed and owned by the National Trust. The Settle-Carlisle railway, which opened in 1876 and was built by 6,000 navvies working through the Pennine winter, runs along the valley floor and is visible from almost the entire route.
Walk from Settle Market Place north along the Ribble Way following the river upstream to Stainforth. The path is flat, well-signed, and takes about an hour each way. Return the same route or take a short detour to Catrigg Force, a separate waterfall above the village, which involves a 20-minute climb through limestone pasture. In autumn, bring binoculars for the salmon run.
Where to Stay: The Falcon Manor Hotel in Settle is a Victorian country house hotel, a short walk from the start point of the Ribble Way.
Worth Knowing: The Settle-Carlisle line was almost closed in 1989. A public campaign to save it was one of the largest in British railway history. British Rail reversed the closure decision in 1989, and the line was retained. It now carries around one million passengers per year.
6. THE RIVER DEE THROUGH DENTDALE
Dentdale is technically in Cumbria. In 1974, when county boundaries were redrawn, this part of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire was transferred to Cumbria and administered from Carlisle. The dale is still very much part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and culturally indistinguishable from its neighbours. It receives fewer visitors than Wharfedale or Wensleydale, partly because the road in is long and single-track for stretches, and partly because the county boundary change has confused some visitors.
Adam Sedgwick was born in Dent village in 1785, the son of the local parson. He went on to become the Woodwardian Professor of Geology at Cambridge and one of the founders of modern geology. His pupils included the young Charles Darwin, whom he later opposed in the debate over natural selection. A pink granite fountain in the centre of Dent village commemorates Sedgwick. The chancel floor of St Andrew’s Church is paved with black Dent marble, a distinctive polished limestone quarried in the dale and highly valued in the 18th and 19th centuries. Dent station, four miles from the village on the Settle-Carlisle line, sits at 1,132 feet above sea level and is the highest mainline station in England.
Walk from Dent village downstream along the Dales Way following the River Dee. The path follows the south bank through riverside meadows past Barth Bridge, then continues through the valley to Sedbergh, a total of about 7 miles on largely flat ground. Return by bus or arrange a car at Sedbergh. In June, the valley floor is full of meadow flowers, and the river is low and clear enough to see the limestone bed.
Where to Stay: The Sun Inn in Dent village is a 17th-century pub with rooms in the centre of the cobbled village, directly on the Dales Way route.
Worth Knowing: The so-called Terrible Knitters of Dent were not terrible in quality but in the old sense of formidable or prodigious. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Dent’s knitters worked at extraordinary speed, knitting while walking to the fields. The last surviving practitioners of the traditional method, Elizabeth Hartley and Elizabeth Middleton, died in 2007 at ages 93 and 91, respectively.
7. THE RIVER LUNE THROUGH HOWGILL
The Lune is the least-walked of the major Dales rivers by people who think of themselves as Yorkshire Dales walkers. It enters the National Park in the far west and flows through the Lune Gorge, one of the most geologically significant valleys in northern England, where three major transport arteries follow the same river corridor: the M6 motorway, the West Coast Main Line, and the A685.
The section of the Lune above the gorge, upstream through the Howgill Fells, is quiet in a way the other Dales rivers are not. The Howgills, the rounded fells above the river, are made from Silurian rocks more typical of the Lake District, older and harder than the Carboniferous limestone that characterises most of the Dales. The grass on the Howgills is fine and short, grazed by Rough Fell sheep, and the fells have an open, whale-backed character very different from the limestone scars and terraces of Wharfedale and Wensleydale.
Walk from Sedbergh, the small town at the foot of the Howgills, along the Dales Way west, following the Lune downstream through Crook of Lune Bridge. The path follows the river through mixed woodland and open meadow, with the Howgill Fells visible above on either side. The round trip to Crook of Lune and back is about 7 miles. On a clear February morning, the fells above the river are close enough to feel overhead, and the sound of the Lune over the limestone boulders in the gorge carries across the fields.
Where to Stay: The Black Bull Inn in Sedbergh is a traditional Dales pub with rooms in the market town at the foot of the Howgills.
Worth Knowing: The Lune Gorge, through which the M6 follows the river south, was carved by glacial meltwater at the end of the last ice age. The gorge is so significant a transport corridor that it has been used continuously as a route since at least Roman times. A Roman road runs along the western side of the valley, parallel to the modern motorway.
8. THE RIVER AIRE FROM MALHAM TO AIREHEAD SPRINGS
The Aire has one of the most unusual sources of any English river. It does not rise conventionally from a moorland spring. Above Malham village, water flows over Malham Cove, the 80-metre limestone cliff face, but none of that water feeds the Aire. The river emerges from a series of springs at Airehead, a mile south of the village, fed by water that has travelled underground through the limestone from sinks high on the moor.
The water that flows over Malham Cove eventually reaches the Aire, but it takes a long route underground. In 1972, a dye test confirmed the connection between a sinkhole at Sink Beck on Malham Moor and Airehead Springs: the dye took several days to travel. The cove itself, a curved limestone cliff formed by glacial meltwater, features a limestone pavement on its top, one of the finest examples in England. It has been a protected National Nature Reserve since 2016.
Walk from Malham village south along the riverbank following the young River Aire downstream to where the path meets the springs at Airehead. The round trip is about three miles and gives a flat, easy route through limestone pasture. Return via the village and add a side trip north to the cove for a view from below the 80-metre cliff face. The pavement above the cove is reached by a steep path from the top. In winter, the limestone of the cove face is silver-grey, and the top is empty of visitors.
Where to Stay: Beck Hall in Malham is a 17th-century house with rooms on the River Aire, directly in the village, within walking distance of the cove and the springs.
Worth Knowing: The limestone pavement atop Malham Cove was designated a National Nature Reserve in 2016. The clints and grykes, the flat blocks and deep fissures that make up the pavement, create a microhabitat supporting rare ferns and other lime-loving plants, including hart’s tongue fern and rigid buckler fern.
9. THE RIVER COVER FROM COVERDALE TO JERVAULX
Cover is one of the smaller Dales rivers and one of the least visited. It runs through Coverdale, which lies between Wensleydale to the north and Wharfedale to the south. The dale had a significant monastic presence in the medieval period: Coverham Abbey, founded in the late 12th century for Premonstratensian canons, stood above the Cover near Coverham village. Its ruins are fragmentary, but the site is accessible.
The Cover joins the Ure just above Jervaulx Abbey, the Cistercian monastery founded in 1156 and dissolved by Henry VIII in 1537. Unlike many ruined abbeys, Jervaulx is privately owned and has been allowed to re-colonise naturally, so the ruins are now draped in wild plants that have grown undisturbed for decades. The monks of Jervaulx are credited with being the first to make Wensleydale cheese, using the milk from their flocks on the high fells above the valley.
Walk from the village of Carlton in Coverdale north along the Cover valley footpath downstream through East Witton to Jervaulx. The route is about seven miles, on quiet paths and lanes through pastoral countryside, with good views back up to Coverdale. The grounds at Jervaulx are open most of the year for a small admission charge. In late summer, the walls of the abbey are covered in herb Robert and snapdragon, and the air inside the ruins smells of old stone.
Where to Stay: The Blue Lion at East Witton is a well-regarded inn with rooms on the edge of Coverdale, directly on the route between Coverham and Jervaulx.
Worth Knowing: The monks of Jervaulx Abbey are traditionally credited with originating Wensleydale cheese, using ewe’s milk from their flocks on the high pastures. After the Dissolution of 1537, the recipe passed to local farmers who switched to cow’s milk. Commercial production now takes place at the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes.
10. THE RIVER SKIRFARE THROUGH LITTONDALE
Littondale runs parallel to Wharfedale and contains the River Skirfare, a tributary of the Wharfe. It is one of the quietest of the Dales valleys, partly because there is no through road at the head of the dale and partly because it has never developed a tourist infrastructure of its own. The village of Arncliffe was the original filming location for the television soap opera Emmerdale from 1972 to 1976, before the production moved.
The Skirfare flows through a classic limestone valley with features that distinguish it from the more-walked Wharfe nearby: there are no crowds at Arncliffe or Halton Gill, the paths are less worn, and the limestone pavements above the valley are largely unknown to anyone outside the farming community. Littondale was a Viking settlement, and the village names reflect that history: Arncliffe, from Old Norse for “eagle cliff”; Litton, from Norse for “hillside settlement”. A Bronze Age track runs along the ridge between Littondale and Wharfedale and is still visible as a hollow way in the moorland above.
Walk from Arncliffe north along the Skirfare upstream toward Halton Gill, about four miles on clear paths through meadow and limestone. The path crosses the river at several points, and the valley sides above it rise steeply to limestone scars. Return the same way or cross the ridge via the old drove road to Stainforth in Ribblesdale for a longer route. In June, the verges above Arncliffe are full of wild geranium, and the Skirfare runs pale green over white limestone.
Where to Stay: The Falcon Inn at Arncliffe is a traditional village pub with rooms in the heart of Littondale, one of the most unspoilt pubs in the Dales.
Worth Knowing: Arncliffe was the first filming location for the ITV soap Emmerdale Farm, from 1972. The production moved to Esholt in 1976 and later to a purpose-built village at Harewood. Arncliffe’s village green and the Falcon Inn are still recognisable from the early episodes.
PRACTICAL TIPS
- The Settle-Carlisle railway is the most useful public transport link for several of these walks. Trains run from Leeds to Carlisle, stopping at Settle, Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Ribblehead, and Dent. Check timetables at northernrailway.co.uk as frequencies are limited.
- DalesBus runs seasonal Sunday and bank-holiday services connecting Leeds and Bradford to Grassington, Hawes, Reeth, and other Dales villages between April and October. Details at dalesbus.org.
- Use the AllTrails app to download routes before losing phone signal. Mobile coverage is unreliable in upper Littondale, Coverdale, and the Howgills.
- River levels in the Dales can rise rapidly after rain, particularly on the Swale and the Ribble. If conditions look wet, check the Environment Agency Floodline on 0345 988 1188 before setting out on low-lying riverside paths.
- Ordnance Survey OL30 covers the Yorkshire Dales North and Central. OL2 covers the Southern and Western areas, including Dentdale, Ribblesdale, and Wharfedale. Both are available on the OS Maps app for offline use.
- Several of these walks pass through working farmland. Gates should be left as found, and dogs should be kept on leads wherever livestock are grazing.
RESPONSIBLE VISITING
The hay meadows around Muker and Keld are Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Stay on the marked paths between June and July during the flowering season. At Malham Cove, the limestone pavement is a National Nature Reserve: do not remove plants or disturb the rock surface. At Jervaulx, the ruins are privately owned; pay the admission fee and follow the signed paths.
READER Q&A
Which of these walks is easiest for a first visit to the Dales? The Settle to Stainforth Force route is the most straightforward. It is flat, well-signed, and short enough to complete in a couple of hours. The Force is dramatic, the packhorse bridge is one of the most photographed spots in Ribblesdale, and Settle has good cafes and pubs for afterwards. It gives a clear sense of the Dales river landscape without requiring a long drive up a single-track road.
When is the best time to walk from Muker to Keld in Swaledale? June for the hay meadow flowers, which are internationally significant. October for the autumn colours on the valley sides and the first snowfall on the higher fells above. Avoid mid-August to mid-September on the popular paths as the weather is unpredictable and the coast-to-coast walkers are at their heaviest.
Is Littondale genuinely that quiet? Yes. Outside of bank holidays in summer, it is possible to walk the entire Skirfare path without passing another walker. The Falcon Inn at Arncliffe is often the only vehicle in the car park. It is the kind of quiet that feels earned rather than empty.
Are any of these walks suitable for dogs? All of them allow dogs, but leads are required anywhere near livestock. The Wharfe through Langstrothdale, the Dee through Dentdale, and the Lune above Sedbergh are particularly good dog walks with no difficult stiles and accessible water throughout.
Can I walk from one dale to another on a single day? The ridge path between Littondale and Ribblesdale via Halton Gill connects two of the walks on this list and can be done in a full day. The ridge between Wharfedale and Littondale is a short crossing of about two miles on a clear track. The Coverdale to Jervaulx walk can be extended back up into Wensleydale the same day.
WHERE TO STAY
The Punch Bowl Inn, Low Row, Swaledale, is a 17th-century coaching inn with 12 en-suite rooms and views across the dale. The best base for the Swaledale walks.
The Crown Hotel, Hawes A traditional Dales inn at the head of Wensleydale. Central for the Ure and Coverdale walks.
The Buck Inn, Buckden A 17th-century inn in Buckden village at the head of Wharfedale, with direct access to the Langstrothdale path.
Sportsman’s Arms, Wath-in-Nidderdale A well-regarded restaurant with rooms on the edge of Gouthwaite Reservoir, ideal for the Nidd walks.
The Falcon Manor Hotel, Settle A Victorian country house hotel in Settle for the Ribble and Stainforth Force walks.
The Sun Inn, Dent A 17th-century pub with rooms in the cobbled village of Dent, directly on the Dales Way beside the River Dee.
The Blue Lion at East Witton is a highly regarded village inn with rooms between Coverdale and Jervaulx Abbey.
Beck Hall, Malham A 17th-century riverside house with rooms on the Aire, within walking distance of the cove and the springs.
The Falcon Inn, Arncliffe. One of the most unspoilt pubs in the Dales, in the centre of Littondale, with rooms directly on the Skirfare.
The rivers made the Dales long before the walkers arrived. They cut the valleys, carried the lead ore downstream, powered the mills, and gave every settlement its water. The paths along them are older than any of the names on the signposts. They are there when you want them.
