From England’s shortest-named river to the stretch of water with a 100% fatality rate, these eight river walks follow eight different rivers through eight different dales.
Most guides to walking in the Yorkshire Dales group everything together as one undifferentiated list of “best walks.” That flattens something worth noticing. Each dale takes its name, and its character, from the river running through it, and the rivers themselves are wildly different animals: one is reputedly the fastest flowing in England, one is barely two and a half miles long, one has never released anyone who fell into it. Walking dale by dale, river by river, gives you a much better sense of what makes each one distinct.
Region: Yorkshire Dales National Park
Best for: River walking, waterfalls, wild swimming, quiet villages
Getting there: Northern Rail serves Settle on the Settle-Carlisle line. Grassington, Aysgarth, Muker and the other villages are reached by car or the limited Dales bus network.
Time needed: Half a day per walk, or a week to cover all eight.
River Ribble, Settle to Ribblehead
The Ribble rises at Gavel Gap, high on the moor above Newby Head, and by the time it reaches Settle it has already passed beneath the Settle to Carlisle railway’s most famous structure, the Ribblehead Viaduct. Twenty-four arches, 104 feet high, 440 yards long, built between 1870 and 1874 by a workforce that at its peak numbered 2,300 men living in shanty towns on the moor. More than a hundred of them died during construction, and those shanty settlements later inspired the ITV drama, Jericho.
Walk from Settle station along the Ribble Way towards Stainforth, where the river narrows through a series of low falls that salmon leap in autumn. On a still October morning, the sound of the weir carries up the valley before you can see it.
Where to Stay: The Golden Lion, Settle has welcomed travellers since 1640, three minutes’ walk from Settle station.
Worth Knowing: The Ribblehead Viaduct’s construction shanty towns had their own schools, pubs and even a library, effectively functioning as temporary villages on the open moor.
River Ure, Aysgarth Falls
The Ure drops around thirty feet over a mile at Aysgarth, in three broad limestone steps known as the Upper, Middle and Lower Force. The falls have drawn visitors for more than two hundred years; Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy passed through in 1799, Turner sketched them, and in 1991 the fight scene between Robin Hood and Friar Tuck in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was filmed here. Yore Mill, visible from the bridge at the top of the falls, was built as a cotton mill in 1784 and is now a craft gallery.
Walk from the National Park Visitor Centre through Freeholders’ Wood, taking in all three falls before crossing into open farmland towards Carperby. In late autumn the woodland floor along this stretch turns to a thick carpet of fallen leaves that muffles every footstep.
Where to Stay: The Kings Arms in Askrigg is an eighteenth-century coaching inn that served as the Drover’s Arms in All Creatures Great and Small, a short drive from Aysgarth.
Worth Knowing: Aysgarth takes its name from Old Norse, meaning roughly the open space among oak trees, a reminder that Wensleydale’s Viking place names run deeper than its cheese.
River Swale, Muker to Keld
The Swale is reputedly the fastest-flowing river in England, with levels known to rise ten feet in twenty minutes after heavy rain in the headwaters. Its name comes from the Anglo-Saxon Sualuae, meaning rapid and liable to flood, which the river has lived up to for over a thousand years. Above Muker, it passes through Kisdon Force, a wooded gorge waterfall near the hamlet of Keld, with Kisdon Hill rising to 499 metres between the two villages.
Walk from Muker, a village recorded since the Viking era, along the riverside path to Kisdon Force and back, or continue the full loop over Kisdon Hill for wider views across Swaledale. After rain, the river’s noise reaches the path well before the water comes into view.
Where to Stay: I could not confirm a direct, verified booking site for accommodation in Muker itself within this session’s research; the Farmers Arms is now community-owned, and its current overnight offering is unclear. Check locally before publishing.
Worth Knowing: Muker’s name and the surrounding settlement pattern date back to the Viking era, one of several Old Norse place names scattered through Swaledale.
River Wharfe, Bolton Abbey
Most of the Wharfe is a gentle, well-loved river. One short stretch of it, known as the Strid, is not. Between Barden Tower and Bolton Abbey, the river is forced through a gap that narrows it from around thirty feet across to something you could almost step over, and it is believed that nobody who has fallen in at that point has ever come out alive; the water has carved a hidden network of channels beneath the surface, and nobody knows exactly how deep it runs. The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon stryth, meaning turmoil, and Wordsworth wrote a poem about it, The Force of Prayer, after the medieval legend of the Boy of Egremont drowning here.
Walk the Strid Wood path from the Cavendish Pavilion, past the Aqueduct Bridge built around 1790, to the Strid itself and back. Stay well away from the edge. The path through Strid Wood is loud with birdsong for most of the year, which makes the sudden hush at the Strid itself more noticeable.
Where to Stay: I was unable to confirm an official site for accommodation near Bolton Abbey during this session; options are available in nearby Burnsall and Grassington. Verify before publishing.
Worth Knowing: Despite its fearsome reputation, there is no official recorded death toll at the Strid; the legend rests on the drowning of the Boy of Egremont and a handful of more recent tragedies rather than a documented count.
River Nidd, Pateley Bridge
The Nidd rises on the moors above Nidderdale and is dammed twice on its way down, at Angram and Scar House reservoirs, both built in the early 1900s to supply drinking water to Bradford, more than twenty miles away. Below the reservoirs, the river runs past How Stean Gorge, a genuine limestone ravine now used for canyoning and via ferrata, before reaching the small town of Pateley Bridge.
Walk from Pateley Bridge along the Nidderdale Way towards Gouthwaite Reservoir, a stretch particularly good for birdlife, before returning along the opposite bank. In winter, the reservoir draws wintering wildfowl that are largely absent the rest of the year.
Where to Stay: I could not find an official accommodation site for Pateley Bridge in this session’s research. Verify before publishing.
Worth Knowing: Scar House and Angram Reservoirs were built specifically to supply water to Bradford, more than twenty miles from Nidderdale, using a dedicated light railway to move construction materials up the valley.
River Cover, Middleham to Coverbridge
Coverdale is one of the quieter dales, twelve miles long and largely overlooked in favour of its neighbour Wensleydale. The River Cover meets the Ure at Coverbridge, where the Coverbridge Inn has stood on the site since medieval times. The pub’s own claims to fame include hiding the recipe for Wensleydale cheese during the dissolution of the nearby Jervaulx Abbey and hosting what is recorded as the first formally organised game of cricket in 1706.
Walk from Middleham, past the ruins of Middleham Castle where Richard III spent his childhood, down to the River Cover and along its bank towards Hullo Bridge, through bluebell woods thick with wild garlic in late spring. Middleham itself, sometimes called the smallest town in Yorkshire, is home to 15 professional racing stables and is nicknamed the Newmarket of the North.
Where to Stay: The Black Bull, Middleham, is a Grade II-listed pub with rooms dating back to at least 1878, in the centre of town.
Worth Knowing: The Coverbridge Inn, at the foot of this walk, is recorded as the site of the first formally documented game of cricket in England, played in 1706.
River Bain, Bainbridge
At roughly two and a half miles long, the Bain is England’s shortest named river, flowing from Semerwater, the second-largest natural lake in North Yorkshire, to join the Ure at Bainbridge. It drops 140 feet in that short distance, past Brough Hill, the site of a Roman fort that once garrisoned 500 soldiers. Every night from September through to Shrove Tide, a forest horn is blown on Bainbridge’s village green, a custom that once guided foresters and travellers safely home through the dark.
Walk the short path alongside the Bain from Semerwater down to Bainbridge, which can easily be combined with a wider loop around the lake. If you are there after dark between September and Lent, you may well hear the horn before you see the village.
Where to Stay: I could not confirm a direct, official booking site for the Rose and Crown in Bainbridge during this session. Verify before publishing.
Worth Knowing: The nightly forest horn blown on Bainbridge green, sounded from September to Shrove Tide, is one of the few working survivals of a genuine medieval wayfinding custom anywhere in England.
River Skirfare, Littondale
Littondale is a side valley off Upper Wharfedale that most visitors drive straight past on the way to Kettlewell. The River Skirfare runs through it, linking the villages of Arncliffe and Litton. Arncliffe itself, whose name comes from the Norse for Eagle’s Cliff, was used for years as the opening title location for the soap opera Emmerdale, and its pub, the Falcon Inn, stood in for the original Woolpack in early exterior shots. It has been run by the same family since 1874 and still serves beer straight from a jug.
Walk the riverside path between Arncliffe and Litton, an easy there-and-back route with a pub at either end and the Skirfare in view for most of it. The valley sees a fraction of the footfall of Wharfedale next door, and on a weekday you may not meet another walker on the whole route.
Where to Stay: The Falcon Inn, Arncliffe, is a Grade II-listed pub on the village green, run by the same family since 1874.
Worth Knowing: The Falcon Inn is a rare survivor on the National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors and still serves beer poured directly from a jug rather than through pumps.
Practical Tips
- Several of these rivers rise fast after rain, particularly the Swale and the Bain. Check conditions before setting out if there has been heavy rainfall in the previous 24 hours.
- Never get close to the edge at the Strid. Its reputation is not exaggerated for effect.
- Use the AllTrails app to navigate the quieter routes, particularly Coverdale and Littondale, where waymarking is lighter than in the busier dales.
- Settle and Pateley Bridge both make good single bases if you want to cover two or three of these walks from one stop.
- Pubs across the Dales tend to stop serving food mid-afternoon between lunch and dinner service. Check ahead if you’re relying on a riverside pub for lunch.
- Dogs are welcome on all eight routes but should be kept on leads near livestock, which is present on most of these paths year-round.
Responsible Visiting
Stay on marked paths at the Strid and do not attempt to cross it at any point. In Coverdale and Littondale, stick to the riverside path rather than crossing private farmland to reach the water’s edge. Leave gates as you find them throughout.
Reader Q&A
Which of these eight walks is easiest for a first visit?
The Aysgarth Falls walk. It’s short, well signed, has a visitor centre with parking and a café, and the falls themselves are visible within a few minutes of setting off.
Is it safe to swim in any of these rivers?
Some stretches are popular for wild swimming, particularly on the Ure near Aysgarth and the Swale near Muker, but never near the Strid on the Wharfe, which has no safe access point at any water level.
How short is the River Bain exactly?
About two and a half miles. It is widely cited as England’s shortest named river, running from Semerwater to its junction with the River Ure at Bainbridge.
Can I do more than one of these walks in a day?
Aysgarth and Bainbridge are close enough to combine easily. Middleham and Coverdale can also be done together. The others are better treated as separate days out.
Is the Falcon Inn at Arncliffe really the original Woolpack from Emmerdale?
Yes, in the programme’s earliest years. It was used for the show’s original exterior shots before production moved to a purpose-built set.
Why is Bradford’s water supply relevant to a walk in Nidderdale?
Scar House and Angram reservoirs, at the head of the valley, were built specifically to supply Bradford, more than twenty miles away, and their construction considerably shaped the upper dale.
Where to Stay
The Golden Lion, Settle. Welcoming travellers since 1640, three minutes from Settle station.
The Kings Arms, Askrigg. An eighteenth century coaching inn near Aysgarth Falls.
The Black Bull, Middleham. Grade II listed, in the centre of town, close to Coverdale.
The Falcon Inn, Arncliffe. On the village green in Littondale, run by the same family since 1874.
The four entries above, Muker, Bolton Abbey, Pateley Bridge, and Bainbridge, need a verified accommodation link added before this goes live.
Eight rivers, eight dales, and none of them behave the same way twice. That is what a single list of “best walks” always misses, and why it is worth going back to see the difference for yourself.
