Burnsall, Hebden and Grassington
This weekend, we drove up to Burnsall to meet my parents for a walk. We loosely followed walk 12 in the ‘Wild Swimming Walks, Yorkshire’ book by Sarah Banks. We started at the RiverBank Cafe in Burnsall and walked along the River Wharfe to the stepping stones and suspension bridge. After crossing over, we walked over fields to get to Mill Lane and Main Street, which led us to The Old School Tea Room, the perfect spot for a coffee and a piece of cake! All fuelled up for the rest of the walk, we carried on to the swimming spot, Scale Haw Force. This was a lovely spot, and I can imagine that after more rainfall, the falls would have been more impressive! We then continued to Grassington, which was an unexpected gem. It was a lovely little town, bustling with families and walkers stopping off for a coffee or a pint and some pub lunch, lots of shops with crafts, books, antiques and clothes and many choices for food and drink. There was even a Christmas shop! We had a nice wander through and down towards the River Wharfe again, where people were having picnics, kayaking and swimming. We had our picnic, courtesy of mum and dad, and then headed back towards the stepping stones and suspension bridge and back to Burnsall for an ice cream! This is where we finished our walk, feeling slightly tired but very happy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this walk. It felt like it had everything: fields, swimming spots, towns, eating stops, country lanes and waterfalls! The highlight for me was walking through Grassington. I am sure we will go back in the Winter because it felt like the perfect place for some Christmas shopping. It was lovely walking next to the river too. If you are around Yorkshire, I recommend exploring the Grassington, Hebden and Burnsall area. We will definitely be back for future walks there.
Parking: We parked at the Riverbank Cafe, opposite the Red Lion, which was £6 for 8 hours. This was a really good location to park because we had breakfast here before we set off. There is roadside parking for free around this area, if you are lucky enough to get a space!
Length: Our route finished at 13.56km and took 3.5 hours (moving time) with 262m elevation gain.
Food: Riverbank Cafe in Burnsall, The Old School Tea Room in Hebden, Grassington had loads of food options, Ice Cream shop and the Red Lion Pub in Burnsall.
Drive: We drove via the A65 through Otley and Ilkley, which was easy and scenic.
Route: Easy to follow using the book on wild swimming walks in Yorkshire and the OS walk book. If anyone wants our exact route, comment below and I will send it over! A mix of riverside paths, fields, and country lanes. Clear routes throughout.
Accessibility: Well-trodden, obvious paths, a few mild-moderate uphill segments. Walking along the river would be a good and flat alternative. Also, good parking in Grassington if you want to go for the day, without the walk.
Landmarks: The suspension bridge and stepping stones were nice to see. The River Wharfe was lovely to walk alongside. Hebden, Grassington and Burnsall are lovely towns to walk through too.
Thank you for reading, and let me know if you give this walk a go. See you next week!
