Recommended Walks

The walk starts at the church at the west of Askrigg. Follow the down road as you pass over the bridge. Immediately turn left down the left-side the beck to enter a woodland. Continue straight-ahead on path sign-post, ‘Mill Gill only’ to reach the falls.

Return to the path that leads up the side of the wood. At the top left corner, leave the wood. Go straight-ahead following the footpath sign for Helm, passing through fields to emerge on a road. Turn right up the road to emerge in Helm.

Reach the guesthouse in Helm. Turn right on the path to climb through fields to reach the gill.
When you reach the gill. Keep to left-hand of the gill and go up a path as you continue up it towards a footbridge and Whitefield Gill Force.

Go over the footbridge and go steeply up the other the other side of the gill to reach Low Straights Lane. Continue along this lane for about 1 mile until just before a ford. Turn right here passing a gate and head straight down through fields. Pass through two gate stiles as path eventually bears left to reach the next corner of the field to a smaller stile. From this stile, bear left at a barn with arched doorway. Continue on this path that leads back to village to village of Askrigg, emerging next to the Crown Inn in Askrigg where the walk concludes and finishes.

A circular walk around Semerwater, with an option of a fell top return route. This optional loop makes a 7.5km total walk.

Leave your car on the foreshore parking area and set off on the road in a southerly direction. Opposite Low Blean farm, take the footpath due south, towards Stalling Busk. Please keep in single file across the meadowland. The footpath passes through Semerwater Nature Reserve, managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Semerwater is not only important for birds, but plankton, mayflies and crayfish. The path continues onto the ruins of the old chapel of Stalling Busk. This was built in 1772, please take care if you look around the graveyard area. Head towards Marsett, using the footbridges to cross over Cragdale Water and Raydale Beck. Once in Marsett, there are two choices of return. The shortest route is back along Marsett Lane, cutting the corner off, using a footpath 400m before Countersett. It’s a short walk over Semerwater Bridge back to the foreshore. If the weather’s fine (it is sometimes!) it’s worth the effort required getting up onto the fell top above Marsett. Follow the path towards Knights Close, but turn off to the right after 300m. This path leads up through the Cow Pasture, linking with the bridleway on the tops. Follow the bridleway east eventually joining Crag Side Road. Look for buzzards around here! Drop down the road, skirting past Countersett and over Semerwater Bridge (first built by the Quakers) and back to the parking area.

A three kilometre low level walk through Freeholders and St Joseph’s Woods taking in the Lower and Middle Falls.

The walk starts and finishes at the Aysgarth Falls National Park Centre car park.
From the entrance of the car park the route passes under the railway bridge, past the entrance to the former Aysgarth railway station and on into Freeholders Wood. An area of semi natural woodland owned and managed as a coppice with standards by the National Park Authority with the help of volunteers. The woodland is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is home to a wide range of plants animals. Once through the wood the route crosses open pastureland and then returns under the railway bridge to St Joseph’s Wood, a new native 15-hectare broadleaf woodland planted in 1998. The route returns through the centre of Freeholders Wood to the start of the Millennium Trail. A surfaced trail leading to the Lower and Middle Falls viewing platforms through the woodland and along Riddings Field, passing four interpretative art works. Upon reaching the Lower Falls, the route then returns to the National Park Centre via the Millennium Trail.

Interpretation and leaflets are available within the National Park Centre explain the important features of the woodland, river and falls.

To visit the Upper Falls, follow the path around the edge of the car park and follow the path down to the entrance. Please note that the Upper Falls is private land and an admission charge is made by way of an honesty box for providing access.

Download the The Yorkshire Dales National Park free walking app - The Yorkshire Dales National Park  have developed two free GPS enabled walking apps which offers 35 fantastic trails throughout the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The apps are designed to appeal to walkers of all ages and abilities and the mix of linear and circular routes are graded to help you make an informed choice of walk and you can make your selection from either a list or map view.

The app’s key feature is an offline mapping tool that allows you to track a walk, regardless of whether there’s a mobile phone signal or not. It also contains essential information such as the Countryside Code, what kit to take, and safety tips, and provides links throughout to more detailed information on this website where needed.

The apps are available for both Apple iPhone and Android phones.

Download the free iPhone version of the Yorkshire Dales Walking App

Download the free Android version of the Yorkshire Dales Walking App