Bus Gargrave to Skipton, walk back along the canal

5.3 miles | 8.5 km | 10 m Ascent | 5.3Naismith miles | Kate Rowe / Kate Butcher
In an inspired piece of themed programming, our last five walks have all shared a common feature –significant sections walking alongside water. This week we make that a run of six using the Leeds and Liverpool Canal as our waterway.
Canal walking is always interesting, with plenty of industrial heritage to see, and as a bonus, they tend to be gentle walks with no navigational challenge, making them an ideal easy stroll requiring little preparation. The potential downside is that they often involve turning round and re-walking the same route to get back to the start, but we have a solution to that: We park in Gargrave, then take a bus to Skipton and walk back making this a linear walk. Both Skipton and Gargrave are interesting places to visit with opportunities for shopping, eating and drinking, so this is a walk that could easily be incorporated into a longer day out.

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Lunesdale ramble from Kirkby Lonsdale

6.8 miles | 10.9 km | 151 m Ascent | 7.5 Naismith miles | Valerie Eccles & Mary Pickstone
Last week’s walk took us to Wensleydale where we noted that everyone loves a riverside walk, and this week we test that theory with another riverside ramble – this time much closer to home.
We start from Kirkby Lonsdale, a place that Bentham Footpath Group have used as a starting point many times. Our route takes us west to Wood End, then along a quiet path down to Sellet Mill. We then stroll over to Sellet Hall and follow Hosticle Lane through Hag Wood until we get to Whittington. We spend some time at the lovely church there before heading down to the river Lune via Coneygarth Lane, and finally return via a riverside path directly to Kirkby.
We conclude that riverside walks are indeed lovely. This is a great walk, and other than a couple of stretches that can be wet and muddy after heavy rain, is easy going.

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Askrigg

6.5 miles | 10.4 km | 284 m Ascent | 7.9 Naismith miles | Sandra Craggs
Take a look at any tourist guide to the Yorkshire Dales and they all feature lovely bright midsummer days.
We do get some of those days, and they are indeed special, but perhaps even better are those really crisp wintery days when the ground is hard, the air is crystal clear and the views uninterrupted by haze.
This walk is not one that only works in winter through. Key attractions are Askrigg, the original and true All Creatures Great and Small village, a couple of water mills, long lost dams, waterfalls, perfect views of the Cam High Road, a unique chapel, a couple of fortified houses, a riverside stroll, a brief diversion to a lovely Dales village, magical stepping stones, and finally a visit to a really good café and cake shop.

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Cockerham to Glasson Dock

8.2 miles | 13.2 km | 62 m Ascent | 8.5 Naismith miles | David Longton
Bentham Footpath Group enjoyed a great walk form Galgate to Glasson Dock and the Lancaster Canal in June 2024.
The weather was glorious, and the walk was wonderful – but that begs a question: Is this really a good place to walk or were we just enjoying the sunshine? To answer that we return in the autumn. This time we start at Cockerham, catching a bus to Thurnham Hall where we join the canal towpath which we follow down to the docks. From there we pick up the Lancashire Coastal Way which takes us to Lighthouse Cottage, Plover Hill, then the ruins of Cockersand Abbey. To return, we follow the path around the edge of Cockerham Sands and Cockerham Marshes to Pattys Farm where we cross a live airfield runway and watch parachutists landing, before returning to Cockerham via St Michaels church. We conclude that whatever the weather, this is indeed a fascinating area to walk.

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West Windermere Way and High Dam

6.8 miles | 11.0 km | 237 m Ascent | 8.0 Naismith miles | Kate Rowe / Kate Butcher
Windermere is the nearest of the major lakes in the lake District, so it’s not surprising that we have started a number of walks in this area. However, a quick glance at our website shows that we have so far stayed to the east of the lake.
This excellent walk shows that that the Western side of Windermere is well worth visiting, and we offer an easy route starting from Finsthwaite, that runs in a figure of eight shape, offering the opportunity to divide it into two shorter trips – of about equal length.
The first half is a climb through ancient woodland at Bell Intake up to High Dam before returning to Finsthwaite via High Stott Park. The second half takes a path through fields and then woodland to Newby Bridge before strolling next to the railway up to Lakeside. From there we take a path through Great Knott Wood back to Finsthwaite.

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Staveley Woodlands

7.3 miles | 11.8 km | 254 m Ascent | 8.6 Naismith miles | Rick Clapham
Staveley has long been a favourite of Bentham Footpath Group – this is the third time we have visited in the time we have been documenting our walks on our website, but a review of old program cards shows that we have visited here at least once a year for as long as the group has existed.
A quick glance at the gallery for todays’ walk explains why we keep coming back – the views are stunning, and the varied landscape provides a rich mixture of flora and fauna. Add a few fascinating buildings, and even an opportunity to go shopping, along with riverside sections featuring weirs and waterfalls, and we create a walk that’s too good to miss. Our members clearly think so, as evidenced by the great turn out. Lovely autumn sunshine helps, but this is a great walk at any time of the year.

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Heughscar Hill and Bonscale Pike via High Street ridge

9.4 miles | 15.2 km | 421 m Ascent | 11.5 Naismith miles | Ed Badley
Part of the reason that so many of our group live in Bentham is easy access to the Yorkshire Dales and the Forest of Bowland: We really love these areas.
However, recent walks at The Old Man of Coniston and Askham reminded us just how spectacular the walking in the Lake District can be, so for this challenging route, right at the edge of our “patch”, we start just outside Helton and climb Heughscar Hill to get spectacular views of Ullswater. We then take the High Street (Roman road) down to an atmospheric stone circle before scaling Arthurs Pike and then Bonscale Pike where the scenery is just jaw-dropping. Our return route runs along the edge of the ridge at Barton Fell giving us even more great views. Finally, we return to the cars via the Pulpit Holes at Moor Divock.

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Cotterdale from Appersett

7.8 miles | 12.5 km | 306 m Ascent | 9.3 Naismith miles | Mary Taylor
How many Dales are there in the Yorkshire Dales? It sounds like the sort of question that should have a definitive answer, but not so – the consensus is at least 20 but maybe up to 60 depending on what you define as a Dale, and what geographical limits you accept. What is clear, is that some are less well known as others, and one that is often overlooked is Cotterdale; Not because its unattractive, but probably because it’s a “dead end” dale – the road leads to the village of Cotterdale and then stops, so there is no through traffic.
In our opinion, the lack of traffic is a good reason to visit – but it’s not the only one. This moderately challenging walk also offers a lot more: great views over Wensleydale almost as far as Garsdale Head, a lovely dales village, the potential for a short diversion to a perfect picnic spot, excellent views from Cotter End down to Hawes, before a tranquil riverside stroll back to the start with railway viaducts, a hidden waterfall, and the opportunity to add a visit to Cotter Force, all available on the return leg.

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Sedbergh, Brigflatts and Millthrop

6.3miles | 10.2 km | 217 m Ascent | 7.4 Naismith miles | Terri Kwiecinska
People often associate Sedbergh with the Howgills and steep climbs such as Cautley Spout, Winder or The Calf. These are indeed great options, but there are gentler walks from Sedbergh, and that’s what we offer here.
We start in the town centre and then take a route past the parish church to Birks, then walk over flat fields to the historic Friends Meeting House at Brigflatts. We backtrack slightly and take a disused railway line to the river Rawthey which we follow upstream to a footbridge at Birks. We cross this and then head across a golf course to the rather lovely Abbot Holme Bridge, then follow the Dee upstream to Dent Foot Chapel and Rash Bridge. From there we cross and at Rash climb through a couple of fields to pick up the Dales Way into Millthrop, before crossing the Rawthey again and returning to Sedbergh. Overall then we get to see lots of the Howgills in their autumnal colours without needing to actually climb them.

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Sell Gill Holes from Horton in Ribblesdale

7.1 miles | 11.4 km | 247 m Ascent | 8.3 Naismith miles | Alison Kinder & Colin Stroud
During last week’s Chapel-le-Dale and Ingleborough environs walk we took a path down the side of the Ribblehead viaduct and enjoyed great views down the Ribble valley toward Pen-y-Ghent and Horton in Ribblesdale. This week we start from Horton and get a much closer look, this time with the viaduct in the far distance.
On a route that is a figure of eight – giving an opportunity to opt for a short version should the weather change – we get to see the two entrances to the Sell Gill Holes cave system before taking the Ribble Way path along the side of the valley as far as Old Ing. From there we cross Birkwith Moor to pick up the Pennine Way to bring us back toward Horton at a higher level. Once we get back to Sell Gill Holes, we opt to take a path across to New Houses rather than repeat the outbound route and end with a stroll along the banks of the Ribble.

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