Grimwith Reservoir Accessible Walk

This is the formal Miles Without Stiles blue Route for many at Grimwith Reservoir, not the full 4.5-mile reservoir circuit and not the longer red Route for some. It is an out-and-back: 2.8 km each way, so 5.6 km / 3.5 miles round trip, and you walk the same corridor back to the car park. Allow around 2 hours as a rough guide, including stops and easy going on the accessible surface.

From the car park next to the sailing club you head clockwise along the east side, with the water close by most of the way. You pass the historic Grimwith House area and a wide, maintained waterside track, then continue across the north shore to the marked blue turning point near the northwest end. That is the payoff spot: a big open sweep of water and moorland with nothing much between you and it. Turn there and retrace. The west side extension is the harder red route and is not part of this walk.

Overall easy to moderate. The east side track is described as at least 2 m wide and well surfaced, with existing gradients no steeper than 1:10 under the accessibility standard, though short ramps down to the water's edge can reach 1:8. There are no steps or stiles, but some stretches are unsurfaced or uneven and can soften after wet spells, and a short climb can be hard work in a manual wheelchair. Treat it as a genuinely accessible route rather than a promise that every metre suits every chair.

This is open, exposed moorland around a large reservoir: broad water, heather and rough grass, long fell views and plenty of sky. The reservoir is a strong spot for wildfowl, with wigeon, teal, greylag geese and Canada geese among the regulars, so bring binoculars if birds interest you at all.

There is very little shelter. Wind comes straight off the water and the moor, so a windproof layer matters more here than the distance suggests. On a clear day that openness is the whole point; in driving rain it is a long way back with no cover.

Start at the car park next to Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club, off the B6265 between Grassington and Pateley Bridge. The entrance has a height barrier, so tall vehicles need to plan around it. There are wheelchair-accessible toilets and picnic facilities at the start. Assistance animals are welcome, and ordinary dogs are allowed but should be kept on a lead around livestock and nesting birds.

The accessible section at Malham Tarn is a sensible alternative for a more compact outing, with more boardwalk and less commitment to a long exposed out-and-back.