Kettlewell to Grassington Walk

A point-to-point walk, 6.5 miles / 10.3 km one way, from Kettlewell to Grassington. Allow around 3 hours at an ordinary pace with stops for photos and a breather. This is not a loop, so plan the transport before you set off.

Most people do this as the walking return leg: ride the bus from Grassington up the dale to Kettlewell, then walk back down. Buses stop by the Yorkshire Dales National Park car park in Kettlewell, so you step off and start walking within a couple of minutes. Official park information rounds the walking leg to seven miles, which is close enough for planning.

From the car park and village you pick up Middle Lane, The Green, Crookacre Wood and Highgate Leys Lane, then join the Dales Way for the long southward traverse across High Pasture, Swinebar Scar, Conistone Pie, Old Pasture and Lea Green before dropping into Grassington village centre.

There is one meaningful climb, early on above Dowber Gill, lifting you from roughly 210 m near Kettlewell to around 330 m on the shelves before an easy descent to about 206 m at Grassington. After that it is mostly steady, low-level walking. Expect:

It is a moderate walk rather than a flat or easy one, and boots with decent grip make a real difference on limestone.

• Field and pasture paths, plus compacted track, grass and gravel
• Plenty of gates and dry-stone wall crossings
• Uneven or wet, muddy ground after rain
• Short road and village sections at each end

This is classic Wharfedale: meadows, ancient field systems, dry-stone walls and open limestone shelves with fine views across the dale. Highlights include the perched cap of Conistone Pie, the narrow cleft of Conistone Dib, old lime ovens, and the limestone pavement at Lea Green. Keep an eye out for birds such as curlew, lapwing, skylark and oystercatcher over the fields, with a chance of dipper or kingfisher near water. Clear days and softer morning or late-afternoon light suit it best.

Dogs are allowed on the public rights of way, but this is working farmland throughout. Keep them on a lead around livestock, give cattle a wide berth, use a short lead from March to July for ground-nesting birds, and follow any signs on the ground.

The start is the Yorkshire Dales National Park car park in Kettlewell, BD23 5QZ, with toilets and bus stops right there. You finish in Grassington village centre, with the Grassington National Park Visitor Centre and its car park nearby, plus bus connections. If you leave the car in Grassington, that end is the more practical base.