Oxenber Wood Trail

This is the short named woodland route through Oxenber Wood, and it is point-to-point rather than a loop. The mapped corridor is 0.66 miles (1,055 m) total one way, from the western woodland entrance to the southern entrance. Allow about 30 minutes for the named route on its own. If you plan to walk back the way you came, budget double the distance and time, or link the ends using the nearby public footpaths.

From the western entrance the path climbs steadily from roughly 202 m to a high point near 264 m, then drops to about 190 m at the southern exit. The climb is the work of the walk and the reward comes quickly: open woodland edges that let the eye run out across the surrounding dale country, with shaded, flower-rich ground under the canopy in between. The hillside itself is the story here. This woodland and pasture were once Austwick's village quarry, and the slope is still pock-marked from that work even though grass has long since taken over. The wood was also a working source of firewood and timber, and it is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Short but not flat. The wood has laid-out access paths and the mapped route follows footways, but expect uneven ground, exposed limestone and grass, all of which get slippery in wet weather. Sensible footwear with grip matters more than distance here. There are mapboards at each entrance to help with wayfinding, and the junctions near those entrances are the places most likely to cause a wrong turn, so check the boards before you set off. Livestock graze in the wider area, so expect to share ground with animals.

The start is the western Oxenber Wood entrance at 54.1138484, -2.3386284, and the route ends at 54.1073853, -2.3385408. Neither route endpoint is a parking area, and no dedicated parking was identified for this walk. Approach on foot from Austwick or Feizor using the public footpaths and woodland entrances, and park lawfully and considerately in the villages. The woodland is covered by an Open Access agreement, with the laid-out access paths running through it.

Dogs are welcome on public rights of way here under Yorkshire Dales National Park guidance. Keep your dog under close control, on a lead around livestock, and on a short lead from 1 March to 31 July to protect ground-nesting birds.

Wharfe Wood Trail is a comparable short named woodland point-to-point nearby if you are collecting easy woodland walks. For a fuller half day, the longer Austwick to Feizor circular of about 7.2 km takes in the village approach, Flascoe footbridge, limestone pavement in the SSSI, views toward Pen-y-ghent from the woodland edge and a descent toward Feizor. That is a separate, much longer walk, so choose it deliberately rather than expecting it from this half-mile route.