Best Walks with Perfect Picnic Spots
Aysgarth Falls in a dry Summer
Want a walk with a place for a picnic?
These are our perfect walks with excellent picnic spots! All of these walks have designated picnic areas so you can have a fabulously fun day out with the kids!
When the weather is warming up (or not for that matter! We do love a winter picnic!) there is nothing better than taking a walk to a perfect Yorkshire Dales picnic spot! So read on to find out more! The only thing that’s left if for you to think what on earth you’re going to put in your picnic bag!
Picnics Rule but here are the Picnic Rules
We do think that picnics rule, but there are some picnic rules too! (Try saying that quickly!)
Seriously though, it’s not a secret that the outdoors has massively increased in popularity over recent years, which we LOVE, because we are all about getting families outdoors, away from screens and enjoying nature.
BUT. There are a set of rules you need to know before you decided to take dinner outdoors!
And they are SO IMPORTANT!
If you bring your food, you need to take your leftovers and rubbish home. Simple as that. If you managed to bring it, you can manage to take it.
It is absolutely and categorically NOT allowed to BBQ in the wild. Campsites or private areas are a different matter, but disposable BBQs suck. There is quite literally NO reason to be bringing one into the countryside. They suck at cooking food anyway, but more importantly they CAUSE FIRES AND DAMAGE THE ENVIRONMENT! You might think you’re being careful, but a lot of the countryside in the Dales is made up of peat, which coincidentally is an EXCELLENT way of starting a fire (they actually used to use it as fuel for fire). The peat traps heat like nobody’s business and it could ignite, even after you’ve left, particularly in hot dry weather.
So JUST LEAVE IT AT HOME and have a BBQ when you get back!
Leave no trace. A picnic is ace, but you must leave the space like you were never even there.
Aysgarth Falls in the Summer
Aysgarth Falls
This walk is great because if you forget the picnic, you can buy it from the Cafe!
Aysgarth is a fab day out. The walk along the waterfalls is beautiful, it’s pushchair friendly (aside from the viewing areas) and it’s just brilliant all year round. The walk along the falls is well under two miles and if you can get the waterfalls when they’ve been freshly topped up by rain, then they are spectacular to see!
There are some perfect picnic bench spots at the Upper Falls of Aysgarth at the bit where they filmed Robin Hood there (Kevin Costner came a cropper in the Upper Falls). They are perfectly positioned for a waterfall-side picnic!
Check out the full details of the walk by heading to our Aysgarth Falls page!
Ingleborough Estate Nature Trail
The Mimpish Squimbies trail moved into the Estate in 2025 and now you can hunt some super fairy houses along this pushchair friendly route. Coming in at just over 2 miles, it’s pretty short and there’s plenty along the way to take your time over.
The trail has a very small admission charge £1.50/ child and £3 per adult and sheets are included in the price.
There is a little picnic area on the trail and then more at the end at Ingleborough Cave where you can also pay a visit to the show cave too (admission charges apply)
Playing at the edge of Swinsty Reservoir
Swinsty Reservoir
This is such a popular little reservoir wander, with places for stone throwing, stick dens and of course a perfect picnic area complete with super friendly ducks to feed! The route around is pushchair friendly and is around 3-4 miles long. You can also often find an ice cream van at the half way point!
You'll find this wander in the Washburn Valley just a stone’s throw from Otley and Harrogate. It’s a top walk on it’s own, or pair it up with Fewston Reservoir for older explorers wanting more of a mission! Find the walk details on our Swinsty Reservoir page.
The picnic areas can be found in the Fewston Car Park or the edge of the reservoir in the Swinsty Smithson’s lane Car Park.
Sedbergh Riverside
This super little wander is short, sweet and has a park at the end! Plus a riverside picnic spot that has access to the water! Perfect right?? Sedbergh is found in the Westmorland Dales in Cumbria, tucked away under the Howgills. Such a super little spot to stay and explore!
Here’s the walk information… Sedbergh Riverside Walk.
And if you fancy finding out more about Sedbergh head to our Visit with Kids Guides.
Ilkley Tarn
This pushchair friendly walk has ducks, the millennium maze and is just a stone’s throw from Ilkley town centre and with a picnic area located at the car park, it’s a perfect picnic walk!
Check out the full walk route and all the details over on our Ilkley Tarn page.
Richmond Foss
Richmond Foss
You can find Richmond Foss right on the edge of the cobbled town centre and the Foss Car Park is right next door! The area around the falls is a popular picnic spot in the Summer, but care should be taken around the waterfalls.
The foss features on our Easby Abbey Loop walk, so why not make a day of it with a fab walk to work up an appetite! It’s about 3-4 miles long and is one of our favourite walks ever!
Find our Richmond Foss and Easby Abbey walk here.
Kirkby Lonsdale Riverside
This is a super short circular to explore the town of Kirkby Lonsdale, its riverside and Devil’s Bridge! Not only is it under 2 miles, but it finishes at one of our favourite ice cream parlours EVER, the Milking Parlour.
There are picnic benches on the edge of the river just after the Radical Steps! You can find out more about our Kirkby Lonsdale riverside walk here!
Ingleton Waterfalls Trail
Sure, the entrance fee can cause a SMALL amount of controversy, but there is no doubting that the Ingleton Waterfalls trail is jam packed full of STUNNING waterfalls.
So if you can forgive the fee, there is an awesome picnic area just near the epic Thornton Force. A perfect spot for a picnic!
You can find out more about doing the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail with kids by heading to our guide.
The Strid Woods at Bolton Abbey
Bolton Abbey
There are PLENTY of places for a perfect picnic at Bolton Abbey!
Plenty of folk love to take a wander down to the riverside under the Priory ruins where the river is a popular (and I MEAN) popular paddle spot - always supervise children around water. Or there are plenty of picnic benches over at the Riverside Car Park.
Between May and the end of October, Bolton Abbey has the Welly Walk on, which takes you from the ruins to the Cavendish Pavillion and back, so why not make a day of it!
You can find out more about the Bolton Abbey trails on our dedicated page.
Knaresborough Riverside
We love a trip to Knaresborough! Particularly a visit to Mother Shipton’s Cave! But this walk is short, sweet and takes place along the riverside in Knaresborough, where you’ll find plenty of places to picnic by the river!
It is pushchair friendly and under two miles, so great for younger explorers!
You can find out more about the route on our Knaresborough Riverside page!
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Check out our waterfall walks!