Yorkshire Bluebell Walks
In and around the Yorkshire Dales
Are you looking for Yorkshire Dales Bluebell walks?
Around the months of April and May the world goes CRAZY for bluebell walks! Well, you know what? We are right here for all your bluebell walking desires!
These walks all feature fantastic places to go and wallow in bluebell heaven! So what are you waiting for?
GO BLUEBELL HUNTING!
Not here for the bluebells? Then you’ve headed right off piste! But never fear, we have waterfall walks, peak bagging walks, pushchair walks and MORE! So head up to the Walks menu and check out what else there is to offer!
How does it work?
This page is designed to work like a menu. Each individual walk has its own dedicated walk page where you’ll find every single possible detail you need to know to be able to plan your adventure. Here, you’ll see a brief description of each walk to help you to make a decision. Once you’ve done that, just tap on the button to head on through to the walk page.
And remember, each of these bluebell walks is family friendly too!
The Star Guides
Each of our has been walked by our own 6 feet (in the sense of us being three actual humans, not in a kind of weird monster-like way!) Often, they have been walked several times and sometimes, they have been walked so often that they have been added to. This website has been growing alongside the OG Reluctant Explorers and now they can handle a little bit more - maybe yours can too.
I will say. As parents we know our kids better than anybody. I have done my best to include as much information as I can in each individual walk, so you can make your own judgement as a family. So the star ratings are just a guide to get you started.
⭐ Little Monkeys:
Walks suitable for younger children up to preschool (and beyond!) Shorter length walks with occasional pushchair access, no technical or tricky terrain. Perfect for those who are just getting out of the pushchair (and then back in again… and then back out…. and then… you know how it goes!)
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers:
Walks suitable for pre-schoolers and younger kids. Medium length/ difficulty walks. In these walks, there may be some more challenging terrain, but they are still fairly short.
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers:
Walks suitable for older children. Not necessary longer length, but they are more technically challenging in the terrain, and on occasion the distance as well.
The Walk Emojis
I’m renowned for a heavy used of emojis in my regular life, so why on EARTH should my website be any different?! Here is a guide as to what they all stand for.
Essentially, it’s a brief look at what you can expect from the walk, but in emoji form. (I’m campaigning for a pram emoji. It would make my pushchair friendly walk life MUCH easier.)
👶 Suitable for Pushchairs (see? no pram emoji)
🎒 Suitable for Carriers (that’s a rucksack, not a weird satchel. Closest thing to a kid carrier I could find!)
🚘 Car Park/ On Street Parking (plain sailing there - all of our walks have places to park, although if possible try….
🚌 Public Transport (PLEASE! To try and alleviate parking problems and to just in general be an excellent egg.)
🐶 Dog Friendly (plenty of those!)
🥾 Sturdy Footwear or Wellies (I’d say for most, walking shoes/ boots, for some, wellies)
🛝 A park or play area (I try my hardest to find one, or at least tell you where the nearest one is!)
🦆 Ducks to Feed (bring your duck food!)
🍦 Ice Cream! For Ice cream is truly a WONDERFUL addition to a family walk!
☕ As is coffee (for the adults obviously - I’m not going to subject you to a caffeine fuelled reluctant explorer THE HORROR!) This one means you can find coffee, tea or hot chocolate (ok - that one’s for the WHOLE family!)
🍻 Because I know how a family walk can go, you’ll be relieved to know that I’ll also tell you if there’s a pub at the end!
💦 Water play/ paddle/ swim (Check out our advice on Wild Swimming with Kids and the RLSS Water Safety info)
✨📚 Cool history, geology, something blummin’ awesome to talk about.
👻 Legendary Story. Ghosts, horrible history, witches and trolls!
🌳 Walking Games - they all have these!
Oxenber Woods from Austwick
📍 Austwick, near Settle
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📏2.5 miles
🚘🌳🥾✨🚌🐶🎒🍧🛝
A beautiful amble to Oxenber Woods, with a big hill to climb, a beck to throw stones and splash in and the play park at the end!
AND beautiful bluebells and wildflowers to spot in Spring (they tend to come out later in the Spring here!)
Catrigg Force
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers/ ⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📍Stainforth, Yorkshire Dales National Park
🚘🎒🥾💦🌳🚌🐶
📏 Less than 2 miles linear there and back again, 4.5 miles longer circular
There are two options for this walk. The linear walk is short and sweet and takes you to the super waterfall and back. The longer circular takes you through the woodland on Stainforth Scar, where you’ll find loads of bluebells in April!
Fishpond Woods and Ice House
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Bewerley, near Pateley Bridge
🥾🚘🎒🦆✨🍦🍻🛝☕🌳🚌🐶
📏 2 miles
This circular walk is short, sweet and PACKED full of cool stuff to explore!
You’ll find woodland packed full of ALL OF THE NATURE! A 200 year old Ice House, hungry ducks and spooky cave spiders all topped off with a park! OH and did I mention there are teeth in a bridge. Because there are. Weird huh?!
Perfect for little legs! (P.S. If you hate spiders like me, visit on a cold winter day when they’re all hiding away!
Middleton Woods
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Ilkley, West Yorkshire
🚘🎒 🥾🦆🛝🍻🍦☕💦🌳🐶🚌
📏 2.5 miles
This circular walk will take you to the locally (if not WORLD) famous Middleton Woods in Ilkley. World famous, because they do have some of the most excellent bluebells in Spring, which attract half of the world to see them! (Ok, half of Yorkshire!)
This route takes you along the riverside. There’s more parking in Ilkley town centre than at the edge of the woods and there’s also ice cream! (And coffee for the grown ups!) So it’s just BETTER that way!
Grass Woods in Grassington
📍 Grassington, Yorkshire Dales, Wharfedale
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🥾🚘🎒🧒👻✨🌳🚌🐶
📏 4 miles circular walk
Bluebell, woodland, water and the play park! We think that is a perfect walk combination!
This circular walk starts and ends in the beautiful Dales town of Grassington, heads to the stunning woodland trust owned Grass Woods, where you’ll find bluebells and at the end? ICE CREAM!
Aysgarth Falls and Freeholders Woods
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Aysgarth, Wensleydale, North Yorkshire Dales
🎒/👶🥾💦🦆🌳✨🐶🚌
📏 2 miles linear walk
I’ll bet you will have heard of the famous Aysgarth Falls!
But did you know it is located next to the Woodland Trust Site of Special Scientific Interest and nature reserve, Freeholders Wood which is a great place to spot bluebells in the Spring!
Nidd Gorge
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Between Knaresborough and Ripon, North Yorkshire
🥾🎒🚘💦🌳🐶🚌
📏 Less than 2 miles
The most woodlandy woodland that ever woodlanded!
Nidd Gorge is another place owned by the Woodland Trust and is packed full of woodland wonder, stick dens, places to splash and loads more!
Hackfall Woods
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers (dependant on how much of the trail you do)
📍 Near Ripon, North Yorkshire
🥾🎒🚘💦🌳🐶🚌
📏 Variable dependant on the route you choose
Hackfall Woods is Woodland Trust owned area that is packed full of bluebells! With trails of varying lengths around the woodland, you can always find something to suit your needs!
Check out the follies too and find out all about Hackfall Woods by reading the blog!
Bluebell Facts and Useful Stuff to Know!
⭐ It’s tempting to grab that super Instagrammable shot by plopping the kids and yourself right amongst the masses of blue, but please don’t! A crushed bluebell cannot effectively produce food for the plant and it will die back, taking 5-7 years to recover from the damage. Sad stuff right?
⭐ Did you know that the UK is the home for more than HALF of the ENTIRE WORLD’S population of bluebells? That’s why we have to take care of them.
⭐ DO NOT PICK OR UPROOT BLUEBELLS!! They are protected by law and you could be landed with a hefty fine.
⭐ The native bluebell is under threat by the more vigorous Spanish bluebells. You can tell the difference by looking at the style of the flower. The native bluebell is curved with the bells hanging to one side, whereas the Spanish is more upright with bells all around it.
Something in mind? Search our full site!
(e.g. search: Gaping Gill Winch, Kettlewell etc.)
Scroll using the arrows for all our Family Friendly Walks
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![Swimming in Janet's Foss Yorkshire Dales]()
Waterfall Walks
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![Malham cove walk for kids]()
Pushchair Friendly
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![Pinhaw Beacon trig point walk near Skipton]()
Peak Bagging Walks
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![The Park at Greenhow Nidderdale]()
Walks with Play Parks
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![Gordale Scar in Malham Yorkshire Dales]()
Organised by Location
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![Walking in the woodland in Wensleydale]()
Woodland Walks
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![Playing on the shore of Embsay Reservoir Yorkshire Dales]()
Reservoir Walks
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![The ruins of Bolton Abbey]()
Bolton Abbey Estate Walks
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![Leaping over the stile at Almscliffe Crag]()
Walks Under 2 Miles
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![Child walking into a pub in Appletreewick]()
Walks with Pubs and Cafes
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Leave No Trace
The Yorkshire Dales is our home, and the home of so many others who care deeply about this beautiful space.
Should you visit, make sure to:
Take home anything you bring, leave no rubbish behind.
Make the world a better place by picking up any rubbish you see, even if it isn’t yours.
Leave everything else as you found it.