The Bolton Abbey Estate

All the walks and trails that you can find on the Bolton Abbey Estate

Have you been to the Bolton Abbey Estate?

Bolton Abbey is an absolute gem in the crown of the Yorkshire Dales and is a fantastic day out for all the family.

Originally built back in the 12th Century as an Augustinian Monastery, the ruins that stand today are as a result of the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 by Henry VIII, when the Priory was stripped of its assets.

With the epic Priory ruins looming grandly above the River Wharfe, the estate stretches for miles, including the ruins of the 17th Century Hunting Lodge Barden Tower, the infamous Strid which makes the River Wharfe one of the most deadly in the country, the epic waterfalls of the Valley of Desolation, Barden Moor and beyond!

Below, you will find some of Bolton Abbey’s walking trails. I’ve written about them to give you extra information on top of the readily available trail maps on the Bolton Abbey website. These are a more personal angle, our actual recommendations and our favourite things as a family who has visited the estate on a regular basis for over a decade.

Because we are lucky enough to live down the road!

In each walk, you’ll find a link to the trail map which is why I’ve not included an actual map on these walks.

The Bolton Abbey Estate has a parking charge of £12.50 per car to park and three car parks (with Barden Field in addition to that). If you don’t pre-book the parking, then the fee increases to £15.

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Thank you for taking the time to have a look at my website and for reading this now!

I set up the Reluctant Explorers and maintain the website and attached social media accounts in my spare time, around mum-life and two jobs. It was designed to provide access for parents to free resources to help get more families outside and exploring in nature. These walks have all been created by myself and the kids and we have walked each one ourselves (and re-walk them regularly to keep the information as up to date as we can).

If you would like to support us and can afford a few pennies, you can make a donation to our ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ page. Simply tap the button below to head there!

Tap Here to Buy Me a Coffee
Child walking along the side of a waterfall surrounded by green summer foliage

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.

A mum walking with two kids on each side through early autumn trees on a wide path next to a river

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!

Bolton Abbey Priory Ruins

⭐ Little Monkeys

📍 Wharfedale, The Yorkshire Dales National Park (SE)

📏 2.5 miles

🎒🚘🥾💦✨👻🐶☕🍦📚 🚌🌳

This is THE classic walk on the Bolton Abbey Estate. The Priory ruins are a great place to explore and even better, during the warmer months, this walk is home to the Welly Walk!

THAT my friends, is the best way to do this walk!

Tap HERE to head to the Priory Ruins Walk
The Strid on the Bolton Abbey Estate

Bolton Abbey, The Strid

⭐ Little Monkeys

📍 Wharfedale, The Yorkshire Dales National Park (SE)

📏 2-3 miles (but this can be pushchair friendly)

👶/🎒🥾🦆🚘💦✨👻🍦☕🐶🚌🌳

The walk to the Strid from the Cavendish Pavilion is pushchair friendly (if you take the lower route). This walk can also be done as a circular as well (although that’s not pushchair friendly).

The Strid? Well to put that bluntly, it’s the entirety of the River Wharfe forced through the narrowest of rocky channels, creating a raging torrent of water. A sight to behold, particularly after heavy rain! But never one to get too close to, it’s 100% deadly. Perfect for the Bolton Abbey seasonal kids trails I say! (Don’t worry, I’m kind of joking… Kind of…)

Tap HERE to head to The Strid walk
The Bolton Abbey Aqueduct

Bolton Abbey, The Aqueduct

⭐⭐ Little Adventurers

📍 Wharfedale, The Yorkshire Dales National Park (SE)

📏 3.5 - 4 miles

🎒🥾🦆🚘💦✨🐶🍦👻📚🚌🌳

Did you know that the Bolton Abbey Aqueduct is not only a footbridge over the River Wharfe but in fact carries actual drinking water to the people of West Yorkshire? True Story. This walk will take you to it and is a great extension to the usual Strid wander for those kids who are ready to take on a bit more of a challenge.

Tap here to head to the Bolton Abbey Aqueduct walk
The Barden Tower ruins on the Bolton Abbey Estate

Bolton Abbey, Barden Tower

⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers

📍 Wharfedale, The Yorkshire Dales National Park (SE)

📏 5 miles

🎒🥾🦆🚘💦✨👻🐶🚌🌳

This Bolton Abbey wander will take you EVEN FURTHER than the Aqueduct to the end of the Bolton Abbey Estate and the often overlooked Grade I listed hunting lodge, Barden Tower. The ruins are open to look around, so why not check it out?!

Tap here to head to Barden Tower
The waterfall of the Valley of Desolation

The Bolton Abbey Waterfalls

⭐⭐ Little Adventurers

📍 Wharfedale, The Yorkshire Dales National Park (SE)

📏 2-3 miles

🎒🥾🦆🚘💦✨🚌🌳

The Bolton Abbey Estate is always full of surprises and this walk is no exception! If you love waterfalls, then this is the one for you! The walk heads along the Valley of Desolation to the waterfall on Posforth Gill.

Just be aware, there are no dogs allowed on this walk.

Tap here to head to the Bolton Abbey Waterfalls
The top of Simon's Seat

Simon’s Seat

⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers

📍 Wharfedale, The Yorkshire Dales National Park (SE)

📏 9 miles

🎒🥾🦆🚘🍦☕💦🚌🌳 (If there was an emoji for a brownie, then that would be there too!)

This walk is for the peak baggers out there, heading up to the top of Simon’s Seat which overlooks Bolton Abbey. With a trig thrown in for good measure it’s a great adventure for children who are happy to take on more of a challenge and at 9 miles, it is not a walk for the faint hearted! Although thankfully, somebody put ice cream and brownies at the half way mark!!

So stock up on the snacks and enjoy! Dogs are not allowed onto Barden Moor.

Tap here to head to Simon's Seat

Did you just stumble upon our little website?

Well hi there!

If we’ve just popped up on your Google search then welcome, I want to let you know a little more about us.

We are three explorers (two reluctant, one very much enthusiastic) and this website holds so much more that just the walks you see above! Over the years we have researched, walked and then re-walked over a hundred family friendly walks across the Yorkshire Dales National Park and beyond, and you’ll find them all here on the website!

But not just that, this website serves as a lifeline for any families visiting the Yorkshire Dales, with Visit with Kids Guides, details of any family friendly Seasonal Attractions and Events and an A-Z of Play Parks, and the blog which covers everything else in between, from campsite recommendations, to wild swimming spots!

So sit back and take a little look!

Thanks for visiting,

Sam, Edie and Ezra.

Scroll using the arrows for all our Family Friendly Walks

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Come follow our journey over on Instagram and Facebook where you’ll find up to date walk info, breaking news on Yorkshire Events, new Yorkshire Dales wild swim spots, climbing, caves and more!

Follow us on Social Media for all the up to date info: @thereluctantexplorers

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.

Help us to protect our wild spaces.