Otley and Washburn Valley Walks
All our family friendly walks in and around Otley and the surrounding area
Are you looking for walks in and around Otley?
Well you have landed in the right place!
The bustling Market Town of Otley straddles the River Wharfe and the boundary between West and North Yorkshire. Not only is it a stone’s throw from the stunning Washburn Valley and the reservoirs of Lindley Wood, Swinsty, Fewston and Thruscross, not only is it right on the edge of Nidderdale National Landscape, but it also boasts the breath-taking Chevin Forest which is packed full of geological wow-factor and striking views.
Have I got you tempted?
You’ll find walks with ruins, woodland, parks, and nature reserves, both pushchair friendly and more! (The more part being ice cream and play parks. It’s almost always ice cream and play parks!)
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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!
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!
The Chevin Rope Swings
📍 Otley, West Yorkshire
🚘🎒🥾🍻🍦✨🌳🐶
📏 1-2 miles
This walk is full on nature’s playground stuff!
With massive rocks to scramble up, rope swings hanging from the trees, a surprise view and if you’re lucky, an ice cream van too! This walk is always top of my two’s list!
And for the grown ups, it’s only a short walk to the Royalty Pub, where in the Summer, the beer garden is a great place to watch the planes take off and land at Leeds Bradford airport (whilst you perhaps enjoy a cheeky ‘refreshment’!)
Gallows Hill Nature Reserve
📍 Central Otley, West Yorkshire
⭐ Little Monkeys
🚘🦆🍦🛝🌳🚌🐶
📏 less than 2 miles
Located in Otley, this is a top little wander, which you can connect up with a trip to the park and feed the ducks if you fancy making it a bit longer…. and there’s ice cream too! And in the Summer? Rowing boats!
Almscliffe Crag
⭐ Little Monkeys
🎒🚘🌳🥾🚌🐶
📍 North Rigton, Near Harrogate
📏 less than 2 miles linear
It’s a rock scrambler’s paradise on Almscliffe Crag, with a trig bolt to boot! Hours can be spent clambering on rocks here…. speaking from experience there….
Swinsty Reservoir
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Washburn Valley, North Yorkshire, near Harrogate
🥾🚘🍦👻💦👶/🎒🌳🚌🐶
📏 4 miles
This is an excellent little wander around the smallest of the Washburn Reservoirs!
It has places to reach the water’s edge, it has ice cream and it has a super little picnic spot at the end! Family walk perfection! Oh and it’s do-able with a pushchair too!
Dob Park Lodge, Otley
📍 Just outside North Otley, North Yorkshire
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🚘🎒🥾💦🚜✨🌳🐶
📏 4 miles
Situated just outside Otley, and overlooking the River Washburn, the remains of this early 17th Century hunting lodge are a pretty impressive find!
And this walk is a super little gem. I’ll bet you’ve never tried it…
Fewston Reservoir
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Washburn Valley, near Otley
💦🥾👶🍦🌳🚌🐶
📏 4.5 miles
A top reservoir walk that starts and ends with an Ice Cream. And it officially has to be two ice creams (one at the start one at the end!!) It’s a borderline 2-3 star walk, the terrain is easy, so if you take your time, little legs could handle it despite the distance.
Plus you can bring the buggy!
Thruscross Reservoir
📍 Washburn Valley, near Otley/ Harrogate/ Pateley Bridge
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🚘🥾✨👻💦 🚌🐶
📏 5-6 miles
Thruscross is the highest of the Washburn Reservoirs and is an awesome circular route! In dry weather, you may even see the remains of the submerged village of West End.
Now that IS cool to see!
Staying in the Otley area?
We have a Visit with Kids guide to provide you with all the family friendly inspiration you need! Think family friendly walks, local attractions and importantly, where to find the ice cream (and the play park!)
There are two guides covering this area and the nearby areas so why not check out our…
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
Follow us for up to date Outdoors Adventures!
We live and BREATHE the Yorkshire Dales outdoors life!
BEEN INSPIRED? Tag us @reluctantexplorers
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.
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.
