Swaledale Walks
Family friendly walks in and around the Swaledale area of the Yorkshire Dales
Do you want family friendly walks in Swaledale?
Of course you do! Swaledale is pushing the northernmost boundaries of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and is a whole new level of rugged moorland beauty. I. LOVE. IT. HERE!
A mixing pot of rugged beauty, cascading waterfalls, the ruins of industry and MOUNTAINS BABY, this dale is one of my favourites (can you tell - because you should, I’ve mentioned how much I love Swaledale twice already, and we’re only half way down the first paragraph!)
These family friendly walks will bring you ruins and abandoned places, waterfalls and perfect picnic spots spanning from the most isolated parts of the dale up to a bustling village hub on the edge of the National Park border. Oh and it’ll tell you where to find Swaledale’s very own ice cream parlour!
So what on EARTH are you waiting for? Take a little look at these family hikes!
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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!
Swinner Gill and Crackpot Hall
📍 Keld, Swaledale, Yorkshire Dales National Park (North)
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers (some unguarded drops)
🥾🎒🚘💦🍦☕👻🌳🚌🐶
📏 4 miles linear - some testing terrain
Swinner Gill is lush. This dramatic limestone gorge doesn’t sound hugely family friendly, but if you have confident explorers it’s well worth a trip!
This route starts from Keld and takes you past Crackpot Hall, which is also worth a trip in its own right, purely because it is essentially a time capsule from when it was abandoned… Abandoned. Sounds dramatic right? Wait until you hear the full story…
The Keld Waterfalls
📍 Keld, Upper Swaledale, North Yorkshire Dales
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🥾🎒🚘💦🍦☕🌳🚌🐶
📏 6 miles circular (ish)
When is a walk not a walk?
When it’s a waterfall hunt! This one is EXCELLENT for a waterfall lover and there are not one, not two, but SEVEN waterfalls to hunt down. Some of them are a little trickier to spot, but don’t worry! You’ll find the kid friendly ratings for them all on the walk page!
Muker Circular
📍 Muker, Upper Swaledale, North Yorkshire Dales
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
🥾🎒🚘🍦🍻☕💦🌳🚌🐶
📏 Less than 2 miles
Rampsholme Bridge is found just outside Muker and this short circular will take you right to it! It is an excellent fossil spot… yes, you read that right!
Gunnerside Gill, Swaledale
📍 Gunnerside, Swaledale North Eastern Yorkshire Dales
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🥾🚘🎒🍻✨💦🚌🐶
📏 6-8 miles circular
This epic circular walk around Gunnerside Gill was the kids’ official favourite walk of 2022. Yes. Even at 8 whole miles! We’ve been back since and can confirm…
Still awesome.
It takes in the abandoned ruins and scheduled monuments of the once thriving lead mines, fabulous waterfalls, and loads more. It’s very cool. And it has it’s very own mine cart (just use that in a Minecraft sense and the kids will be all over it!)
Reeth Stepping Stones
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Reeth, Swaledale, North Eastern Yorkshire Dales
🚘🎒🥾💦🍦☕🛝🍻🌳🚌🐶
📏 Under 3 miles circular
We love a good old fashioned stepping stones walk and this one is probably our favourite.
Reeth is a super little hub in Swaledale, with plenty of action! It has a park, pubs and its very own ice cream parlour, which all serve to make this Yorkshire Dales wander even more excellent!
Easby Abbey and Richmond Foss
📍 Richmond, North Yorkshire
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🚘🥾🎒💦✨🍦🍻☕🛝🌳👻🐶🚌
📏 3-4 miles circular walk
This walk takes you from the centre of Richmond to Easby Abbey, passing the fabulous waterfalls of Richmond Foss. You’ll also head past the legendary Drummer Boy Stone and at the end (ok also at the beginning…) there’s a park!
Oh and ICE CREAM!
Great Pinseat and the Old Gang Mill
📍 Near Reeth, Swaledale
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🥾🚘🎒✨💦🐶🍻
📏 6 miles
Otherwise known as that Wuthering Heights walk… Used as the filming location of the 2026 version of the film, this walk is epic Hollywood, or no Hollywood!
Think ruins, epic Swaledale views, an iconic bridge and paddling spots!
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.