Walks with Play Parks: Surrounding Areas
Walks with parks in Ilkley, Skipton, Otley, Richmond, Kirkby Stephen and Settle
Are you looking for walks with parks in the towns around the Yorkshire Dales?
Here, you’ll find all our play park walks in one place!
We have so many walks with parks that we couldn’t fit them all on the same page, so here you’ll find all of the walks in the areas that surround the Yorkshire Dales National Park. That’s Ilkley, Otley, Skipton, Settle, Richmond, Kirkby Stephen and more! If you’re looking for walks with play parks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park or Walks with play parks in Nidderdale, then head back to our play park walks menu page!
But we don’t just do walks that feature play parks! Oh no - have a scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you’ll find all of our walk categories. You’ll see walks for peak baggers, pub walks, waterfall walks, reservoir walks, pushchair friendly walks and more!
So take a scroll down the page and head to each walk page for all the in depth walk details.
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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!
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!
Victoria and Jubilee Cave
📍 Settle, Ribblesdale, Yorkshire Dales South Central
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📏 4-6.5 miles dependant on the route
🥾🚘🎒✨🍦☕🛝🌳🧒🚌🐶
MORE caves in the wild!
Victoria Cave (pictured at the top of the page) is a humungous cavern on Attermire Scar and Jubilee is its slightly smaller cousin. Both are accessible by those with absolutely no caving experience whatsoever as they have large and level entrances.
All you need to bring is your torch and a helmet (because if you’re like me, you’ll bang your head!
This walk starts in Settle and heads up to Attermire Scar. There is both a short and longer version to suit older and younger hikers!
Ilkley Riverside, ‘The Three Bridges’
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Ilkley, West Yorkshire
📏 2 miles
👶🛝☕🍦🦆🚘💦✨🐶🚌🌳
This well known circular will take you around the Ilkley Riverside, crossing the three bridges, the old, the new and the suspension! It has the park, paddle spots, ducks (that you can actually feed this time) and more!
Middleton Woods
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Ilkley West Yorkshire
📏 2 miles
🎒🥾🛝☕🍦🦆🚘💦🐶🚌🌳
This is a fabulous little wander along Ilkley riverside, and around Middleton Woods. You’ll find a park, plenty of stick dens, stone throwing, paddling and picnic spots here.
And it’s perfect in Spring or Autumn!
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!
Burley Stepping Stones
⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Burley in Wharfedale, near Ilkley, West Yorkshire
📏 2 miles
👶/🎒🥾🛝🍦☕🚘💦🐶🚌🌳
This is a classic Burley in Wharfedale wander! With geocaches, stepping stones, stone throwing spots and the park, what’s not to love?!
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.