Walks with Folklore and Legends
Yorkshire Dales walks with Beasties and Fairies
There are so many incredible legends and fairy tales told about the Yorkshire Dales…
Did you know that the Yorkshire Dales is the home to the Queen of all the fairies? Or perhaps you might have heard about the giants who live in caves and throw rocks? The folklore of the Yorkshire Dales will not leave you wanting and these tales range from the fanciful, to the downright sinister!
And these walks? These walks will walk you in the footsteps of fairies, chasing the tails of the beasties and have you walking with the giants!
You might even come across a vampire!
Each walk has its own dedicated page, so make sure to tap the button for more.
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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 Barghest and the Trolls
Trollers Gill
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
📍 Skyreholme, Wharfedale
🚘🎒🥾💦🌳🐶👻
📏 3 miles there and back again
This is such a classic Wharfedale walk through a narrow rocky gorge that is jam-packed with legends. The clue is in the title, as Trollers Gill hasn’t got its name by coincidence (or maybe it has…) The towering rocky faces on both side are reportedly the home to violent trolls, who love to throw rocks at passers by. But that’s not all…. the Gill is the home of a demon dog, a Barghest, who has brought men to meet their grizzly doom….
Copyright Samantha Brown
Janet, Queen of the Fairies
Janet’s Foss
📍 Malham, Yorkshire Dales
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
🚘🥾🎒✨🌳👻🚌🐶
📏 4 - 8 miles dependant on the route you opt to take.
If you have Tinkerbell in mind when you are thinking of Janet, then you might be twinkling up the wrong toadstool, because the stories about Janet might actually leave you with shivers down your spine. Needless to say, her fairy tales are probably ones for the grown ups…
Nevertheless this waterfall is magical (if you can get it to yourself…)
The Vampire of Dent
📍 Dent, Cumbria, Western Yorkshire Dales National Park
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📏 Circular walk 6 miles
🥾🎒🚘🚌🧒✨👻💦🌳🐶
Now HERE’S a story to behold! Did you know that there is a real life actual vampire buried next to the door of the church in the village of Dent in the Westmorland Dales? It’s true…. he was even buried with a cast iron stake through his heart…. FACT! Whether or not he was an ACTUAL vampire…. well that’s left up to you, but this walk takes you right past the church, where you can call in to pay a visit to old George.
Yordas the Giant
Yordas Cave, Kingsdale
📍 Kingsdale, South Yorkshire Dales (near Ingleton)
⭐⭐ Little Adventurers
🚘🥾💦🎒✨🌳👻🐶
📏 Less than 1 mile - explore!
This ex Victorian show cave is spectacular, has a 30 foot waterfall hidden inside and was once home to a giant. I mean of course… it IS big enough!
Oh and watch out for the ghostly army hanging around Kingsdale too!
The Strid Kelpie
Strid Woods, Bolton Abbey
⭐ Little Monkeys/ Little Adventurers
📍 Wharfedale, The Yorkshire Dales National Park (SE)
📏
👶/🎒🥾🦆🚘💦✨👻🐶🚌🌳
The Strid is infamous for being the reason why the River Wharfe is one of the most dangerous in the UK. It being the area where the entire mass of the River Wharfe is forced through a narrow rocky ravine only a matter of feet wide. The result is of course that this place is packed with stories, not least the Kelpie (water horse) who comes up from the water with it’s demon fairy rider to bring unwary passers by to their doom. Elsa… eat your heart out!
Rombalds the Giant
Ilkley Moor
⭐⭐⭐ Superstar Hikers
📍 Ilkley Moor, West Yorkshire
📏 2 miles
🎒🥾🦆🚘💦🍦☕✨🐶🚌🌳
Ah those blummin’ giants are EVERYWHERE!
This one lurked on Ilkley Moor until he had a barney with his wife and ended up creating the Cow and Calf rocks….
The Yorkshire Dales Folklore
Read the Full Stories of the Yorkshire Dales Legends…
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.