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Enjoy a good walk? You’ve come to the right place. England’s largest county, Yorkshire has more walks than it can shake a walking stick at. There are two national parks – one with heather-cloaked moorland, the other a mix of green dales and fells – a roller-coaster coastline of cliffs and ravines, timeless empty valleys in the chalkland Wolds, and, of course, the famous three peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside.
But you don’t have to slog up a hill or get blasted on wild moorland to enjoy a good walk. There are pretty riverside rambles, waterfalls to discover and quiet lanes taking you through even quieter villages. And it would be rare to find a walk that doesn’t start or finish at – or wander temptingly close to – a pub or tea room. Here are the best in the region.
Find a walk by difficulty level:
- Easy
- Moderate
- Strenuous
Easy
Hockney country
Warter | 8 miles, 3.5 hours | OS Explorer 29
Spot the landscapes that captivated artist David Hockney on this quiet and gentle walk through the Yorkshire Wolds. From Warter estate village, the walk – following tracks and quiet lanes – heads north and east to the hidden chalkland valleys of Lavender Dale and Brig Dale returning to the village past the locations of Hockney’s Bigger Trees near Warter and Warter Vista.
Where to stay: The Pipe and Glass, South Dalton, has double rooms from £300.
Moorland and villages
Hutton-le-Hole | 7 miles, 3 hours | OS Explorer OL26
From Hutton-le-Hole – arguably one of the prettiest North York Moors villages with its village green, grazing sheep and babbling brook – this walk follows tracks and bridleways, and the occasional road, across farmland and moorland. It passes through quiet Appleton-le-Moors to charming Lastingham, where the unaltered Norman crypt in St Mary’s church is an essential stop, before returning steeply downhill to Hutton-le-Hole.
Where to stay: The White Swan Inn, Pickering, has doubles from £175.
Hardcastle Crags and Heptonstall
Hebden Bridge | 7.5 miles, 3-4 hours | OS Explorer OL21
This walk in Calderdale takes in a historical mill town-turned-creative-hub, woodland, crags, a medieval hilltop settlement and stupendous views. From Hebden Bridge, follow paths alongside Hebden Water (a tributary of the River Calder) through the woodland of steep-sided Hardcastle Crags before striking uphill to Heptonstall (a former weaving village) and views over Calderdale. Return to Hebden Bridge down the steep packhorse route called, appropriately, The Buttress.
Where to stay: Hebden Townhouse, Hebden, has doubles from £99.
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Moderate
Ilkley Moor
Ilkley | 8 miles, 3.5 hours | OS Explorer 297
A walk between two pubs; what could be better? From the Cow and Calf inn, on the edge of Ilkley Moor, head to the left of the Cow and Calf rocks – vast gritstone boulders – and take in the views over Ilkley and Wharfedale, before heading south over the moors. Look out for the Twelve Apostles, a Bronze Age stone circle, before eventually dropping down through fields to Dick Hudsons pub on the edge of Bingley. Return along the same route.
Where to stay: The Crescent Inn, Ilkley, has double rooms from £155.
Jurassic coast
Hawsker | 9 miles; 4.5 hours | OS Explorer OL27
This glorious walk along Yorkshire’s Jurassic coast, famed for its dinosaur fossils, starts a mile inland at Hawsker village. From there it heads east along farm tracks to join the clifftop Cleveland Way. Take in the sweeping views as the path marches south to the steep ravine of Robin Hood’s Bay where cottages cling improbably to the cliffs. Return along the well-signed Cinder Track, a former railway line, to Hawsker.
Where to stay: La Rosa Hotel, Whitby, has doubles from £125.
Quiet Swaledale
Muker | 6 miles, 3-4 hours | OS Explorer 30
Upper Swaledale is one of the quieter Yorkshire Dales with timeless stone villages and sweeping hay meadows. But at one time it thrummed with lead miners. From Muker village, follow the River Swale north, through hay meadows (footpath signed “Gunnerside” and then “Keld”) crossing Swinner Gill by the remains of a lead-smelting mill, and passing the remains of the wonderfully named Crackpot Hall (18th-century farmhouse). Passing Keld, the track turns south, climbs up and contours round Kisdon Hill, which offers terrific views of Swaledale, and back to Muker.
Where to stay: Stow House, Aysgarth, has doubles from £125.
Malhamdale limestone
Malham | 4.5 miles, 2 to 3 hours | OS Explorer OL2
This walk is a celebration of the wonders of limestone and its fantastical landscapes. From the 80-metre-high rock amphitheatre of Malham Cove, the path climbs up the side to stride across the limestone pavement at the top, then detours to admire the gorge of Gordale Scar before returning to the start past the woodland-enclosed Janet’s Foss waterfall.
Where to stay: The Lister Arms, Malham, has double rooms from £125.
Littondale
Arncliffe | 7 miles, 3.5 hours | OS Explorer OL30
Littondale, one of the often-overlooked Yorkshire Dales, is the starting point for a good all-round walk with riverside paths, woodland, moorland, limestone outcrops, a bit of a scramble and far-reaching views. From sleepy Arncliffe, with its village green and beckoning Falcon Inn, head up over Knipe Scar, down to Kettlewell – a breather, perhaps, over tea and cakes at &then Tasting Deli – then return over Old Cote Moor.
Where to stay: The Racehorses Hotel, Kettlewell, has double rooms from £135.
Trollers Gill
Burnsall | 6 miles, 3 hours | OS Explorer OL2
Starting from the stone-arched bridge in Burnsall, Wharfedale, follow the waymarked Dales Way downstream for a mile before striking uphill away from the river, eventually heading across moorland to Skyreholme Beck. Follow this downstream to the rocky ravine of Troller’s Gill, where the beck briefly disappears underground, and back to the River Wharfe, turning upstream along the Dales Way back to Burnsall.
Where to stay: The Fell Hotel, Burnsall, has double rooms from £136.
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Strenuous
Buckden Pike
Buckden | 7.5 miles, 4 hours | OS Explorer OL30
The lovely grassy summit of Buckden Pike (702m) gives terrific views – which reward the steep pull up – including the famous Three Peaks, bulky Wild Boar Fell, Pendle Hill in Lancashire and, if a clear day, the Lakeland fells. A path from Buckden village car park takes you up the western side, past old lead mines. Look out for a cross near the summit trig point commemorating five Polish airmen who died when their Wellington bomber crashed in a snowstorm in 1942. Return, heading south, partly on an old packhorse route to Starbotton village and back along the River Wharfe.
Where to stay: The Buck Inn, Buckden, has doubles from £115.
Ingleborough
Clapham | 10-11 miles, 6-7 hours | OS Explorer OL2
It may not be the highest of the “Three Peaks” – that’s Whernside at 736m – but Ingleborough (723m), arguably, has the more interesting route and views. From Clapham, the route scrambles up Trow Gill, passes the dramatic Gaping Gill (a 105m cave shaft) and on to the vast summit plateau with views including the Howgill Fells, the Lakeland fells and Pendle Hill. To make a circular walk, descend east towards Horton-in-Ribblesdale, turning right at Sulber Crossroads back to Clapham.
Where to stay: The Traddock, Austwick near Clapham, has double rooms from £140.
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How we choose
Every walk in this curated list has been expertly chosen by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of routes, from beginner-friendly rambles to expert ascents. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations.
