Easy trail across the Pennine Way

After leaving the gritstone moors of the Peak District behind, it heads for the Yorkshire Dales and becomes a surprisingly green and pleasant trail through the lush meadows of the Upper Aire Valley.

This walk catches the Pennine Way in one of its more sedate phases, as beyond the towpath of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal it passes gently through the rolling drumlin fields of the Aire Gap on route for Gargrave village. The village forms the start of this walk and is famous for both the Leeds-Liverpool Canal -- here at its most northerly point -- and its stepping stones over the infant River Aire, which rises just a few miles away in Malham and heads south-east to urban West Yorkshire. The walk can be enjoyed in either direction, but if you start along the canal and return to Gargrave along the Pennine Way, you get a great view looking north towards the village and the Yorkshire Dales beyond. It is also interesting to think that if you carry on walking along the canal towpath from Gargrave heading west, 45 miles or so will see you back in Adlington.

START: Gargrave village (OS Grid Ref 932542). There are several free car parks in the village including opposite the village hall. Gargrave is situated along the A65 Kendal-Skipton road just 4 miles west of Skipton. Follow the M65 to its end at Colne and follow the A56 and A59 towards Skipton.

DISTANCE: 4 miles (allow two hours) or 3 miles (allow one to one and a half hours)

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Train station at Gargrave (just up the hill from the church) on the Skipton-Lancaster-Morecambe line.

Use these route directions in conjunction with the relevant OS map (OL2 Yorkshire Dales Southern and Western Areas)

Start this walk at the village hall on West Street near to the car parks. If you are parked on the south side of the river (near the Mason's Arms and church), cross the bridge over the river, cross the main road with care and follow West Street, which runs alongside the Dalesman Caf. The village hall is soon passed on the right.

Continue along West Street past the hall and go straight ahead past the car park on the right to reach a road bridge over the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. Join the towpath on the left here passing the boat moorings. You now stay on this towpath for about mile. It goes under the A65, past Gargrave Locks, under a railway bridge and joins a country lane. You join the lane at a gate after passing under the bridge carrying it over the canal. Turn left over the bridge and follow the lane alongside the canal until it soon rejoins the towpath at a gate. The canal is now on your left.

For a shorter walk route, walk up to the second of the Bank Newton Locks, which is by a cluster of houses. There is a bridge carrying a track going over the canal here on your left. Leave the canal, cross the bridge and follow this track with the cottages to the right of it. The track runs uphill between fields and leads to a waymarked gate.

Go through the gate and bear diagonally left across to a hedge side. The path runs along the hedge side and leads to another gate at the bottom of the field. Go through the gate and continue almost in the same direction, walking slightly uphill to another gate. Go through this and go straight ahead, gradually uphill through pasture to reach a tall wooden waymarker post in the centre of the field. You are now at the junction with the Pennine Way and there are fine views here.

Turn sharp left at the post and follow the Pennine Way downhill to the stile in the right field corner by a gate. Continue downhill along the track heading in the direction of Gargrave. After the track crosses a bridge over the railway, look out immediately on your right for a stile and Pennine Way sign in the hedge side. Cross the stile and a waymarked path through small fields leads over further stiles to bring you out on a lane by Gargrave church. Turn left here to return to the village centre.

For the longer walk route, do not leave the canal at the track by the second Bank Newton Lock. Instead continue along the canal towpath for a further 1/3 of a mile until it passes the top lock and goes under a bridge.

You immediately turn right after this bridge and join a country lane. Turn sharp right and cross over the bridge as the towpath changes sides again. Follow the lane with the canal now on your right but instead of rejoining the towpath further down the hill, keep to the lane, which heads towards a farm. The lane runs between farm buildings (Newton Grange Farm) and just continues straight ahead. It becomes a rougher hedged track, a bridleway, which is now followed for the next mile. The track rises slightly then drops downhill to pass by a field on your left in which you will see a large stone barn. This is just before the track swings right over a bridge over a little stream.

Look out for this barn on your left, as in the corner of this field you will see a stile and wooden Pennine Way sign in the hedge side. You leave the track here and cross the stile. You are now on the Pennine Way heading back over fields to Gargrave.

Bear left and keep to the bottom of the large field with the barn in it. From here the waymarked route is easy to follow as it crosses several stiles and bridges and climbs gradually up towards a round hill.

Over the other side of the hill you reach the tall wooden waymarker post in the centre of the field overlooking Gargrave in the valley below. See above for the route back to Gargrave along the Pennine Way from here.