Stepping Stones of the Yorkshire Dales

There’s something about having to cross a river by stepping stones that makes a walk feel a little bit more adventurous! For me, I think it is the mixture of the sense that you are following an ancient route, used for centuries by people travelling the land on foot, combined with the slight risk that you are going to end up drenched in freezing cold water!

Around the Yorkshire Dales there are many sets of stepping stones to be braved, from well-known, popular crossings to little-used and little-heard of ancient routes, and from huge, easy stone slabs, to small, uneven and often underwater challenges!

Here are just a few of the options and suggestions for walks that will take you over them.

Crossing the Wharf at Bolton Abbey

Probably the most well-known, well-used and regularly photographed stepping stones in the Dales, if not the country, are the ones over the River Wharf, just below the ruins of Bolton Priory on the Bolton Abbey Estate.

These are broad, flat and well-maintained and don’t present much of a challenge to any but the shortest of legs (you will often see small children wobbling over them with a nervous parent helping out!). But the River Wharf is wide at this point so the crossing is long (comprising 60 stones!) so can still be a little daunting.

Stepping stones across the River Ure at Stoney Stoop Lane

There are lots of fantastic walks around the Bolton Abbey Estate that can take in the stepping stones. For a gentle stroll, from the Priory, cross the stepping stones and follow the path along the river until you reach the footbridge that takes you to the Cavendish Pavillion – a good place for a stop – and then head through the parking area to follow the other side of the river back to the Priory ruins and Bolton Abbey village.

For a longer walk, we love the route up to Simon’s Seat taking in the Valley of Desolation. There is a decent amount of climbing on this route but it is well worth it for a fantastic, varied walk and stunning views over the southern Dales. Route maps are available from the entrances to the Bolton Abbey Estate.

Crossing the Ure on ‘Stony Stoop Lane’ near Aysgarth

The River Ure through Wensleydale has several stepping stone crossings but the ones on ‘Stony Stoop Lane’, about a mile and a half east of Aysgarth Falls, must be some of the biggest. This curve of huge slabs makes for a fairly easy crossing but even these can be impassable after heavy rain (and we wouldn’t recommend trying to cross when the river is in spate, even if the stones are visible, as this is a wide, fast-moving stretch).

A lovely walk from Aysgarth Falls takes you along the quiet banks of the southern side of the River Ure to cross these stepping stones before heading along some ancient tracks and over farmland to reach the impressive remains of Bolton Castle. From there our favourite route back to Aysgarth is along the edge of the moor, offering great views along Wensleydale and over to Bishopdale before dropping into the village of Carperby.

Crossing the Cover near Middleham

A more ‘higgeldy piggeldy’ set of stones can be found on the River Cover close to the village of Middleham. They are easily submerged after heavy rain so you will need to avoid them during much of winter – Cover Bridge, a large road bridge, is less than a kilometre downstream so makes a good alternative crossing place.

A lovely walk takes you from Middleham down to the river and along a pretty wooded section of the banks of the Cover before crossing the stepping stones and heading for the gorgeous village of East Witton (where there is a great pub!). Get back to Middleham by heading west out of East Witton, taking in a walled lane and farmland before crossing back over the Cover at ‘Hullo Bridge’ and joining the track alongside the Coverdale Road that takes you past the gallops on Middleham Low Moor, so gives you a good chance to spot some very impressive race horses.

Crossing the Wharf near Linton Falls

When crossing the Wharf near Linton Falls, by far the most popular route is over the footbridge close to the falls (as this takes you onto the very well-frequented and regularly photographed walled track to Grassington). However, for a more fun crossing, you can follow the road past houses down to the lovely church then take the footpath through a couple of fields to reach the long stretch of stepping stones. They are generally good, large stones and are close together but can be easily submerged and the water runs fairly quickly here, so we wouldn’t recommend trying them in wet conditions. Last time we were there, they were barely visible (see picture)!

Stepping stones across the River Swale near Healaugh

This is a wonderful, bucolic stretch of the River Wharf and a lovely circuit can be taken linking the villages of Linton, Burnsall, Hebden and Grassington for a fantastic exploration of this part of Wharfedale. This is also a good area for paddling or taking a dip, if you don’t mind a bit of cold water, and the river around Loup Scar, just before Burnsall, is particularly good for this (albeit popular so you’re unlikely to have it to yourself).

Crossing the Swale near Healaugh

Oddly unmarked on the OS map, there is a lovely, curved set of stepping sones crossing the River Swale just south of the small village of Healaugh in Swaledale. They’re not the biggest or most regular slabs but are nice and flat and fairly easy to navigate (although, again, can be submerged after wet weather).

There is a mass of footpaths in this area so there are lots of options for a circular walk taking in these stones, a lovely stretch of riverside and a couple of villages. We like a route that starts in the popular village of Reeth, takes you down to the river, past the ‘Reeth Suspension Bridge’ and on to this stepping stone crossing. Crossing over to the south side of the river, you can either follow the clear bridleway back along the river and through meadows, or the smaller footpath taking you through many fields and stiles, to reach the small village of Grinton. There is a good pub stop here or you can press on a little further to stop at the excellent café at the Dales Bike Centre in Healaugh before arriving back in Reeth.

Crossing the Ure at Askrigg Bottoms

A charmingly irregular set of stones offers another crossing of the River Ure through Wensleydale. This one is just to the south of the village of Askrigg in an area known as ‘Askrigg Bottoms Meadow’ which is an SSSI as it is one of the best examples of a wild flower meadow in the Dales (so visit in late Spring if you get chance).

The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust provides details of a short walk from Askrigg to the meadow and stepping stones as part of its ‘Into the Meadows’ series (although the route doesn’t actually cross the stones) but for something more challenging, a great day’s walking from Askrigg takes you over the stepping stones to the southern side of Wensleydale where you can summit the most prominent hill in this part of the Dales – Addlebrough – before descending through the little visited village of Thornton Rust, crossing back over the Ure on a second set of stepping stones and following the old Wensleydale Railway line back to Askrigg.

Crossing Cray Gill

A small but perfectly situated set of stepping stones crosses pretty Cray Gill, in a tiny side valley coming down from Kidstones hill to join upper Wharfedale. The gill itself is a picture-perfect babbling brook, toppling over exposed limestone that creates mini-waterfalls all the way along. A charming stone bridge is just up stream from the stepping stones and, possibly best of all, there is a great pub waiting for you once you’ve crossed!

This is excellent and popular walking country and for a mid-length, relatively gentle walk, it is hard to beat the ‘head of Wharfedale’ circuit that generally starts in Buckden, climbs the slopes of Buckden Pike to circle round to Cray (and the stepping stones) before following a ridge around the head of the valley, giving stunning views down Wharfedale and dropping down to the beautifully situated Yockenthwaite Farm (makers of some very tasty granola!). The last leg takes you along the banks of the infant River Wharf to the tiny village of Hubberholme and eventually back to Buckden. It’s a real joy.

Many of these stepping stones can be tackled on a Muddy Boots Walking Holiday. If you would like any more information about the walks mentioned in this article or about our holidays, please do get in touch.