On a beautiful sunny day in May the carpark was very busy, for Aysgarth Falls is justly popular. But after a short climb to the church we headed off downstream and suddenly realised we were entirely on our own. Below us the river continued to delight with white crested waves breaking over rocks. Bishopdale Beck came as a contrast, with dark still pools beneath the trees, while the fields were filled with flowers. Arriving at Eshington Bridge it was a short steep climb from the valley to the famed Thieves Gill. Here we met a few walkers and then a few more, and then a lot more, for this was a special guided walk to the delights of Aysgarth! But soon they were gone and once again we had the countryside to ourselves and even the cows seems surprised to see us.
LOCATION: Wensleydale, Yorkshire Dales
START: Aysgarth Falls National Park Centre signed from A684, café & terrifying toilets
Grid ref: SE012887 Postcode: DL8 3TH
DISTANCE: 5 miles
GRADE: Easy
TIME: 3 hours
MAP: Explorer OL - Yorkshire Dales, Northern & Central areas Landranger 98
REFRESHMENTS: Aysgarth & National Park Centre
EN ROUTE: River Ure, High Force, Yore Bridge
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News