Skell Valley Explorer: A Family Walk with Woods, Ruins & a Park
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The Skell Valley Explorer trail is the perfect family-friendly way to explore this stunning part of Nidderdale National Landscape. Hidden in the valley above Fountains Abbey, this walk can be adapted to suit all ages, with shorter and longer trail versions available. You can also take a little detour to discover an ice cream parlour and the best bit? There’s a park at the end (always the greatest motivation to finish a walk!)
The Short Trail from Sawley Village
The short trail starts at the village hall of beautiful Sawley, where there is plenty of parking available. The 3 mile circular route takes you into Skell Bank Woods, which are only a stone’s throw from the ruins of Fountains Abbey. The peaceful woodland is filled with birdsong and the sound of trickling water, as the stream winds its way through the trees before eventually turning into the River Skell further downstream.
Discovering the Aldfield Spa Wellhead
The short loop heads past the remains of the Aldfield Spa wellhead, whose sulphurous waters were drawn to be used for their healing properties. Discovered in 1698, it was used for hundreds of years before the spa closed in the early 1900s. You’ll pass the ruins before heading back across rolling fields and farmland back into Sawley (and of course, to the park!)
The Longer Route to Eavestone Lake
The longer route continues towards the secluded Eavestone Lake, nestled in its surrounding woodland. This is another truly spectacular place to explore and will leave you feeling like you have truly discovered a Nidderdale gem. The lake was developed in the late 18th Century creating a setting for people to come and enjoy nature. Now you’ll discover the old boathouse, stick dens and super cool rocks to explore, as well as a rope swing. The area still provides a major nature hit and is a designated site of special scientific interest.
From here, the route heads up towards High Grantley, before returning to Sawley where you’ll…. that’s right… FIND THE PARK! (Did I mention that?!)
Ice Cream Detour and a Friendly Surprise
When we did the walk, we did encounter some friendly cows, but should you not wish to walk through them, there’s an easy detour which actually ended up taking us to an ice cream parlour, which of course was a win for the kids (and got me off the hook for taking them on a detour!) The longer figure-of-eight style walk is around 9 miles long and starts and ends at the same point as the shorter 3 mile loop.
What to Know Before You Go
Let’s talk about terrain! The shorter Skell Valley loop is a nice bitesize version of the longer trail, but there are a couple of areas where the path is steep with some more exposed areas. Aside from these sections, the trail is along wide and obvious routes, that are well surfaced and it’s fairly easy to navigate (just make sure you have checked out the trail map beforehand).
The longer route does take a little more to navigate, as you’re headed through farmland and fields, the trail is more undulating (although, not steep) and at times a little trickier in terms of waymarking. I would recommend researching the route thoroughly beforehand and take a map, it is of course a longer distance overall as well. There is a handy version of the route and map on the National Trust website so you can see what suits you before you head off.
Explore The Skell Valley
Do you fancy exploring the Skell Valley? Then there is a handy map and trail
description over on the National Trust website.
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