GRASSINGTON is one of the best-known villages in the Dales.

And it is the starting point of this week’s walk.

It has everything you could possibly want: stunning views, quaint streets, beautiful stone buildings, quirky shops, friendly pubs and even a museum reflecting life in the Dales in days gone by.

It has a pretty village square and at the top of the Main Street is the town hall, also known as the Devonshire Institute, which was built in 1855 as a mechanics institute and was extended in 1923 and 1997.

Today, it is a hive of activity, hosting the annual pantomime as well as performances by Grassington Players and Grassington Singers. And it is the main focus of Grassington Festival, a two-week arts and cultural celebration which takes place in June.

The village is also known for its Dickensian Festival in the run-up to Christmas when its streets are transformed into a scene from Victorian England, with sights, tastes and smells from a bygone era.

After leaving Grassington, our walk follows the old packhorse route to the neighbouring village of Hebden, which is also worth a visit.

It has a church, a hotel and public house, a tea room, a community hall and a small general store associated with the pub.

Its layout largely originates from manorial times, but during the 19th century the village grew to become a substantial industrial community with lead mining and a cotton mill as the main sources of employment. Since then, it has reverted to a rural community, and is a focal point for walkers and cyclists wishing to enjoy the local countryside. It also gets a mention in the Domesday Book of 1086, in which the settlement was referred to as Hebedene.

For more walks in the area, visit the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority website, yorkshiredales.org.uk.

Step by step 1. From the National Park Centre car park, follow the road up through Grassington Square to the top of the village.

2. Bear right in front of the Town Hall onto Low Lane. After a short distance bear left onto High Lane, an ancient walled lane, once used as a packhorse route. Follow the signpost to ‘Hebden 1.5 miles’. Fine views of the lower Wharfedale valley can be enjoyed along here, looking towards Simons Seat and Barden and Burnsall Fell. At the end of the lane continue through the open fields using the narrow stiles and gates, to the site of the old Grassington isolation hospital. In the early 1900s the hospital was built as a TB sanatorium. The site was developed for houses in the 1980s.

3. The information panel marks the start of Grassington Park Estate meadows. The hay meadows you walk through survived when the site was developed and are one of the finest examples of herb-rich hay meadows in the Dales. Early summer is the best time to enjoy the wild flowers and butterflies. Continue along the path through the open fields to the road at Hebden village.

4. A footpath immediately leaves the road on the left signposted ‘Tinkers Lane’. After 45 metres bear left to climb steadily through fields and in front of Garnshaw House up to Edge Lane. Rewarding views of Grass Wood Nature Reserve, Lea Green iron age field systems and Upper Wharfedale can be seen from along the lane.

5. Continue along to the end of the lane to join the tarmac road.

6. Turn left, heading back down into Grassington to retrace your steps to the car park.

 

Fact file

Distance: 6.5km (4 miles)
Time: a minimum of 90 minutes
Start: Grassington National Park Centre
Toilets: Grassington National Park Centre
Refreshments: shops, cafes and pubs in Grassington