Saturday Walk: 11th April Nidd Gorge Walk from Knaresborough – c 6.7 miles – slightly harder category

The next walk is in the slightly “harder” category but it’s not a really hard one and it’s under 7 miles. It involves 563ft of climbing, which wouldn’t normally put it in the harder category, However, after wet weather it can be slippery on the boardwalks by the river and there can occasionally be fallen trees that we have to clamber over. A good degree of agility and sure-footedness is required. There is also a steep section when we climb the path out of the Nidd Gorge.  I estimate that this walk could take between 2.5 and 3 hours.

The walk will start from the Conyngham Hall car park (HG5 9AY) next to the river in Knaresborough at 9:15am.  This is a pay and display car park – you should pay for at least 4 hours (£4.00).  It may be advisable to take cash as well as a card. There is a free public toilet at the entrance to the car park, which we will pass as we start the walk.

The route crosses the river and follows the path of the Beryl Burton cycle trail along the other side of the river, flat initially and then steadily climbing. We leave the good path and cross some fields, going through some stables where we usually encounter horses. There’s a very short narrow steep little path that we take to get down on to a disused railway line. This steep path can be slippery, so a pole is advised. The disused railway line path is wide and flat, and we go along it to the viaduct across the Nidd, where there are some good views. We come back very slightly, walk along the edge of a field, and then descend into the Nidd Gorge. The paths are earth on this section and reasonably steep, again a pole is very useful here. When we get down to the river there’s a variety of paths under the trees, including the boardwalks that can be slippery after wet weather. We meander along by the river for a while and can sometimes see a kingfisher. Then there’s the climb back of the gorge. This is the steepest section, and we’ll all get out of breath. Once at the top, there’s a good path and we re-join the Beryl Burton Way again back down to Knaresborough. The plan is to reserve tables at the Ugly Duckling café which is on the edge of the car park we use