The lovely Dove Valley is renowned for its countless wild daffodils, that blanket the flanks in yellow each spring. But it’s thanks to the campaigning efforts of West Riding Ramblers that this beautiful part of Upper Farndale isn’t submerged beneath the waters of a vast reservoir. Proposed by the regional Water Board in the late 1960s, the plans were successfully seen off by the Ramblers alongside other outdoors groups after three years of parliamentary lobbying. This circular route shows why the tranquil dale has been so perennially popular with walkers for decades, rising from Farndale to offer immense panoramas across the endless heather seas of the roof of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. Enveloped by a lattice of grey stone walls that sneak towards the bold ridge-tops, the landscape is a patchwork of pastures and pocket woodlands. The red-pantiled cottages, farms and barns give a hint of Tuscany on the hottest days; age-old hamlets, mills and villages are linked by sinuous lanes and tracks shimmer in a purple haze.
[1] Join the well-marked footpath from the gateway at the mouth of the car park at Low Mill. Once over the nearby footbridge, follow the path upstream beside the River Dove.
Here is the heart of Farndale’s golden experience and it can be very crowded around Easter.
This secluded, tree-lined treat presently reaches the hamlet of High Mill. Walk the lane ahead for 150m, then take the gateway on the left, signed for Cow Bank, cross a boggy field and then a footbridge to commence the steady climb out of Farndale. The path rises via stiles to reach Daleside Road.
[2] Turn right and at the nearby junction bear left for Dale End. Just past Monket House, take the gated track left for Bransdale, re-commencing the climb out of the dale along this old pit road. The lane rises from the hamlet of Church Houses and winds up to the crest.
Just north of this point are the red roofs of the famous Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge.
Our track climbs steadily past old coal delvings and grouse butts, with engaging views up the great, green hollow dale. Eventually the climbing eases and a long straight brings you to a major junction of ways.
[3] Turn left along this old Westside Road; an undulating sandy track along Rudland Rigg.
This section of the route offers an extraordinary panorama across waves of ridges, deep dales and flat-topped hills – all burnished purple in late-summer and autumn. For company, expect the whirring, chuckling flight of red grouse and the mournful voices of curlew and whimbrel.
Passing by the trig pillar, an eerie landscape of old diggings is the foreground to a view stretching way-south across the Howardian Hills and the Vale of Malton to the distant Wolds.
This airy trail merges with a tarred lane; keep ahead over a cattle-grid and past a cottage on your left.
[4] At the bend 150m past the cottage, turn back-left through a waymarked handgate, on a path through boggy fir and birch woods. This eases left to pass through a gate, then ahead to a broken wall; turn right past this to fall to a footbridge over Harland Beck. Turn right through the gate beyond onto a grassy path that curls left, widening to a track across moorland with sublime views down Douthwaite Dale. Cross straight over the lane and take the thin, waymarked path ahead, past a walled corner and down to find a rough track above firwoods. Turn right for a few paces and look left across a heathery bump for a waymarked stile into the woods. From here, the path – occasionally indistinct – drops to another track at the slope foot. Pick up the signed path opposite to use Dale End footbridge over the River Dove.
[5] Bear left up the old walled lane, which winds easily up the dale side. Cross directly over a farm access track and remain on the pleasant way now contouring Farndale’s eastern flank. At Ewecote Farm, take the marked path ahead from the corner beyond the buildings, passing further buildings to emerge onto a tarred lane. Turn left and then left again to bring you back to Low Mill.