"Exploring a picturesque village, with stepping-stones and a historic church along the way."
Walk directions
Walk down through the car park past a sign to Linton Falls and Riverside Paths, to the bottom left corner, where there’s a gate onto a narrow path. Continue down this path to a footbridge over the River Wharfe. The bridge spans Linton Falls.
Don’t cross the bridge now – you’ll come back this way later. Instead turn left (signed to Hebden and Burnsall) and follow a well-worn path through a narrow gap-stile and then another stile with a little gate. Continue along the path, which climbs above the river, to reach steps and a gated stile into a lane.
Turn right down the lane and follow it past houses and a fish-hatchery. The lane becomes a gravel track. Go through a gate and bear right, signed ‘Linton Falls via stepping stones’ to a line of stepping-stones across the river.
Having crossed the stepping-stones, continue straight ahead to a gate at the corner of Linton churchyard. Walk through the churchyard and out through a gate to a lane. Follow the lane past several rows of cottages until a footpath sign points down right to Linton Falls.
Go down steps and along a narrow walled path, turning right before a small stone bridge, to the footbridge. Cross it, directly above the falls, to return to Point 2. It’s possible to go ahead for a quick return to the car park, but instead turn left (signed ‘Grass Wood’) and follow another well-trodden path near the river and across a field to go through two gates and meet a road (B6265) just above a bridge.
Go straight across, then turn right through a squeeze stile and up a footpath (signed ‘Wood Lane’). Follow this path up to a street. Go straight across, up some steps and follow the path round, bearing away from the river, and up to another street. Follow the road straight ahead through the houses and uphill to a crossroads. Go straight across into Moody Sty Lane.
Walk up about 250yds (229m) then turn right into Garrs End Lane. Follow this to its end and turn right (Main Street). Follow this down to the Square (really more of a triangle) at the centre of Grassington. Continue down a few more paces and turn left on the B6265 to return to the main car park.
Grassington today may appear a peaceful place, but its history is turbulent and industrial. The moors to the north and east were an important area for lead mining from the 15th century onwards. The industry developed rapidly in the later 18th and early 19th centuries, stimulated by the development... of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal through Skipton, 9 miles (14.5km) away. An influx of mine-workers created a rough ‘boom-town’ atmosphere, personified by the notorious Tom Lee – miner, publican and convicted murderer. The lead-mining industry declined in the last quarter of the 19th century, but the opening of a railway to Skipton in 1901 brought a new influx of more pacific visitors, and tourism has been a mainstay of Grassington ever since. The Linton Falls funnel most of the water of the River Wharfe through a narrow channel, but as a spectacle it has to be said they don’t match the waterfalls at Ingleton, or The Strid, a few miles down the river at Bolton Abbey. They can be impressive when the river is running high. The hydro-electric plant (built in 1909, abandoned in 1948) has been restored and now produces electricity once again; the site is a scheduled monument. When the river is high, the stepping-stones on the walk route, can become impassable. Given more normal water levels (and no ice), they are quite safe, at least for normally agile adults. However, the gaps between stones may be too wide for smaller children to manage easily. An alternative in summer is to paddle across and the best place to do this is a few yards upstream of the stones. If in doubt, the safest course is to backtrack to the bridge by Linton Falls. Once the steppingstones would have been regularly used by parishioners in their Sunday best heading for the church of St Michael and All Angels, which for centuries served Grassington as well as the smaller village of Linton. There was almost certainly a church here in Saxon times, but the origins of the present building are Norman, and it has been extended and altered many times since. There are many fascinating features inside and out, including a rare survival of a church chest, used to store valuables such as vestments and relics. This had five keys, kept separately by the priest and four church wardens – security concerns are nothing new. Another striking feature is a large coat of arms of George III (reigned 1760–1820). For over a century this was forgotten, lining a cupboard in the vestry, and it only came to light again in 1994.
North Yorkshire, with its two National Parks and two designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is England’s largest county and one of the most rural. This is prime walking country, from the heather-clad heights of the North York Moors to the limestone country that is so typical of the Yorkshire Dales – a place of contrasts and discoveries, of history and legend.
"Exploring a picturesque village, with stepping-stones and a historic church along the way."
Walk details
1hr
Difficulty:
Medium
Gradient:
Gentle
Distance:
2.5 miles (4kms)
Ascent:
290ft (88m)
Walk directions
Walk down through the car park past a sign to Linton Falls and Riverside Paths, to the bottom left corner, where there’s a gate onto a narrow path. Continue down this path to a footbridge over the River Wharfe. The bridge spans Linton Falls.
1 of 7
Don’t cross the bridge now – you’ll come back this way later. Instead turn left (signed to Hebden and Burnsall) and follow a well-worn path through a narrow gap-stile and then another stile with a little gate. Continue along the path, which climbs above the river, to reach steps and a gated stile into a lane.
2 of 7
Turn right down the lane and follow it past houses and a fish-hatchery. The lane becomes a gravel track. Go through a gate and bear right, signed ‘Linton Falls via stepping stones’ to a line of stepping-stones across the river.
3 of 7
Having crossed the stepping-stones, continue straight ahead to a gate at the corner of Linton churchyard. Walk through the churchyard and out through a gate to a lane. Follow the lane past several rows of cottages until a footpath sign points down right to Linton Falls.
4 of 7
Go down steps and along a narrow walled path, turning right before a small stone bridge, to the footbridge. Cross it, directly above the falls, to return to Point 2. It’s possible to go ahead for a quick return to the car park, but instead turn left (signed ‘Grass Wood’) and follow another well-trodden path near the river and across a field to go through two gates and meet a road (B6265) just above a bridge.
5 of 7
Go straight across, then turn right through a squeeze stile and up a footpath (signed ‘Wood Lane’). Follow this path up to a street. Go straight across, up some steps and follow the path round, bearing away from the river, and up to another street. Follow the road straight ahead through the houses and uphill to a crossroads. Go straight across into Moody Sty Lane.
6 of 7
Walk up about 250yds (229m) then turn right into Garrs End Lane. Follow this to its end and turn right (Main Street). Follow this down to the Square (really more of a triangle) at the centre of Grassington. Continue down a few more paces and turn left on the B6265 to return to the main car park.
Grassington today may appear a peaceful place, but its history is turbulent and industrial. The moors to the north and east were an important area for lead mining from the 15th century onwards. The industry developed rapidly in the later 18th and early 19th centuries, stimulated by the development... of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal through Skipton, 9 miles (14.5km) away. An influx of mine-workers created a rough ‘boom-town’ atmosphere, personified by the notorious Tom Lee – miner, publican and convicted murderer. The lead-mining industry declined in the last quarter of the 19th century, but the opening of a railway to Skipton in 1901 brought a new influx of more pacific visitors, and tourism has been a mainstay of Grassington ever since. The Linton Falls funnel most of the water of the River Wharfe through a narrow channel, but as a spectacle it has to be said they don’t match the waterfalls at Ingleton, or The Strid, a few miles down the river at Bolton Abbey. They can be impressive when the river is running high. The hydro-electric plant (built in 1909, abandoned in 1948) has been restored and now produces electricity once again; the site is a scheduled monument. When the river is high, the stepping-stones on the walk route, can become impassable. Given more normal water levels (and no ice), they are quite safe, at least for normally agile adults. However, the gaps between stones may be too wide for smaller children to manage easily. An alternative in summer is to paddle across and the best place to do this is a few yards upstream of the stones. If in doubt, the safest course is to backtrack to the bridge by Linton Falls. Once the steppingstones would have been regularly used by parishioners in their Sunday best heading for the church of St Michael and All Angels, which for centuries served Grassington as well as the smaller village of Linton. There was almost certainly a church here in Saxon times, but the origins of the present building are Norman, and it has been extended and altered many times since. There are many fascinating features inside and out, including a rare survival of a church chest, used to store valuables such as vestments and relics. This had five keys, kept separately by the priest and four church wardens – security concerns are nothing new. Another striking feature is a large coat of arms of George III (reigned 1760–1820). For over a century this was forgotten, lining a cupboard in the vestry, and it only came to light again in 1994.
North Yorkshire, with its two National Parks and two designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is England’s largest county and one of the most rural. This is prime walking country, from the heather-clad heights of the North York Moors to the limestone country that is so typical of the Yorkshire Dales – a place of contrasts and discoveries, of history and legend.
