The best walks and hikes around Harrogate

Exploring the Skell Valley

Some of the finest walks around Harrogate explore the historic and picturesque Skell Valley. Experience Studley Royal Park and the ruins of Fountains Abbey, awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status as ‘a feat of human creative genius’. The park’s landscaped grounds have been immaculately curated around the 1,000-year-old abbey ruins.

Take a magical stroll around the incredible water gardens, keeping an eye out for stags wrestling each other with their antlers. Over 300 red, sika and fallow deer roam the grounds. The gothic St Mary’s Church is another architectural masterpiece waiting to be discovered here. Nearby, the idyllic Seven Bridges Valley offers you utterly delightful walking, following the meandering River Skell over the five remaining arched packhorse bridges.

Sandstone forged splendour

The spectacular Brimham Rocks and their surroundings make for some of the best hikes around Harrogate. A site of special scientific interest, its 454 acres (184 ha) contain heathlands, birch woodland and the famous 320 million-year-old sandstone rock formations. The impossible shapes they assume are sensational, the result of aeons of erosion by ice, water and wind.

Closer to Harrogate is Nidd Gorge, a deep, sandstone ravine with sheer wooded banks. Perfect for an afternoon ramble, it rewards nature lovers with a veritable patchwork of habitats. In summer, a diverse array of butterflies flutter between the trees and wild flowers abound.

Natural beauty in Nidderdale

Some of the best hiking trails around Harrogate can be found in Nidderdale. In fact, there are 125 square miles (200 km2) on which to exercise your right to roam. The prominent hill of Great Whernside (not to be confused with county-high-point Whernside to the west) offers a unique panorama across Nidderdale and back to the vastness of the Yorkshire Dales. 

Experience the remote moorland and undulating hills of Mashamshire, perfect for stargazing under a vast night sky. Pack your tent and set out for an adventure into this secluded countryside. The archetypal V-shaped valleys, carved by 100,000 years of glacial movement, await your hiking boots. Explore winding paths and waterfalls in the rolling woodland or discover the curious and mystical structures found on the moors.