Explore with Amie

If you read my recent post which detailed my camping essentials, you’ll know that I recently went on a camping trip to the Yorkshire Dales. I’m going to share with you what I think is a hidden gem within the Nidderdale AONB which borders the Yorkshire Dales. Alex is great at finding these little spots that are great lunch spots or just sites along a route. He actually finds these places first on Google Maps usually and then we plan a route around it. I can’t take the credit for discovering this one but, I did want to share it with you today as it is are great spot to explore. I’m going to include a map with the walk that we did to get there but, of course, you can plot your own. Scroll to the end for a step by step of the route.

This is not only a great historical building but, the walk towards it is actually really lovely. You begin at Thruscross Reservoir Car Park and head in the opposite direction of the reservoir, back up the road. There is a little bit of road walking both at the beginning and on the return journey but, it isn’t a major road or anything like that so there is no need to worry. The path is very well marked and you literally follow it all the way from where it becomes a footpath, straight to the hall. This walk was really beautiful. There are stiles to climb and so much wildlife. We saw lots of lapwings and curlews flying around the hall whilst we stopped there for lunch. The spring is a lovely time for this walk with all the lambs running about too.

Although it wasn’t in the original plan, we walked alongside the reservoir on the way back to the car. To be honest, we’re not usually reservoir people; we prefer to be out in the hills. But, it was such a beautiful day; the reservoir was showing off. It really was beautiful. It was a little later in the day at this point too so a lot of people had already left which mean’t the path was quiet too which was lovely. There seems to be an old settlement here too. Perhaps this was buried underneath the water when the reservoir was built as there are some old, half buildings along and in the reservoir which was also interesting to see. We would have missed this had we opted to walk on the road instead. The reservoir was much better.

In terms of the difficulty and distance, this is a rather easy walk. The incline is steady towards the hall so you’re not climbing any summits or anything like that. The distance is around 12km so it can easily be done in a few hours. It can be daunting when you can see your goal in the distance, as is the case with Rocking Hall, but it will be pass quickly so try not to focus on that.

A great website to plot your walks is mappedometer.com which I listed on my recent post which detailed the Top Free Travel Apps. I highly recommend using this if you’re planning on going on a walk soon; it is a great planning tool. It also means that I can share our route with you. If you click the link HERE, it will take you to the route we did. You can see our start and end point at the car park and where we headed up the footpath. You can also add alterations to suit your own needs. Unfortunately, the map below is not interactive but I can try and find a way to incorporate that in the future if that would be easier for you.

Start Point: Thruscross Reservoir Car Park

1. Exit left out of the car park, heading up the road away from the reservoir.
2. Turn right when you reach the end of the road and then take the next road on the left.
3. A few hundred metres up the road on the right you will find an information board detailing a map of the area and nearby sites. Go through the gate and follow the gravel track.
4. Continue to follow the track for approx 3.5km. You will pass sheep huts as well as a farm. A slight right at the farm takes the path over a stile/through a gate. You should be able to see Rocking Hall in the distance on a clear day and the terrain becomes more like moorland.
5. When you are nearby the hall, the incline begins to plateau. Head through the gate into Rocking Hall.
6. Explore! Some of the doors remain locked but you can access two on either side of the main entrance to the building. Remember to be respectful as the landowner has given public access to the shooting hut that appears to still be in use.
7. Exit Rocking Hall through the gate that you entered and take the path on the left.
8. Follow this grassy path until it meets a gravel track. This footpath is less obviously marked than the walk to the Hall so keep an eye on it.
9. When you reach the gravel track follow this to the right down to a road.
10. Turn right at the road and continue until you reach the edge of the reservoir. The road dips and two footpaths appear on the left, take the right hand path. You’ll know it’s the right one if, a couple of hundred metres down the path, you head over a wooden footbridge.
11. Stick to this footpath which winds its way alongside the reservoir, hugging its banks and bringing you out at the carpark. You are back at the start point.

End Point: Thruscross Reservoir Car Park

Will you be giving this walk a go? It’s a great way to spend a half day/travel day to the Dales at the beginning of your trip, like we did. Other than the stiles, it’s also a rather accessible choice. If you’re new to walking, there is not need to be daunted by this one.

Let me know how you found the format of this post. Was is helpful? Would you like more walking guides like this in the future? Where next?

Amie x