Gargrave Circular Walk.
- Michael Palmer
- Jul 8, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Gargrave Circular Walk – 6.35 Easy Miles Along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Looking for a longer but relatively easy Yorkshire walk combining canal towpaths, open countryside and a traditional North Yorkshire village? Our 6.35-mile Gargrave Circular Walk is a lovely route for spending a few hours exploring this part of Yorkshire.
Lyn and I personally walked, photographed and GPS recorded this route for The White Shire.
We rate the walk as easy, although at 6.35 miles it is longer than many of our other easy routes.
What we particularly enjoyed about Gargrave was the variety. The route combines the Leeds & Liverpool Canal with surrounding countryside and gives us another opportunity to discover some of the history hidden within the Yorkshire landscape.
Gargrave Circular Walk at a Glance
Distance: 6.35 miles
Route type: Circular
Difficulty: Easy – but longer
Location: Gargrave
County: North Yorkshire
Nearby: Skipton, Malham and Grassington
Terrain: Canal towpaths, countryside paths, tracks and village sections
Highlights: Gargrave, Leeds & Liverpool Canal, locks, countryside and the Pennine Way
Walked and photographed by: Michael and Lyn Palmer, The White Shire
Our Gargrave Circular Walk
At 6.35 miles, this is one of our longer easy walks.
Lyn and I didn't find the route particularly difficult, but the extra mileage obviously means we're walking for longer than on one of our usual three or four-mile loops.
That's why we'd describe Gargrave as easy but longer.
If you're already comfortable walking five or six miles, we think it's a very manageable route.
And there's plenty along the way to keep things interesting.
Starting in Gargrave
Gargrave is a lovely village just a few miles from Skipton and close to the Yorkshire Dales.
It's also somewhere with strong connections to both walking and Britain's canal network.
The Leeds & Liverpool Canal passes straight through the village, while the Pennine Way also crosses Gargrave on its 268-mile journey north.
For our considerably shorter adventure, we're exploring just over six miles of the surrounding landscape.
Walking Along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal
The canal is one of the main features of our walk.
We always enjoy canal walking.
The terrain allows us to settle into a comfortable pace, while locks, bridges, boats and the changing countryside give us plenty to look at.
But the peaceful waterway we're enjoying today was built for a very different purpose.
The first Leeds & Liverpool Canal Act was passed in 1770, and the section between Skipton and Gargrave was open by 1774.
The complete canal eventually took 46 years to build and was finally finished in 1816.
From Industrial Transport to Yorkshire Walk
It's difficult to imagine the canal as a major industrial transport route when we're strolling beside it today.
Coal became its most important cargo, with other goods travelling between the industrial areas of Yorkshire and Lancashire.
The broad locks allowed boats carrying much larger loads than a standard narrowboat to use the canal.
Today, the towpath has a completely different character.
Walkers, cyclists and boaters now use a waterway originally created to move heavy goods across northern England.
We find that transformation fascinating.
Yorkshire is full of old industrial landscapes that have gradually become places we now visit for recreation.
Out into the Countryside
Our circular route isn't simply six miles of canal towpath.
We also head into the surrounding countryside, giving us a welcome change of scenery.
Fields, tracks and open views make this feel like a proper countryside walk rather than simply a there-and-back canal route.
That's important to us on a longer walk.
We enjoy canal walking, but the changes in landscape help keep the route interesting.
The Pennine Way at Gargrave
Gargrave is also crossed by one of Britain's most famous long-distance walking routes.
The Pennine Way runs approximately 268 miles from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders.
It officially opened in 1965 as England's first National Trail.
Suddenly our 6.35 miles doesn't sound particularly ambitious.
Why We Rate Gargrave Easy
Our difficulty ratings are based on how Lyn and I actually experienced each walk rather than simply looking at the mileage.
We rate Gargrave as easy.
The important qualification is the distance.
Six miles obviously requires more stamina than three miles, even when the terrain isn't particularly challenging.
So if you're used to walking five or six miles, we'd consider this an approachable route.
If you're just starting to increase your walking distances, one of our shorter easy walks might be a better place to begin.
Is the Gargrave Circular Walk Suitable for Beginners?
Potentially, yes.
There wasn't anything about the route that we found particularly difficult.
But we'd judge it on whether you're comfortable with the 6.35-mile distance.
As with most Yorkshire countryside walks, conditions can also change considerably following rain.
Field paths may become muddy, so we'd still recommend proper walking footwear even though we've rated the route easy.
Walking Through a Working Yorkshire Landscape
Away from the canal, we're passing through countryside where people live and work.
Fields, farm tracks, stone walls and old buildings are all part of the landscape we're enjoying.
That's something we've become increasingly conscious of while exploring Yorkshire for The White Shire.
We're visitors.
So we stick to the paths, respect livestock and leave gates as we find them.
It's a simple thing, but it helps protect the countryside we're all there to enjoy.
How Long is the Gargrave Circular Walk?
Our Gargrave Circular Walk measures 6.35 miles.
How long you'll need will depend on your pace and how often you stop.
Lyn and I aren't trying to complete our walks in record time.
We're normally taking photographs, looking at something we've spotted or simply stopping to enjoy the surroundings.
The canal also gives us plenty of excuses.
If a boat is working its way through a lock, there's a good chance we'll stop and watch.
For us, that's all part of the walk.
The Locks Around Gargrave
The canal locks are worth paying a little attention to as you pass them.
They're not simply attractive pieces of canal scenery.
They're part of an extraordinary engineering system that allowed heavily laden boats to cross the Pennine landscape.
More than two centuries later, much of that infrastructure is still doing the job it was designed to do.
That's one of the things we enjoy about canal walks.
We're not visiting a museum.
We're walking through a piece of Yorkshire's industrial history that is still very much alive.
When is the Best Time to Walk Gargrave?
We think Gargrave could be enjoyable throughout much of the year.
Spring brings fresh growth to the surrounding countryside, while summer gives us longer days for a six-mile route.
Autumn can be particularly attractive around the trees and hedgerows, and a crisp winter day can make canal walking wonderfully peaceful.
Recent rainfall is probably the bigger consideration.
After prolonged wet weather, expect some of the countryside sections to be muddier.
Exploring More of North Yorkshire
Gargrave puts us in a brilliant position for exploring more of this part of Yorkshire.
Skipton is nearby, while Malham and the wider Yorkshire Dales offer countless possibilities for another day.
And we're gradually building our own collection too.
Lyn and I have personally walked routes around Hawes, Gayle, Bainbridge, West Burton, Pateley Bridge, Spofforth and other parts of North Yorkshire.
That's how we want The White Shire to work.
Find one walk you like and then discover another for next weekend.
Discovering the Real Yorkshire
For us, Gargrave isn't simply another 6.35 miles added to our walking total.
It's another little piece of Yorkshire we've explored together.
We've walked beside a canal more than two centuries old, passed locks that once helped move huge quantities of goods across northern England and explored countryside crossed by Britain's first National Trail.
That's what we're increasingly trying to uncover through The White Shire.
The real Yorkshire isn't only the famous attractions.
It's the villages, canals, old industries, footpaths, farms, local history and landscapes we discover when we get out and explore on foot.
About Michael and Lyn
Michael and Lyn Palmer explore Yorkshire together on foot, personally walking, photographing and GPS recording the routes featured on The White Shire.
We're not professional hikers.
We're simply a husband and wife who enjoy getting outside together, discovering interesting places and learning more about Yorkshire along the way.
Our difficulty ratings are based on how we personally found each route.
Gargrave Circular Walk – Our Verdict
Our Gargrave Circular Walk measures 6.35 miles.
Lyn and I rate it as easy, but longer.
The Leeds & Liverpool Canal is one of the highlights for us, particularly when we consider that the Skipton-to-Gargrave section was already open by 1774.
Then we've got the locks, surrounding countryside and Gargrave's connection with the Pennine Way.
There's enough variety to keep the longer distance interesting without making the route particularly demanding.
If you're comfortable walking around six miles and fancy a few hours exploring the North Yorkshire countryside, we think Gargrave is well worth considering.
And for us, it's another little part of the real Yorkshire explored on foot.
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