Prettiest village in the Dales?
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- Enjoy the village of West Burton
- Pleasant views throughout the walk
- Include the Cauldron Falls
Many certainly would agree that West Burton, with its large village green and quaint buildings, is the most attractive village in the Yorkshire Dales. It is certainly unspoilt, in the main because there is no through road beyond West Burton; in effect if you are not visiting the village you will not be there. It is possible to walk down to Aysgarth Falls from here but I prefer a walk the other way, up the Walden Valley returning via the beck. This is unspoilt land, except by the Forestry Commission who have recently cut down the Burton Pasture leaving a fairly desolate landscape, and it is quiett with few exploring this dead end valley. However the walk along Walden Beck is lovely and the views from the higher land to the upper reaches of the dale and back down towards Castle Bolton superb. I enjoyed the riverside section of the walk with the path raised about 50 feet from the river itself thereby giving views both down on to the water and across to the wild moorlands of Harland Hil and the Height of Hazely.
Recommend: Although not strictly on the walk, 100 yards or so from the village square are the impressive Cauldron Falls
© Crown copyright 2010 Ordnance Survey. Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
| OS Map: | O/S 1.25,000. Yorkshire Dales Northern & Eastern areas. |
| Start Point: | 018867. Park anywhere near the village green and head up to Town Head. |
| Terrain: | The path is clear and fairly straightforward except through the old woodland where it is now intermittent. However it is difficult to go far wrong. |
| Eating & Drinking: | The Fox & Hounds has a very homely Dales feel to it, as has the West Burton tea shop - both are on the village green. |
| Similar Walks Nearby: | The Moors of Carlton Lands of Castle Bolton Exploring Aysgarth Falls |
| Places to Stay: | Bolton Arms, Redmire, Wensleydale |
