Birstwith & Otter Bridge Loop

Just over three miles and an hour and a half of riverside and pasture between Birstwith and the old Otter Bridge, with 110 metres of gentle up and down and a few field gates; the low ground gets sticky after a wet week. Start by the church in Birstwith where there is limited roadside parking, or catch the 24 bus from Harrogate to the village end. The Nidd here is shallow and gravelly and makes a fine swim for a dog that likes water, but the meadows are grazed and cut for hay, so leads on through the fields and give the riverside anglers room.