Crakehall Green and the Watermill

Crakehall, Langthorne Wood and Bedale

Six and a third miles linking Crakehall to Bedale by way of Langthorne Wood, roughly two and a half hours over field paths and farm tracks with about a third of the distance on quiet tarmac. Start from the parking at the north end of Crakehall green; Bedale, halfway round, has cafes, toilets, parking and the Wensleydale Railway station if you want to cut it short. Cattle and sheep graze several of the pasture fields and the wood turns to deep mud from November to March, so this is a boots-and-lead walk rather than a free run, with Bedale Beck the best drinking water.