Route diagram, drawn from the recorded track — for the shape of the walk, not for navigation. Carry OS Explorer on the hill.
Ten miles and about five hours of proper dale walking, following the infant Nidd upstream from Lofthouse past Thrope and Limley farms before three short but honest climbs lift you onto the northern flanks and the huge 1930s dam at Scar House, returning over 1,200 feet on the old enclosure track of In Moor Lane. Park at the Memorial Institute in Lofthouse village; the Nidderdale DalesBus 821 serves Lofthouse on summer Sundays and bank holidays. The route threads through half a dozen working hill farms with sheep and cattle at every gate, so dogs need to be on the lead the whole way, though there is plenty of clean beck water to drink along the valley floor.
Dramatic 80-foot limestone ravine near Lofthouse in upper Nidderdale, carved by How Stean Beck and explored on walkways, footbridges and caves. Dogs under control are welcome on site and in the glass-floored cafe cantilevered over the drop, though they cannot join the via ferrata and gorge activities. Clear up after your dog and mind the sheer edges.
A family-run park at Studfold Farm above Lofthouse, with camping, caravan pitches, glamping pods and its own waymarked trails through the woods. Dogs are welcome on the camping area and in one designated dog-friendly pod, on a lead around the site and never left alone in a pod.
A stone inn on Thrope Lane in the heart of upper Nidderdale, with open fires, hand-pulled ales and hearty home cooking at lunch and dinner. It is listed as dog friendly and sits directly on the Nidderdale Way, with the verandah and garden for warmer days.
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