Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill.
Six and a half miles of field paths and green lanes east of the estate village, three hours, gently undulating with several stiles and a stretch of heavy clay that stays wet long after the rest has dried. Start on the cobbled Market Square in Ripley, where there is a pay-and-display car park behind the village, and the 36 bus between Harrogate and Ripon stops on the main road at the end of the square. This is farmland from end to end with sheep the year round and cattle out from May, so most of it is a lead-on walk with only the green lanes safe for a run; there is a pub at Brearton at the halfway point, no reliable water for a dog on the route itself, and the field paths are best avoided between December and March unless you like mud.
Four flat, largely traffic-free miles along the old Leeds and Thirsk railway between Ripley and Harrogate's Bilton edge, crossing the Grade II listed seven-arch Nidd Gorge viaduct. Firm surface the whole way, so it suits older dogs, prams and wet-weather days. It is a shared path with bikes and horses, so keep dogs close and under control; ice cream and the castle await at the Ripley end.
A neat two-and-three-quarter-mile loop of about an hour and a quarter from the cobbled market square, past the castle lakes and the little waterfall and out through Hollybank Wood, with 80 metres of climb on estate tracks and woodland paths that drain well in winter. Park in the village car park behind the Boar's Head; the 36 bus between Harrogate and Ripon stops on the green, and the Nidderdale Greenway ends here if you would rather arrive on foot. Deer and sheep graze the estate parkland so dogs stay on the lead past the castle, though the wood itself is a good place to let a reliable dog off for a while.
Coaching inn on the cobbles of the Ripley Castle estate, in a village that is dog friendly almost by charter. Select courtyard rooms come with dog beds, bowls, a bone in a basket and treats for twenty pounds per dog per night, and dogs are welcome in the bar and snug; call before booking as dog rooms are limited.
One short email when we add places or a council changes its beach rules. No noise, easy out.
NO SPAM · UNSUBSCRIBE ANY TIME · WE NEVER SELL THE LIST
Wagfinder Members · Coming soon
NO PAYMENT NOW · FIRST IN WHEN DOORS OPEN · EASY OUT