Lady Anne's Way - Burnsall to Grassington

Tuesday 15th September 2026 

If I am walking a long distance path in sections I do like to walk each section in the same direction if possible. That combined with limited parking in Burnsall had me start this Burnsall to Grassington section halfway through at Hebden, walk to Grassington on Lady Anne's then return via the Dalesway to Burnsall then walk back on LA's to Hebden.

After a one and half hour drive I was able to park just off the B6265 on the road leading into Hebden. Here Lady Anne's way follows the B6265 for a couple of hundred yards. I spotted an old looking standing stone with a cross on the road side. I had not much hope of getting any information from searches, but the now default reply by AI to a search with my browser seems to come up with an answer to everything:

The old roadside stone bearing a simple incised cross on the B6265 just as you enter the village of Hebden(near Grassington, North Yorkshire) is a historic county bridge marker. [1]

• Its Historical Purpose: Rather than being a religious monument or a medieval wayside cross, this stone served a practical, administrative function. It marked the 300-foot limit from the Hebden bridge.[1]
The 300-Foot Rule: Under old English law (formalized by the Statute of Bridges in 1531), the local parish was responsible for maintaining regular highways. However, the county (the West Riding of Yorkshire) was responsible for maintaining important bridges and the approach roads within 300 feet (about 91 meters) of them. [1, 2]
The Cross Symbol: The cross carved into the stone was used as a standard, recognizable boundary marker to visually denote exactly where the parish’s highway maintenance ended and the county's bridge maintenance began.
That was from AI with an acknowledgement to, yes, that is an abbreviated link:     u

Surprise susrprise! One of the many potential spin offs from going for a walk. Now you will be able to bore everybody "down the pub" with this fascinating bit of history.

There are two paths leading off that road and care is needed to take the second one, an ancient  lane leading to a woodland nature reserve with a flagged path.

After gaining some height I emerged at a ladder stile and a superb surprise view of Grassington down below and and a grand panorama of Yorkshire hills and dales beyond. Another of those dales lanes lead pleasantly down into Grassington. I chatted with a woman tending to her cottage garden. She was an enthusiastic walker and told me of her Coast Coast done in dreadful weather.

It can't be denied that Grassington is an iconic Yorkshire Dales village, or almost a town but it is now almost over the top as an overdressed tourist attraction.  I pressed on down to the impressive multi-arch bridge over the River Wharfe which I followed on the Dalesway back to Burnsall. I have walked on all the Dalesway in sections and it mostly follows superb walking country on unspoilt paths and I have always rated it as one of the best LDPs in the country. Some may argue that this section following the River Wharfe is one of the best  but it is out of character with the whole in my opinion with engineered pathways and teeming with folk often in large groups. Nvertheless it was sheer pleasure to walk on this bright sunny day.

The route crosses the river by a suspension bridge shortly before arriving in Burnsall. There are stepping stones here and I watched folk having a go, but at my stage of life I reckoned it advisable ro give that a miss, Having said that the suspension bridge is quite long and in the middle it sways and undulates in a  fashion that is a challenge to one's sesne of balance and I wondered if I may not have been better skipping the stones.

Burnsall is still unspoilt and the Red Lion rules. That must be one of the most pubby pubs in the country. It has always been well known for its excellent English food and I have memories of several visits over the years. I don't know if it is still living up to its old reputation.

 I was now back on Lady Anne's Way following a seriously steep geassy climb out of the village over the shoulder of Langerton Hill and a descent on green sheep fields back to Hebden.

A lot of nostalgia for me on this trip for what is my favourite part of the country, but it is now so much more populated and crammed with parked vehicles and others speeding up down tthe now  busier roads, all a far cfry from my youthful days of the late Fifties and early Sixties.

 

The old dales path leading off the B 6265

These are climbing crags above Hebden. "Hebden Ghyll" 

Emerging from the nature reserve

Susrprise view down to Grassington and beyond. Photo does not do full justice

I do enjoy these old dales lanes

In Grassington, and below

Leaving the road to embark on the Dalesway and the River Wharfe

Hebden road bridge over the Wharfe

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Suspension bridge (1885) - see plaque, next photo

I am proud of this photo. but a pity the stone hopper didn't have a red jacket

Three in one. The Red Lion, Burnsall Bridge and Burnsall Fell

The Red Lion. The perfect English country pub. I waited hoping somebody would move the car but no luck - sign of the times

Burnsall village.

Steep climb out of Burnsall on The Way

Looking back to Burnsall

I can't work out what hill that is. More or less north from near Langerton Hill

Green = Lady Anne's Way
Red = my route - start finish Hebden, anti-clcokcwise

Lady Anne's Way - Skipton to Barden Bridge

 Friday 11th September 2026

What a good day but bracketed at each end firstly by a steep ascent from the start and a steep ascent at the end, and  secondly bracketed by logistic considerations at both start and finish.

I booked a taxi the day before to pick me up at Barden Bridge at 8:30am. There is limited parking at the bridge which fills up quickly most days and I was relying on getting a spot at that early hour, but worried that I might not. The alternative was to park  at Barden Tower, and walk back down to the bridge for the taxi. Fortune prevailed: that parking spot was slmost empty. Suffice to say when I returned later in the day it was crammed full. In order to ensure I would have time to sort out the potential parking change I had allowed myself an extra half hour for the drive. 

Logistics at the end of he day were dictated by a new TV. That was scheduled for Thursday but re-arranged by my tv man for this day and I had told him it would have to be after 4:00pm. That meant I had to walk 7.6 miles with 1052 ft. of ascent (about as much as I want to do these days) and leave enough time for the one and a half hour drive back home to arrive by 4:00pm so my walk was under a little bit of time pressure.

I had just driven onto my drive at excatly 4:00pm and had phone in hand to let Tv Man know I was home when I looked up to  see him arriving.

As I walked past the start of Lady Anne's Way in Skipton the church clock struck 8:45. The road passes over Eller Beck which was used in the past to provide power for mills down steeam but now powers a turbine for input to the National Grid. Wikipedia has an incredibly detailed entry for Eller Beck. Just after the beck crossing a dauntingly steep tarmac road eventually leads to a cropped grass steep climb to summit Park Hill at 169m. That was a toughy for me at the start of the day but there was a grand view of Skipton and surroundings. The well found path descended now to cross Skipton golf couurse, quiet at this time in the morning. On the narrow tarmac lane leading to Embsay there were good views of the proper little mountain of Embsay Crag where climbing features and now more popular with the inrease in bouldering as a sport in its own right.

The planner for modern housing in Embsay had been obliged to leave a narrow fenced public footpath in front of of the houses bordering onto the outake fields, I thought of it as The Embsay By-pass. I popped into the church at Embsay. There was a grave there for a guy called Randle who must have been a keen cyclist or motorbiker. An enlarged version of a cycle chain had been well sculpted from polished wood laid on the grave.

At Eastby I took a shot of Eastby Crag, another venue of short but immaculate gritstone climbing in this part of of the Dales. Here I met an elderly woman with two large containers of tomatoes she had been picking, red and green for two different kinds of chutney I was told. I had been perusing my map on my phone and she tried to direct me onto a footpath, "but it's very nettly" she said. Fortunately I realised that was not my path, but it is easy to be mislead by well meaning folk met along the way.

I was intrigued by Mawking Hole shown on the map. That turned out to be a hollowed out feature of reeds and swamp with little to commend it and no reference whatsover that I could find on the internet. At Halton East I passed by Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream. Here a larger than one would have thought justified are large farm like factory premises with a repository of perhaps twenty or thirty redundant ice cream vans which much go back many years and left to rot and somewhat of an eyesore in this particular countryside. All quite strange. 

From Halton East pleasant grassy sheep pasture soon started to climb for my grand finale, end of the day, steep climb to go over the shoulder of Middle Hare Head. Nearer the summit the path although well established was shrouded by deep rushes and heather making for a section of hard going before a welcome long descent on a better path to the road and a walk out back to Barden Bridge. A great day in superb Dales country with the added nostalgia of my many wanderings in the Dales during and after my formative years.

  WORTH CLICKING PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

Barden Bridge - 8:00am. The parking is off to the right of the photo

Skipton church. Note the clock at 8:45am

Eller Beck. Ex provider of power for the old mills, now for the National Grid

The steep climb out of Skipton, halfway up

This seemed to be the standard format for perhaps fifteen or so that I straddled and wobbled over during the walk

Embsay Moor and in the distance Burnsall Fell 

The Embsay by-pass

A good bit of posher Yorkshire Dales architecture

Eastby Cragg

Embsay church

The wooden crafted bike chain presumably for a biker or cyclist

In Eastby, and below

Eastby Crag

On of the many old Yorkshire Dales lanes - this had evidence of cobbled pathway under a modern spread of chippings, but still full of atmosphere and good for walking

The disappointing Mawking Hole

Cragg House Farm

The Halton East Mission. An ex unconsecrated place of worship, now a residence I think

Pleasant pasture before the climb over the left dhoulder of Middle Hare Head seen in the distance

A bit of tough going approaching the summit. There was a path but it was shrouded with the reeds and heather

Barden Moor

Barden Tower

Just the bit in the middle now. Looking forward to that. Can be done without taxis

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