Since moving to York nearly three years ago, one of my favorite parts of living in England has been exploring Yorkshire and the countryside around the city. I’ve written a lot about the North York Moors National Park, so I thought it only fair to take a day out to the Yorkshire Dales National Park too!

Getting to Grassington on the DalesBus

I visited the Dales on a daytrip from York using public transportation. During the summer months, DalesBus runs a service on Sundays from York (it starts in Selby) to Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales. The 822 bus left York (across from the train station) just after 9:30am, and we got to Grassington just about 11:45am. The journey on the bus was gorgeous and so scenic as we went through different parts of the countryside! The bus also stops at Ripon, Fountain’s Abbey, and Pateley Bridge (to name a few) if you’re looking to visit other places in/around the Dales. It costs £10 for a day ticket on the bus.

Walking From Grassington to Hebden

I wanted to see more of Wharfedale, and as the weather wasn’t too bad I set off from Grassington to walk to Hebden! I took this route on the way out, but came back along the river.

The bus drops you off in the National Park Center, where it’s a short walk through the village of Grassington to where you’ll start the walk. Grassington is a small place, but very charming and quaint! There are lots of shops, cafes, pubs, and plenty of places to get ice cream on a sunny summer’s day.

Starting the walk at the Town Hall, you walk from Low Lane to High Lane, where there’s a signpost to Hebden (1.5 miles away). Follow this path out and soon you’ll be out of town and in the country! There are a series of gates and stiles as you cross over the fields, but the path is fairly easy to follow and there are a few signposts to Hebden.

The views over Wharfedale are just stunning here.

You’ll pass through Grassington Park Estate meadows. This was a beautiful part of the trail that I wasn’t really expecting! Unfortunately for me it started raining here, but luckily not for too long. Again, you simply follow the path through and eventually it’ll turn into a narrow lane. In no time at all, you’ll be in Hebden! This part of the walk took be almost exactly 1 hour. Although if you don’t stop to take as many photos as I do you’ll probably do it faster!

Hebden is a very small village, but has a pub/hotel on the main road, as well as a church. The houses here are just gorgeous—I kept thinking how much I’d love to live in one! There isn’t all the much to see here, so I went through the village to join the River Wharfe for my walk back. From the narrow lane that you arrive into Hebden, turn left and walk down the main street. Just before you come to the hotel, turn right onto the main street and follow it until it meets up with the river.

Walking From Hebden Back to Grassington

The walk from Hebden back to Grassington along the River Wharfe is beautiful. The river was so calm and peaceful! You can see the swing bridge and cross the river, but the main path will be on the north side of the river.

It’s easy to follow as you just follow the river! You have a few other options of walking back to Grassington through the fields either north or south of the path you used, but I really wanted to walk along the river.

It was decently busy on this stretch of the walk with other people, but it still felt pretty secluded and peaceful. You’ll eventually leave the riverside and walk through a field. Here you have the choice of crossing the River Wharfe by the Stepping Stones, or cutting back to Grassington. I went across the Stepping Stones which was really fun! This part of the walk took me about 30 minutes, so the entire walk from Grassington to Hebden and back was just over 1.5 hours.

Exploring Linton and Linton Falls

This part of the Dales is just beautiful. One of the reasons Grassington is so popular is because it’s an easy 10-minute walk to Linton Falls! This waterfall over the River Wharfe isn’t very high, but the water goes through and over limestone rocks that make it pretty unique. It’s very easy to get to Linton Falls from the National Park Center—it’s signposted on an easy path down to the river.

St. Michael Church is the official parish church in Linton. It’s actually located close to Linton Falls, about a 10-minute walk away from the village of Linton itself. The church is just a few minutes away from the Stepping Stones across the River Wharfe. It dates from the 10^th or 11^th century, and is apparently the oldest parish church in England still in use. It was really lovely to stop by!

There is parking for cars between the church and Linton Falls. There are also toilets here, and unlike the toilets in the National Park Center in Grassington, these toilets are free! Lucky for me, there was also an ice cream truck there, which I definitely stopped by for a well-deserved treat!

The village of Linton is just about a 10-minute walk from Linton Falls. The main attraction is Linton Beck that runs through town, and the three bridges (of varying sizes) that cross the beck. There is also a very nice pub, the Fountaine Inn, in the center of the village.

Getting Back to York on the DalesBus

Unfortunately, my bus getting back to York was severely delayed. I was starting to get really worried that it wouldn’t actually show up! The bus is due to leave the National Park Center at 3:55pm, but didn’t show up until 4:35pm. The DalesBus network is meant to link up though, and the buses do wait for each other. So if you’re catching a connecting bus, they will wait to make sure you get your connection. So don’t worry if your bus is late, it will show up! I got back to York slightly later than planned, around 6:30pm. But for the convenience of being able to do a daytrip, and not having to worry about driving and parking, it was well worth it! Check out the DalesBus timetable and information here.

Planning Your Trip

I did this as a daytrip from York, which is fantastic for its central location and transport links in Yorkshire. Alternately, you can also stay in Grassington, Hebden, or Linton too. You can search for hostels here, and search for hotels here! You can also sign up to and book accommodation through Airbnb here. If you’re traveling by train, I always use Trainline to book my tickets. Although there are very limited rail services in the Yorkshire Dales, Skipton has good train connections and you can get a bus from Skipton to Grassington. The nearest airport would be Leeds-Bradford Airport—I recommend using Skyscanner to find the best deals for flights. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

All in all, this was a fantastic day out in the Yorkshire Dales! I loved the walk from Grassington to Hebden, and I really enjoyed walking along the River Wharfe back to town. Linton Falls was gorgeous, and Linton is a really cute place to visit too. If you’re looking for a daytrip from York to the Dales, this would be an excellent choice!

Have you visited the Yorkshire Dales before?

You might like my other posts:

The BEST Places to Visit in the Yorkshire Dales

Upper Wharfedale: The Great Whernside Hike From Kettlewell

Hiking Ingleborough From Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales

Hawes, Hardraw Force, and More: Waterfalls in Wensleydale

The Prettiest Villages in Swaledale

Waterfalls, Caves, And More: Exploring Ingleton In The Yorkshire Dales

Hiking In The Yorkshire Dales: Malham

And all of my hiking posts!

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