Masham and Druid's Temple

Liven up your Bank Holiday weekend with a really decent walk starting from the Yorkshire Dales town of Masham. We will leave the town and head west through farmland and quiet country lanes, following the Ripon Rowel Walk for a few miles. We cross the River Burn and make a fairly steep ascent up towards the Druid's Temple, where we will stop for lunch. Altar sacrifices optional.

After lunch we will walk past a café - the Swinton Bivouac - where we may be able to secure an ice cream to help us with the next part of the walk. There is a fairly steep, gradual incline over moorland until we reach a country lane and gradually descend into the wooded area of Nutwith Common. After leaving Nutwith we head down into the village of Grewelthorpe and enter the ancient woodland of Hackfall. Hackfall is a beautiful place to walk through - we will explore the follies, gain sweeping views of the River Ure and walk amongst the spring flowers. After Hackfall we will gently follow the river back into Masham, arriving back at the Market Square where we finish the walk.

This isn't an easy walk as it's 15 miles long with plenty of ups and downs (total 530m ascent) but if you've got a reasonable level of fitness and can keep up with a 2.5 mph pace, this walk is worth the effort.