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A Taste Of The Outdoors

Get a Taste of the Outdoors

Date Posted: Wednesday 7th Jul 2021

Enjoy an easy-to-access taste of the outdoors around the Harrogate district. Walks, landscape, cycle rides and history - we have it all.

Victorian Gardens of Pateley Bridge

This easy to follow route produced by the Nidderdale AONB team combines riverside paths, open fields and a collection of Victorian cottages, farmhouses and gardens.

The village of Bewerley recently won gold in Yorkshire in Bloom, and its not hard to see why with pretty cottage gardens lining the village.

An optional alternate route detours through the landscaped woodland of Fishpond Wood, once part of the Bewerley Hall estate and known for its picturesque lake and restored icehouse.

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Nidderdale greenway

Enjoy this scenic path from Harrogate on foot or by bicycle, and travel through fields and woodland and over a dramatic viaduct to the castle village of Ripley.

The Nidderdale Greenway is fully surfaced from end to end and can be accessed from the centre of Harrogate, Knaresborough or from Bilton on the outskirts of Harrogate.

This there and back again path is great for wheelchair users, young children learning to ride their first bike or a gentle family stroll or an outdoor get together with friends.

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Hackfall Woods

Explore the ornamental landscape of Hackfall Woods. Built around views and discovery, Hackfall is a collection of steep paths and natural features, enhanced with follies and a dramatic fountain to create a rich and tantalising woodland that appears natural at first, but was in fact the work of Yorkshire landscaper John Aislabie.

Over recent decades the woods have been restored to their former glory and are now a Grade I listed garden.

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Thurscross reservoir

The upper most reservoir of four in the Washburn Valley is the newest and possibly the most dramatic. The tall concrete dam wall carried the access road and makes for an impressive view from the car park

A woodland walk circles the reservoir and includes open fells, dense woodland and beautiful woodland views, surrounded by the open landscape of the upper valley.

HARR Gallery Washburn Thruscross Dam 1199607604

During periods of extremely low rainfall the water level at Thurscross drops to reveal the remains of West End village, abandoned and flooded in the 1950s to create the new reservoir. The old flax mill in the village is visible at the upper reach of the reservoir at all times.

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Almscliffe Crag

This impressive rocky outcrop protrudes from farmland to the south of Harrogate and is visible for miles around.

Accessible from the nearby village of North Rigton, Almscliffe Crag makes for a delightful picnic spot, below the crag itself are grassy areas ideal for young children to play.

The rock top itself is accessible and offers a near panoramic view across the surrounding landscape.

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