Tag: Yorkshire Dales hiking

Simon’s Seat Circular Hike

August 12th, 2025

Simon’s Seat, an excellent walk in the Yorkshire Dales, can be approached via the Valley of Desolation. This alternative, 14km circular route starts from nearby to Stump Cross Caverns and takes walkers through a changing landscape. You’ll see rolling moorland, hidden valleys and gritstone outcrops, ending in panoramic views from the summit of Simon’s Seat. Read the full guide below and download the route.

😮Difficulty: Moderate – some steep sections leading up to Simon’s Seat and boggy terrain along the moorland. Otherwise clear paths with some sections of well maintained track. Good confidence with route needed.

⛰️Terrain: a mix of road, stone tracks, moorland, paved paths

↔️Distance: 14km/8.7miles

⌛Time taken: 4-5hrs

📈Ascent: 455m

Start point: Lay-by parking near Stump Cross Caverns

🗺️Click here for the OS downloadable route

🗺️Map needed is OS Explorer OL2

🗺️Click here for the Komoot downloadable route

Car parking and starting the route

The route starts at a free layby on the B6265 near Stump Cross Caverns

Public transport option:

Public transport is limited but there is a bus that stops at Stump Cross Caverns. The Dales Bus 822, runs from Pocklington, York, Boroughbridge and Ripon. Find out more and get the bus timetable here.

Simon’s Seat circular hike details

Begin your hike by parking in the layby just below Stump Cross Caverns on the B6265. This is a great showcave that’s worth a visit, with plenty of underground passages to explore. They also have a fabulous cafe that serves a delicious afternoon tea too. From the layby, follow the road downhill for a few minutes to join the bridleway on the left. Head through the gate and follow the stony track called Black Hill Road. The climb is gradual and as you gain height, the landscape opens up to reveal Simon’s Seat directly in front of you, towering over the valley.

This is an area of disused mines and shake holes but you don’t have to worry about them as you’ll just continue following the track. Soon you’ll descend via a tarmaced road on your right into the tiny hamlet of High Skyreholme. There are a few houses here and route takes you through a gate on the left between two buildings. This feels wrong, and like you’re trespassing, but I promise this is a public footpath! Head through a second gate and over the river via a bridge, into open farm fields.

After crossing the fields diagonally and over a stile, you’ll meet the main track where you switch back towards the farm and follow the public footpath, signposted to Simon’s Seat and Barden Moor.

The ascent is short but sharp to the summit of Simon’s Seat, zigzagging up through moorland thick with heather and rocky outcrops until you emerge onto the open summit plateau.

The Summit of Simon’s Seat

At 485 metres, the trig on Simon’s Seat is set on a jumble of giant gritstone boulders perched on a high ridge, offering spectacular views in all directions. On a clear day, you’ll see down into Wharfedale and Nidderdale. As for the name Simon’s Seat, legend has it that a local shepherd named Simon would rest here and one day found a baby on the summit. The summit is a great place to explore, hopping across the rocks and choosing the perfect location for lunch, sheltered from the wind that frequently buffets the summit.

The route back to Stump Cross Caverns

From Simon’s Seat, follow the paved moorland track heading towards Lord’s Seat and Little Simon’s Seat, two rocky outcrops you can’t miss in the distance. One you reach these outcrops, the path becomes grassy and faint and in wet weather, very boggy underfoot. However, depending on the time of year you visit, swathes of cotton grass or purple heather, will make this section of the walk slightly more bearable if you end up having to dodge the bogs.

Continue along the same path toward Great Pock Stones, another cluster of weathered gritstone boulders rising from the moor. These formations are often overlooked, but they’re a great spot for a second break and provide a last glimpse back at Simon’s Seat before you begin the descent.

From Great Pock Stones, follow the bridleway that curves gently downhill.. The route gradually changes from a stony track, with Simon’s Set now in front of you and to your left, back to farmland. Be sure to check your route or map here as it can be easy to take the wrong path at a junction with three choices. Head through the hate but instead of following the tract, head off on a slight right to take you through farmland, over a stile and back down Craven Moor to the main road in the distance.

Eventually, you’ll rejoin the road near where you began with just a short walk back down the road to your car.

Is Simon’s Seat suitable for beginners?

Simon’s Seat is a moderate hike and good fitness is required. The elevation to the summit can feel steep but once you’re up, the rest of the route is relatively flat and downhill. Some navigation skills are needed here so either have the route on a map or download it to your phone using either the Ordnance Survey App or Komoot.

Are there facilities for the Simon’s Seat circular hike?

The only facilities are at Stump Crosss Caverns, near where you park. They have a cafe and toilets on site.

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Be sure to let me know if you do this hike or if you have any questions. Just leave them below and I’ll be happy to help, where possible!
Short Yorkshire Dales hike; Troller’s Gill

November 7th, 2023
In an area of abandoned mines, in the Wharfedale area of the Yorkshire Dales, lies Troller’s Gill. It’s a collapsed limestone cavern shrouded in history, myth and mysterious inhabitants. Troller’s Gill is home to naughty trolls, hideous goblins and cheeky pixies but is also haunted by a fearsome barghest. This monstrous black dog with razor sharp teeth is said to have the power to turn unsuspecting hikers to stone. It’s even said to have possibly inspired Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel “The Hound of the Baskervilles”. So, if you’re feeling brave enough to take on these haunting creatures, read on!

Troller’s Gill – key details

Difficulty: Moderate due to some scrambling sections

Distance: 2.6km

Total ascent: 126m

Est Time: 1 hour

Starting location: Roadside parking on New Road. Find location on Google Maps here.

Parking Cost: Free but please be mindful of not blocking access.

Dog friendly: Yes if capable of scrambling sections over rocks

Key features: an abandoned mine to explore, a stream that appears as if from nowhere and a wonderfully rocky ravine.

*Please note: this route is impassable in and immediately after heavy rain.

A quiet walk around Troller’s Gill

Troller’s Gill is near the villages of Appletreewick and Skyreholme but as we drove closer to the roadside parking I really started to question whether the photos I’d seen online were real or not. The ravine is completely hidden from the roadside and impossible to spot unless you know where you are looking. Fortunately, this makes Troller’s Gill a quiet place to explore and on a sunny Spring day, we had the whole place to ourselves. The dark history of this ravine though is what makes your visit here exciting; amongst the nooks and crannies of each towering side of the ravine wait trolls ready to hurl rocks down on passing hikers, evil pixies who stalk those who enter the ravine and bloodsucking gnomes to name but a few.

It’s really not a place to visit alone…

BUT if you manage to escape all these without harm then you’ll be rewarded with a stunning, albeit eerie, walk.

Where is Troller’s Gill and how do I get there?

From the roadside parking, take the track through the gate which cuts across the field. This path winds gently downhill until you’re in a small valley with hills on either side of you. Within about 15 minutes of leaving your car, look to your right and you’ll see the disused mine workings of Gill Head Mine. This was abandoned in the early 1980’s when mining for fluorite ceased.

Gill Head Mine

The entrance to the mine is behind a large metal gate with collapsed rockfall in front of it.

Entrance to the mine is not recommended as it is not maintained and the chance of sudden collapse is high. However, being the danger mouse that I am, I checked it out for you! Once past the gate, the huge echoey and incredibly slippy tunnel leads down to a flooded section and a ladder. Up the ladder and further into the mine are more flooded chambers.

Be aware that there are other abandoned mine workings and caves in this area and they should not be entered. Exercise caution while exploring as there may be hidden potholes and dangers.

Troller’s Gill route

Fom the mine, the route takes you further down towards the beck which flows down to the village of Skyreholme. This is a picture perfect place for a lunch stop if the weather permits and feels like the perfect place for pixies and trolls to be hiding!

As you head back upstream, keep a beady eye out for another stream that seems to appear from nowhere beneath your feet! This is where the river at the head of the ravine disappears underground before reappearing again at the foot of the ravine. In wet weather, the river will be in full flow through the ravine which is why this route becomes impassable in wet weather.

This is where the fun starts; you’ll need to find your way up and over rocky, scrambly sections following the river upstream to get out of the gorge. Be sure to look up to check that those pesky trolls aren’t aiming rocks at you! There is no escape route so once you commit you’ll either need to retrace your steps or continue your route. The scramble is relatively straightforward and you’ll wind with the river through the gorge but it can be slippery and it’s a good idea to be prepared for wet feet!

At the end of the gorge you need to keep walking until you reach a small waterfall with a footbridge crossing the river. Cross the river here and take the path uphill which will lead you back onto the top and you’ll be able to see your starting point in the distance. Eventually, you’ll join up with the wide, stoney path that you started on, taking you back to the safety of your car and free from the watchful eyes of the creatures lurking behind you!

Map and key locations for Troller’s Gill

Access the downloadable route on the OS Map App here.

Locations

1: Roadside parking in a small layby on New Road.

2: Access to the disused and abandoned Gill Head Mine.

3: The point at Skyreholme Beck where you head back towards Troller’s Gill.

4: The ravine of Troller’s Gill.

5: The end of the ravine where you cross the river over a small footbridge.

Komoot App

Have you ever tried Komoot? Komoot allows you to access routes planned by others or plan your own which you can then download to your phone to follow while you are out. Komoot is free to join and access and you can find the downloadable route for his walk here.

Top Tips for Troller’s Gill
- Parking is limited in the closest layby but there is another layby slightly further down New Road and additional parking on the B6265 down from Stump Cross Caverns. This additional parking will increase the length of the route.
- In particularly wet weather or immediately after wet weather, this route will be impassable as it follows the river upstream.
- There are no facilities on this route.
- The abandoned mine should not be accessed without caution; it is not maintained and the passages at the end are flooded. The track down is slippy and rocky and there is a high risk of a trip or fall here.
- Appropriate footwear is needed for this route; waterproof walking boots highly recommended
- The scramble is slippery in places and requires sure footedness and confidence on rough, scrambly terrain.
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Happy adventuring!

Izzy