Gunnerside Old Mine Trail is a beautiful hike in the Swaledale Valley, Yorkshire Dales National Park. It starts and finishes the little village, Gunnerside. The route is a 7.5-mile hike. Just make sure you don’t go wrong like we did, and ended making the route a 9-mile walk! We walked in rain showers, got attacked by midges, waded our way through mud, and along overgrown footpaths. But we still had so much fun walking the route! The trail leads you past old lead mines, waterfalls, and fantastic views across the valley. It’s one of my favourite walks to do in the Yorkshire Dales National Park!
Parking
You can park along the street or in the car park, in Gunnerside. It is only a small village. We did the walk on a Wednesday during the school summer holidays and we managed to find plenty of parking easily.
The Route
Follow this map, as you walk the route, you shouldn’t get lost! Make sure your location is turned on and you should be able to see exactly where you are, on this map. Or if you prefer, download the GPX file and use it on your choice of route tracker.
1.
Starting the centre of the village, Gunnerside, head east along the road for a short distance. You should see a gate on your left-hand side, leading you onto a tarmac path, taking you up the hillside. Follow the tarmac path as loops up the hillside.
2.
At the end of the tarmac track, you will reach a gate. Head through the gate and follow the Public Bridleway, leading you gently up the valley, towards the Hall Edge Lead Shaft.
3.
At the Hall Edge Lead Shaft, take the Public Bridleway on your left-hand side. Walk for about 3/4 of a mile. Make sure you don’t walk too far as we did. Look out for a small cairn (a small pile for rocks) on your left-hand side. Here, is your footpath which will take your down to the river.
You will see on the map above, where we went wrong. We walked all the way to the Blakethwaite Lead Mines, before realising we went wrong. If you have reached a barn house on your left-hand side, you have walked too far. So please keep your eye on for the small cairn and a close eye on the map. You will see in the photo below, what I mean by the little cairn.
4.
From the cairn, head down the moorland, bearing off to your right-hand side. To start with, there was no path visible. Eventually, we did find one, which then took us down to the river. Make sure you keep a good eye on your map, making sure you are heading in the right direction. Once you have found the footpath, follow it down the valley, passing Blakethwaite Force (a waterfall), until you reach Blakethwaite Smelt Mill.
5.
Head down to the river and cross both rivers. The first river has a bridge, the second river, we ended up getting our feet wet crossing it! Follow the path uphill, until you reach a track. Turn left onto the track and head down the valley, until you see a small cairn, making your footpath off to your left-hand side.
6.
At the cairn, take the footpath down the grassy field and a back into Gunnerside. Please note, at the time we walked this route, there were cattle roaming in the field.
If you have enjoyed this walk and would like to see more of my walking trails, click on this link: https://livingwiththewolf.co.uk/hiking-trails/
For more information on the Yorkshire Dales National Park, please visit their website: https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/
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