Five fun family walks in Yorkshire to try this bank holiday weekend

Make the most of the great outdoors this month and support a good cause at the same time, with Welcome To Yorkshire’s Walkshire event and Yorkshire Cancer Research.
Bluebells and wild garlic in Hackfall Woods near MashamBluebells and wild garlic in Hackfall Woods near Masham
Bluebells and wild garlic in Hackfall Woods near Masham

To tie in with this month-long campaign, today, we publish a selection of family walks from the Walkshire collection.

We hope you enjoy this selection of walks safely and, during the coronavirus pandemic, we urge everyone to follow the Government guidelines and only to travel if it is safe to do so. We also encourage readers to follow the Countryside Code.

1. Wakefield’s Gnome Roam

Starts/ends: Newmillerdam Country Park

Distance: 3 miles

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Although this walk is frankly brilliant, I always feel it’s somewhat overlooked by the many families who visit Newmillerdam. Most people who visit enjoy a walk around the lake (often swinging by one of the great little cafes), but that little circuit can get rather busy. If you step back from that main track, you can enjoy the most glorious woodland!

The Gnome Roam is a circular family activity walk, one of Wakefield Council’s great Story Trails. Your task is to follow the route to find the different gnomes who have scattered around the woodland in their attempt to escape the bear. The walk is buggy-friendly if you don’t mind a push up a hill!

2. The Grosmont to Goathland Rail Trail

Starts/ends: Grosmont/Goathland

Distance: 3.5 miles

This 3.5 mile route follows the old tramway line, built by George Stephenson, between Grosmont to Goathland. It’s a great walk for children because you can do the return route on a steam train. We enjoy starting this walk with a train ride from Goathland to Grosmont on the Pickering-Whitby line. You could even enjoy lunch in the village before you start. Whilst you can do this walk with a pushchair, be aware that the initial path from Grosmont is steep and narrow.

That said, this difficulty is short-lived and the rest of the route is much easier. The route back to Goathland is well-signposted. Initially, you follow the train line before meandering through woodland and across fields. You can take a quick detour here to the Beck Hole pub (which is next door to a sweet shop).

3. Deffer Wood, Barnsley

Starts/ends: Deffer Wood, Barnsley

Distance: 3 miles

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This fab circular walk is just amazing. At 4km, it is perfect for families and has pretty much everything you could want in a walk.

Starting and finishing at Cannon Hall Museum, Park and Gardens means you can enjoy their great facilities (including the café, toilets and play area). Additionally, on the route you pass farms and beautiful woodland, enjoy great views and get lots of opportunities for exploring. There are a number of stiles and footpaths across uneven surfaces on this route.

4. Fraisthorpe to Bridlington

Starts/ends: Fraisthorpe/Bridlington

Distance: 5 miles

Situated just south of Bridlington, Fraisthorpe is a lovely, quieter beach. You can park in the farmers’ field on the cliff edge (£5 for the day in the summer months), from which you can easily walk down to the beach.

The beach is dog friendly and a good one for finding shells and pebbles or flying a kite. If you’re feeling brave, you can also go for a paddle (though there is no lifeguard on this stretch). There is also The Cow Shed, a lovely café serving food and drinks.

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Heading north along the coast, the next place you come to is South Shore, about three miles away. This is the start of Bridlington, where you’ll find more good cafés and rest stops. Walking further north, you reach Bridlington’s South Beach.

Take the land train from South Shore to Bridlington Spa or head to the town centre for fish and chips.

5. Hackfall Woods, Masham

Starts/ends: Hackfall Woods

Distance: 3 miles

Which ingredients make for the perfect family walk? I would imagine that whatever they are, you’ll be able to tick them off at Hackfall Wood. It’s one of our favourite places to explore with children, complete with follies, beautiful woodland, a beach and plenty of woodland magic.

What’s more, you’ve even got a lovely pub to walk to at Grewelthorpe. Perfect.

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