Arncliffe & Litton Circular : North Yorkshire
Route Information
An out-and-return circular walk Via Litton
Route Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 7.08 km (4.39 miles)
Route Elevation: 58 m
Route Time: 1-2 hrs
Start and Finish: Main Road in the centre of the village, Arcliffe, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 5QE
Depending on the featured walk and especially in mountainous areas, you may need to Calculate the time using Naismith’s Rule and factor in to your own pace.
Facilities
There are toilets at the Falcon Inn, in Arncliffe and toilets at the Queens Inn, Litton. In my opinion the Queens Arms is the much better of the two pubs to stop for a drink or a bite to eat. For more information have a look at their website
Hazards
Very few hazards along this route, the main one being walking down the lane towards Litton and being mindful of passing vehicles.
The Urban Ranger Website cannot outline every single hazard on a walk – it’s up to you to be safe and competent, and to be able to read a map and use a compass. Plan your route properly with the latest advice from the AdventureSmart website
Public Transport
Traveline for UK Public Transport Weather Forecast Arncliffe Weather
Living in the shadows of Malham, this great circular walk provides great scenery and visits two of the smallest hamlets within the Yorkshire Dales.
Arncliffe is a very quiet little village and is located to the west of Kettlewell in the next valley and is not too far away from Malham. I am not sure why but this place seems to be overlooked by visitors to the Dales as I am assuming most head for the bigger more well-known areas like Malham and Grassington.
When you arrive in Arncliffe you will immediately know you have found a sweet spot off the beat and track. The old cottages and village green make for pleasant viewing and it feels like you are going back in time some 100 years.
The walk to Litton is very simple and you actually do not need to download the GPX route file. Just at the opposite end of the village from the Falcon pub, walk down Gooselands Hill Road, over the bridge and turn left along the lane for around 2/3 miles until you reach the Queens Pub. I stopped and had a nice lime and soda water whilst taking in the sunshine.
Once leaving the Queens walk 100 yards back down the lane and you will see a right of way on your right-hand side, you will see the worn-down grass path on a diagonal crossing the field heading towards the River Skirfare, which was actually bone dry. Once on this path you cannot go wrong and it is posted all the way back to Arncliffe, where you will come into the village via the Falcon Pub End.
I stopped for another drink before heading out up towards Malham Tarn and then on to Settle for a few hours and some tea. This walk is really enjoyable and if you wanted to walk further there is an option to continue past the Queens and walk to a place called Fox Up before returning back down to Arncliffe.
