We have been out and about this week exploring some new walks, as well as re-visiting old favourites. Troller’s Gill is a bit of both, as it is a walk I had never done before, but one that Sam has known for years. This walk comes up trumps with a great mix of beautiful Dales scenery, inspiring natural rock formations, and plenty of opportunities for the dogs to jump in water to cool off.
Troller’s Gill itself is a limestone gorge not far from Pateley Bridge in Nidderdale. It is easily accessed via footpaths from just off the B6265 and is popular with local climbers. Park in a lay-by at the start of the walk. The gorge is about half a mile long, and is named after the supposed trolls who were thought to live there, according to local folklore! Keep your eyes peeled and see if you can spot the Barghest, the huge black dog who can turn you to stone with a single look, who folklore also attributes to living in the gorge.
For the majority of the year the gorge is dry, however, in extremely wet weather Skyreholme beck runs over the ground through the middle instead of solely below ground. On these occasions I’d recommend wearing your wellies!
A route similar to the walk that we did is available on the Walking Englishman, although we extended ours a bit so that it was closer to two hours. The footpaths are generally very well surfaced the whole way around, but the gorge itself is very rocky, so sturdy boots are recommended!
We enjoyed a lovely stroll to the gorge and back in beautiful sunshine – we were even able to let the dogs off their leads in areas where there were no sheep. This may have been a mistake, as it took several minutes and a brief but intense disagreement between Sam and I to coax Merry out of the river, as he was having so much fun fishing out rocks (don’t ask!) that he didn’t want to come out! You also pass some old mines on the walk which are tempting for those who love dark enclosed spaces and less so for those who don’t. DON’T go into the mines as they are potentially dangerous.
Dog friendly rating – 4/5. I was expecting to need to keep the dogs on the leads for the whole way round this walk but there was a good mile or two stretch where we were able to let them off. Merry in particular loved Skyreholme beck (pictured) which you follow for about half of the walk. There is a good spot where you first reach the beck that would be ideal for picnics – we sat in the sunshine for ten minutes or so while the dogs played in the water – it was wonderful. Obviously if there are sheep around, keep your dogs on a lead, and don’t let them stray down any mine shafts! But for a lovely gentle afternoon stroll with your dog you can’t go far wrong with this walk.
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Looks like such a lovely walk. Will have to try it soon. Thanks for sharing
Such a beautiful place! Thanks for sharing!
Author
It is really nice! Easy but very very pretty. Let me know how you get on!
So beautiful! And so cute your dog wanted to stay in the creek!
Looks Picture Perfect! What a lovely place to spend some time outdoors and exploring. We also have a dog and love spending time in the wilderness taking hikes. Excellent post & photos! 🙂
Author
Thank you! Yes it is a lovely area, and no walk is complete without a dog!
So beautiful! I have been doing lots of country walking recently. I would love to go there for a hike. Looks do peaceful
So beautiful! I have really got into country walks recently and would love to go there sometime. Looks so scenic and peaceful
Wow, never in my life have I been to a such beautiful place 😁😁 may be blogging will take me one day.
Don’t you think so?
This looks like a great place to walk and your photos are stunning!
Author
Thank you so much! It’s easy to take nice photos in places like this!
Looks like a place that we will visit soon. Great pics 🐾🐾👍
Author
Definitely recommend!!
Wow! So beautiful, we’ll have to add this one to our list!
Author
It’s definitely worth a visit!
This looks stunning! I have family in Yorkshire and will have to walk this when I next visit ☺️
Author
The whole area is lovely, I definitely recommend!
What a beautiful and lovely place to walk and think. Communing with nature is the best.
This looks beautiful, I’m only in West Yorkshire. I think a visits on the cards! X
This place looks beautiful, I think it’s worth a visit as I’m only in West Yorkshire. X
Author
Definitely!! Depending on where you are in West Yorkshire it shouldn’t be too far either 🙂 x
What a gorgeous place to walk! It looks like the dogs had fun, too!
Author
They loved it!
This does look like a lovely stroll, with some green that’s healthy for the eyes!
Perfect place to go for a relaxing trek 🙂 I love how the stream of waters complement the place.
This looks heavenly. Just what I needed right now
These photos are AMAZING!!!!!!! I wish I was there smelling the fresh air.
Looks beautiful. Loved the pictures.
This is just gorgeous. Amazing photography. Keep it up
How beautiful! Loved learning about the folklore behind the name. Great post!
Author
Thank you!!
Wow! love this place and photos are really awesome!.Perfect place to relaxing. I need to go.❤️
This looks so beautiful and serene! Your pictures of the surroundings are breath-taking!
Author
Thank you so much!
I love the scenery, I could take long walks and bask in the fresh air and beauty of nature.
Glowyshoe’s blog
This is lovely. Would like to hear more about what makes the mines so dangerous? Is it more dangerous for the dogs, or for the humans?
As someone that doesn’t get to travel as often as i’d like, I love reading travel blogs. I have this area marked on my lists to visit. Hopefully i’ll have my own furry companion to accompany me.
Author
There are lots of old mines in this part of the world and a lot of them were just abandoned when mining stopped – therefore no one has been in for a proper look to see if the floor is weak anywhere and no sudden drops are marked!
Ah ok. Maybe it’s because I play video games and recently saw 1917 but I was thinking………………bombs lol
What a lovely place! I hope I can visit someday! Thanks for sharing!
This is a place I would love to visit, looks so peaceful. Thanks for your post
Beautiful photos! And it’s very interesting to learn about the folklore origins of the names! Did you see any trolls? 🙂
Author
Not this time! We’ll have to go back 😂