Grassington walks we did in one afternoon

After a week of exploring the Yorkshire Dales, we reached Grassington feeling exhausted and checked into our final hotel: Grassington House. It’s a stunning three storey Georgian building which boasts a restaurant, bar, and event services.

Related: Exploring Nidderdale and the surrounding areas in a day

Our room was on the third floor, overlooking the town square. It was quite small, and the bathroom was essentially a cupboard. However, it was impeccably clean and even came with some added extras. Teas, coffees, hot chocolates and milk were left on a tray table by the window for our refreshment.

Again, it was a warm afternoon, so we selected the one of the Grassington walks from the Short Walks in the Yorkshire Dales book. We wanted to walk north-west of the town to explore Grass Wood, which apparently hid ancient artefacts. But first, we had to wander along the River Wharfe and view the majestic bridge that leads west.

Related: Hiking: a guide to long walks for beginners

The route along the river is both lovely and long. As we headed further upstream, we started to see warnings of entering the water. The river is not like the calm waters that pass through Malham; it’s essentially a rapid system, therefore incredibly dangerous if we were to fall in.

The ancient woodland boasts 400 years of existence and footprints of the Iron Age and medieval era. The forest is silent but for the occasional birdsong and flap of wings. Every now and again we found paint splats of bold colours that contrasted the greens and browns of the forest. Then, we stumbled across the remains of the Iron Age village.

Suddenly, we reached a horrible patch of stinging nettles and a clearing. Our route had led us to wide farmlands, with fields that seemed to glow under the August sun. We trekked across them, slowly climbing up towards the village. I stepped in cowpat because I wasn’t paying attention to my steps. The surroundings were far more beautiful.

After our last ramble of the week, we were starving, but realised we had time to watch a Premier League match. Lo and Behold, The Forester Arms had a TV and served lunch, so we sat down for a three course carvery! I cannot praise the standard of food any higher. It was so good that I couldn’t bring myself to have a dessert, and that never happens

We then went for a post lunch nap and an evening walk down to Linton falls, our final waterfall of the week. It’s not particularly magnificent, but boy does that water flow fast! The noise is loud and the air is fresh, so I quite enjoyed standing on the riverbank in the evening sunshine.

In the spur of the moment, we decided to walk up to the bridge we’d seen earlier, and there discovered the hydroelectric plant. There was a little duck house at the top of the mini waterfall, and we watched the birds playing in the warm afternoon. I love little hidden landmarks and something about industry is really interesting. I was in my element looking at the slightly worn building, and watching water tumble down the steps.

Slowly, we strolled back to Grassington House, reminiscing on the best and worst moments of the week. Then, we climbed into bed and slept for what felt like a year.

Related: Best things to do in the Yorkshire Dales

Did you like this post? Why not let me know what you thought by leaving me a comment below? Or, if you want to keep up to date with new posts and any other travel ideas or thoughts I might have, you could follow me on Twitter or Instagram instead.