Pathar one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Pathar here.

We walked this route from Harrogate Station to Pateley Bridge. It would only be suitable for walkers it being walked from beginning to end.
We crossed Station Parade and headed for Bettys. We then walked down the main road and crossed this junction to continue up Ripon Road (pelican crossings provided safe crossing points on all the roads we had to cross in the town centre). Eventually we turned off Ripon Road and entered Jennifield Estate to join Harrogate Ringway. After crossing the A59 we entered a county lane eventually turning off to the left towards High Warren Farm, through a narrow (24”) gate to be met by a narrow and very muddy path (p1), albeit the weather had been dry for some time. We climbed over a rickety style (p2) that brought us out to a fairly busy Otley Road which we crossed and walked up Lund Lane passing a garden in which a model of a canal had been very realistically constructed (p3). We turned right down Myers Green Lane, crossed a couple of stiles and a narrow gated bridge as we crossed pasture land to reach Hampsthwaite. Here we stopped for a drink and snack at Sophies – coffee, bistro and B&B. There is also a pub – The Joiners Arms serving food and drinks 5 days a week including Sunday. We headed for Birstwith via a country road until we came to a farm building on the right where we passed through a gate (p4) and headed down a path to the side of the River Nidd; at parts the path was very narrow-12” (p5). The well signposted route then took us round the food processing mill across a narrow pedestrian bridge (19.5”) We then cross the road and continue along a beautiful part of the walk besides the Nidd through numerous gates and some stiles. At one point we come to a lovely hump back bridge (p6) – We do not cross this but instead take the stile on the left before it (p7) to continue on same side of the Nidd. We passed numerous docile cows in the field immediately before leaving the path by a gate onto Darley Road. In a few yards we turn right to cross the Nidd via the Ross Toll Bridge (p8). We then go up a short steep hill to join the busy B6165 (60mph speed limit) on a sharp bend which you have to be very careful when crossing to reach the narrow grass verge on the other side before turning right onto the quiet Stripe Lane. (We could not see a suitable alternative to this crossing and can only stress that care must be taken.) We then took a footpath on the left off Stipe Lane (p9) across numerous very well signposted fields and stiles. At the top of the hill, before descending towards Doughill Hall. The descent was quite steep and very slippery (p10) there is a stile on the right that was not signposted and very hidden (p11) but if you did not cross it you would end up on the wrong side of the wall and going down a steep and slippery grass bank with no exit at the bottom. Having negotiated this hurdle we arrived at the B6165 again (p12) (60mps seed limit and lots of bends and no footpath or verge to walk on). The road at this point was very busy and very dangerous to walk on.
In Summerbridge there is The Firs Tea Rooms and B&B (at the time of our walk it was only open on Wednesday to Saturday from 10.30am to 4pm (call 01423 781715 to check post pandemic opening times.) The Flying Dutchman pub in Summerbridge is temporarily closed (check post pandemic situation 01423 780321). We crossed the B6165 opposite the Flying Dutchman pub and went down the B6415 in the direction of Dacre Banks but only for about 100yds before turning right to take the path round the old sawmill. Path starts behind a bush and is difficult to see (p13). This leads to the path on the left hand side of the Nidd. The path narrowed to just 16” and was muddy. A narrow (14.5”) bridge and a couple of kissing gates took us onto a wider farm track past the sign for Whittaker’s Distillery. We had a wide path and easy walking to Harewell Hall where the proposed route was to leave the wide track we were on and follow a footpath to the bend in the river and the down along the bank of the Nidd near the sewage works. However, from about SE17945 63927 to SE17817 63959 the footpath no longer appeared to exist (p14). It appears to have been on land that has slipped down into the ravine at the side of the Nidd and has been fenced off for some years. We therefore continued on or wide (safe) track (p15) that took us left to Harewell Wood Farm and then down to the bridge at glasshouse. At this point we say a sign saying the path the route was to take us down was closed. (at about SE17115 64326). Having crossed the bridge we took the sign-posted track on the left that took us onto part of the SIX Dales Trail This provide easy walking along a metalled track on the right bank of the Nidd all the rest of the way into Pateley Bridge where we arrived at the road bridge in the centre. The village has lots of amenities including pubs, cafes, food shops, toilets and for our perspective a bus back via Summerbridge to Harrogate.
We concur with the previous reviewer that this was an excellent route with fabulous scenery. However, there are a couple of dangerous sections due to fast traffic and a small part of the route that, probably due to subsidence, no longer exists. We therefore propose some minor modifications that will in our view remove these issues and make this superb walk safer. Our proposed new route is very similar to the amended route proposed by the first reviewer.

This is, for the most part, an excellent route through the fabulous scenery of Nidderdale. We walked the route from Pateley Bridge to Harrogate.
Pateley Bridge has a selection of cafes, pubs, food shops and a public toilet at the entrance to the park just over the road bridge from town.
The metalled path along the Nidd from Pateley Bridge provides very easy level walking all the way to Glasshouses. After crossing the bridge at Glasshouses the route continues along a path on the other side of the Nidd, but a sign here advises that the path is closed until mid-August 21 for repairs after flooding (it appears to have been closed for nearly 2 years). However there is an alternative footpath only a few metres further from the river (Map ref 171642). This is along a narrow metalled road past Harewell Woods Farm and rejoins the Slow Ways route at Map ref 179639. A screen shot of this alternative route is included below (the original route is shown in grey and the alternative we took in red).
The route from here crosses woodland and grazing pastures on well marked grassy paths before rejoining the path along the river to Summerbridge. The path along the river here is very narrow and there is a small section that has collapsed and needs care (photo of this section below).
The section of the path around a derelict building just before reaching the road at Summerbridge runs over a footbridge and between fences and is very narrow.
The route, for just over a kilometre, from Summerbridge to Doughill Hall is along the B6165. This is a busy narrow road with a 60mph speed limit. There is no footpath and for most of the way not even a grass verge and it is very dangerous for pedestrians. We decided to take an alternative route, which I have posted as a suggested better route.
There is another (short) section along the B6165 from Stripe Lane to the turn to Ross Bridge. This is again narrow but there is a small grass verge where refuge can be taken from passing cars and there is a grass path away from the road is it passes a very narrow section over Spence Dam.
Ross Bridge is private with a toll for cars and bicycles but there does not seem to be a charge for pedestrians.
The path from here is follows the Nidd and is very scenic and soon joins the Nidderdale Way and then continues on this well signposted path past the food processing mill at Birstwith to Hampsthwaite.
From here the route crosses grazing pasture - there were some cows but they were disinterested in us. Lund Lane is quite a busy minor road but there is a pavement all the way to Otley Road. After crossing the road the path is over meadowland to join a rather muddy and, in some places steep, path before joining the Harrogate Ringway footpath through the Jennyfields housing estate and then the final short walk into Harrogate.
A really good and rewarding walk.

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