The walk starts from the patio area at Swinton Bivouac. First go to the cafe and get the code for the gate into Swinton Park which allows you to access the parkland grounds. Then take the steps down and over the stile heading downhill with the stone wall on your left. At the bottom of the hill turn left through the gate along the track with the plantation on your right till you get to the lane. Turn left along the lane for just a few metres then turn right after the farm barn and cross over the stream, Sole Beck. Follow the track with Sole Beck on your left. After about 1km you will reach a grass junction of paths. Do NOT go through the gate on your left but follow the track up the hill to the right to reach the ruins of Lobley Hall, dated from late 1600s.
The path winds through the bracken below Lobley Hall to a stile. Continue through the gorse bushes and down a steep path to the left to Sole Beck. Bear right with beck on your left, over a small stream to a tall ledge (formed by old tree). Climb up onto the ledge and continue on over the fence ahead using the stone steps. Continue through the bracken onto a wider path uphill through a belt of woodland. At the top of the slope, pass through a gateway in stone wall. Bear slightly left then right through the meadow, at far end a small metal gate takes you into the next field. Go diagonally down the slope to the road where there is a small metal gate, turn right along the road. You will reach a road junction (with stone parkland wall ahead). Turn right following the land with wall on your left. After about 400 metres you reach a pair of green gates into the parkland which you will need the code you got at Swinton Bivouac.
Pass through the gates and follow the main stone track as it swings round to the right and climbs to a T‑Junction. Take the left fork keeping Top lake on your right. Ignore the first left turning (Dales View) but take the second one (signed Hotel). Ignore a right turn and follow to a fork with a finger post. Take the left fork which passes lily pond on your left and takes you round coffin pond on your right. Keep straight on at the end of Coffin pond and you will see the deer park on your right. Turn left at the next junction with a bench signed to Spring Garden. Keep right at fork by the play area and go through the door into the walled garden. Take the path almost directly ahead through the flower garden and just before you reach a gate turn left through a wide gap. Take the first right following the wall on your right till you reach a door at the bottom corner that leads to the terrace restaurant. Go through this door and down to the terrace restaurant for a well earned break.
Once suitably refreshed leave the terrace bar and turn left to the road, at the road turn right to go down to the entrance gates. At the entrance gates take the road left down the hill to Masham. Keep on this road past the golf course and into Masham. At the T‑junction with Park street turn left and then first right turn into Chapman lane. This leads you into Masham square. Follow the square round to the bottom corner by the church.
Take Millgate, the road at the eastern end of the square, and follow this down the hill. Bear right and follow the fence round till you come to stone entrance to Glebe House, take the left track here which takes you past Masham treatment plant and onto the River Ure on your left. Follow the river path until you have a left fork at the river Burn. Take this fork up to Thorpe road and turn left over the bridge. Immediately turn left again and this takes you back down to the path by the river Ure. Keep following the river path all the way and after about 1.5km go through the gate into Hackfall wood. Follow the path through the wood and it will lead you up the hill to the right away from the river. Take the gate out of the wood and turn left through another gate into Hackfall gorge, turn right up the hill and out of the wood then follow the path up the hill to Hackfall car park.
From the car park watch out for traffic and go left and then quickly right crossing the road and taking the gateway into Nutwith common wood. Follow the wide track up the hill, ignore the first footpath off to the left, when you get to the main track junction bear left and stay up the hill. Follow this track all the way to the end and then take the left fork which will bring you back out onto the road at Nutwith lane. Go right here and straight over at both junctions you come to. The track takes you through a gateway onto the open moor. Take the path on your right that follows the grouse shooting hides (butts). Before you come to the last one heading downhill take the path to the left staying on top of the hill. Follow this path ignoring the path to the right until you come to a gate on your right. Go through this gate and follow the path through the field with the stone wall on your right. Turn right at the opening in the wall and follow the path back to the road keeping Plane tree house on your right.
Turn left at the road away from Ilton, and then left again along the track onto the moor keeping the plantation on your left. Follow this track through a couple of gates onto the open moor. Don’t take the track to the right but continue up the hill and when you get to the junction at the top with Wreaks lane turn right. Keep straight on over the bridge at the top of Arnagill and as you come up the hill after the bridge take the next right which leads to Ilton shooting hut.
You are now on the six dales trail. From the hut take the path downhill through the heather. This can be overgrown and unclear but keep heading to the derelict farmhouse in the bottom of the valley. You will come to a corner in the stone walls with a gate go through this into the field and follow the track that heads for the gap in the wall below you. Then head for the derelict farmhouse and go between the house and the outbuildings and down to a stile over the stone wall. Take the track keeping the stone wall on your right and join the vehicle track which goes left and over the stream in the bottom of the valley. Head up the hill and take the right hand path off the track through a gate and leading across three fields. The track is well way marked and continues to the farm access track to Summerside farm. At the track turn right and before you get to the farm take the left path diagonally across the field and over a couple of stiles onto the tarmac road. Here turn right and then left before the cattle grid taking the track to Grimesgill house. Go over the first cattle grid to Grimesgill house and then take the right path across a couple of fields and go through the gate into the wooded gill. Follow the path through the wood to the footbridge at the bottom of the gill. Then up the other side through the new plantation. Keep the derelict farmhouse of High Sourmire on your right and after the buildings turn right and then left up over several stiles to the top of the hill at Towler Hill farm keep this to your right and then take the vehicle track through a gate and turn right heading back down along the tarmac road. Keep following this road down, don’t take left fork. You will reach the Leeds Pals memorial.
Continue past the memorial down the hill to a T‑junction turn right up the hill until you reach a farmhouse on your right and left. Take the footpath on your left and bear left through two fields leading down to a bridge over Pott beck. Cross the bridge and follow the path up the hill. Enter the field to reach a fingerpost. Take the right hand branch and follow the path leading you up through the sheep pastures and past Knowle plantation. This emerges onto the access track for Swinton Bivouac and to the end of your trip and some well earned hospitality.
