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Grimwith Reservoir Walk

4.04 miles (6.5 km)

Ordnance Survey Map Open Streetmap Enjoy a circular walk around this lovely reservoir in the Yorkshire Dales. There is a good footpath running around the reservoir with fabulous views of the surrounding countryside. The reservoir is great for bird watching, look out for wildfowl including wigeon, teal, greylag geese and Canada geese on the water.  Other winged visitors to the area include ringed plover, northern lapwing, common redshank, curlew, reed bunting, lesser redpoll, whinchat and sedge warbler.
The walk starts at the car park at the southern end of the reservoir and heads to Grimwith Moor, crossing Grimwith Beck on the way. You continue to Bracken Haw, cross the pretty Blea Gill and then pass Hebden Moor. The final section passes Hartlington pasture before returning to the car park.
If you'd like to continue your walking in the area then you could head to the nearby Linton Falls. Just to the south is the wonderful limestone gorge at Troller's Gill.
The reservoir is located close to Grassington and could be reached by following the Dales Way and other footpaths from the town.

Postcode

BD23 5ED - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

Grimwith Reservoir OS Map Ordnance survey map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Grimwith Reservoir Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Pubs/Cafes

Head a mile or so south west of the site and you will come to the little village of Hebden. Here you'll find the delightful Old School Tea Room. It's an idyllic spot with the tea room housed in the wonderful old school which dates from 1874. The charming building includes the old school clock which was restored in the millennium and continues to chime every hour. From inside, there is a picturesque view down to the beck and across the fields and there is also a large garden area for warmer days. In the outdoor section there's the additional attraction of a variety of farm animals including pygmy goats, hens and guinea pigs. Free parking is available in the adjacent car park. You can find the tea rooms in on the Main Street in Hebden with a postcode of BD23 5DX for your sat navs.
Old School House, Hebden, North Yorkshire Gold Post Box at Hebden Post Office - geograph.org.uk - 3134187
Pictured above left the Old School in Hebden where you can enjoy delicious home made dishes and tasty cakes using locally sourced ingredients. On the right is the Gold Post Box at Hebden Post Office. To mark Andrew Triggs Hodge's gold medal winning performance, Royal Mail has painted a post box at Hebden Post Office, Yorkshire, gold.

Dog Walking

The reservoir and surrounding moors are a fine place for a dog walk. You will probably see plenty of other owners when the weather is good. It's best to keep them on leads as there is a lot of wildfowl on the water for most of the year. The Old School Tea Room mentioned above is also dog friendly.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

Just to the west of Grassington you'll find the worthy village of Threshfield. The pretty settlement includes an historic 16th century inn and the nearby Threshfield Quarry. The quarry is an unusual and atmospheric place for a walk with its limestone rocky cliffs and distinctive turquoise lakes.

Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby

Photos

Grimwith Reservoir - geograph.org.uk - 21421

The ling thatched building at Rough Hill on Grimwith reservoir Grassington

Grimwith Reservoir. - geograph.org.uk - 98513

Beautiful view over the water. Photo taken looking SE from the path above Knotts Well

Ruin at Grimwith Reservoir - geograph.org.uk - 21450

The ruined farm house on the North bank of Grimwith Reservoir

Grimwith Reservoir - geograph.org.uk - 21422

Walkers by the water. The start of a circular walk on a very cold April morning in 2004

Parking and Picnic Area beside Grimwith Reservoir - geograph.org.uk - 662026

Parking and Picnic Area beside Grimwith Reservoir

Track Around Grimwith Reservoir - geograph.org.uk - 943595

The circular footpath around Reservoir takes in this track here at Grimwith Beck.

Picnic area at Grimwith - geograph.org.uk - 1748447

Picnic area at Grimwith. A nice place to enjoy lunch with a view. A lot has been done in recent years to make the site attractive to visitors. 

Track Over Grimwith Fell - geograph.org.uk - 943583

The circular footpath around the reservoir can be seen branching off to the left.

Video

GPS Files

GPX File

Grimwith Reservoir.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)

Memory Map Route

Grimwith Reservoir.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Download Linked File)