Litton and Halton Gill

The route

Start in Litton or Halton Gill and make an 8.3km loop through the head of Littondale, following the River Skirfare and the field paths that link the two hamlets. It is a short, gentle route by Dales standards, staying low in the valley with the great whaleback of Pen-y-ghent filling the skyline to the west. This is intimate, unhurried country, a run to enjoy rather than attack.

The valley

Littondale is an offshoot of Wharfedale, quieter and less visited than its neighbour, made up of the hamlets of Hawkswick, Arncliffe, Litton, Foxup and Halton Gill. Halton Gill is a stunningly remote huddle of stone houses that stood in for a village in the film The Woman in Black; Litton has the 17th-century Queens Arms at its heart. Between them the Skirfare runs over its limestone bed, often disappearing underground in dry spells, and the walls climb the fellsides in patterns centuries old.

Why it works

This is a route for a peaceful, scenic outing. The distance is short, the ground mostly good valley path, and the navigation straightforward along the river and between the hamlets. It suits an easy day, a run with company, or a first taste of the quieter Dales, and the Queens Arms gives you a proper Dales pub at the finish, one of those places that feels a world away from anywhere. Few short loops in the Dales pack this much quiet character into so little distance, which is exactly why it is worth the drive up the dale to find it. The riverside meadows hold water after rain and the limestone is slick when wet, so pick your footing. It links naturally onto the higher fells, including Pen-y-ghent itself, if you want to turn a gentle loop into a bigger day on the higher fells above the dale.