Route: Muker meadows
Area: Yorkshire Dales
Date of walk: 6th June 2025
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 6.6 miles
Ascent: 700 feet
Weather: Mixed sun and cloud, gradually improving
Muker is a small but perfectly formed village on the western edge of the Yorkshire Dales. There are numerous walking opportunities from here which can be enjoyed at any time of the year. However the best time to visit is in June when the Muker meadows are at their peak. Sadly the UK has lost 97% of wildflower meadows in the last 90 years as farming practices have changed and towns and villages have expanded to swallow up flower-rich fields. Muker is a happy exception to this and is one of the best places to see upland hay meadows, some of which are protected as part of the Muker Meadows Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
We parked in one of the roadside spaces beside Straw Beck on the outskirts of Muker and walked through the lovely village, turning left before the church to enter into the meadows. The first few fields form part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest and are a wonderful sight at this time of year. The species rich meadows were full of wildflowers, including meadow buttercup, pignut, meadow cranesbill, yellow rattle, eyebright and rough hawkbit. At the end of the meadows we crossed the River Swale via a footbridge and followed a path along its eastern bank. There were numerous oystercatchers along the way. At a bend in the river we climbed uphill to cross Swinner Gill, and from this section of the walk there were glorious views along Swaledale. We continued as far as the waterfalls below Keld and then crossed the River Swale again to start the return leg
We made a short there and back diversion to Kisdon Force, a spectacular sight after recent heavy rain, and then rejoined the path leading back to Muker, which gradually desended to the west bank of the River Swale. As we approached Muker, a fork in the path gave rise to two possible routes back – a higher level one which makes for a more satisfying circular walk, or a return through the Muker meadows following our original path. Gilly opted for the former and I decided to retrace my steps through the wildflower meadows, every step of which was a joy. We met up again at the Muker Tea Shop, where tea and flapjacks capped off a wonderful day
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
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The week before the walk, wildflowers in our small meadow. This is yellow rattle ('the meadow maker', so-called because it is semi-parasitic and feeds off grass roots, allowing other species to push through)
Meadow buttercup....
....and red clover. We were keen to see what species were growing in the Muker meadows
The start of today's walk as we enter Muker from the nearby roadside parking spaces and pass by the village pub
We follow a lane uphill between the houses
We pass by St Mary's Church
The first of many old stone barns in Muker meadows. They are known as cowhouses locally and were used to overwinter cows, which were fed from hay produced by the meadows
The first few fields are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Importance
We squeeze through a squeeze stile and walk along the paved path (anyone following this route should keep to the path to avoid trampling the plants and should keep dogs on a lead)
A sea of buttercups
We continue through the Muker meadows...
Meadow cranesbill and pignut
Looking along the River Swale
We cross the River Swale via Ramps Holme Bridge and turn left
View from the footbridge
We're now on a section of the Coast to Coast Walk, a long distance walk from St Bees on the west coast to Robin Hood's Bay on the east coast, which we travelled many years ago
The path hugs the banks of the River Swale, where numerous oystercatchers entertained us along the way
Looking back
The path ascends as the river curves round to the left
The next section of the walk as we turn towards Keld
We cross the bridge above a waterfall, passing by the remains of Beldi Hill lead smelting mill
Looking back towards Muker, where we'd started the walk
We pass by another ruined barn...
Keld in the distance
The River Swale below
The remote village of Keld, although our route turns back towards Muker just before it
We turn left here
We pass by Kisdon Force, a series of waterfalls downstream from Keld
Meadows near Keld...
Looking back to the path we'd followed earlier
We made a short diversion to another of the waterfalls forming part of Kisdon Force
This involved following a narrow and quite steep path past the limestone cliffs
Kisdon Force - the path beyond it was eroded and potentially unsafe so we retraced our steps from here
Back on the main path we continue above the River Swale
Arn Gill Scar above as we round the corner to head back towards Muker
We regain the banks of the River Swale. There's a choice of routes ahead, a higher level path leading back to Muker, or a return through the meadows. Gilly decided to explore the higher path and I took the opportunity to enjoy the meadows for a second time
Looking back along the River Swale
The Muker meadows again....
Pignut, meadow cranesbill, meadow buttercup, red clover, sorrel and, in the last picture, eyebright
Muker ahead
A heavenly stroll through the meadows...
We arrive back in Muker...
...just in time for tea and flapjack at the Muker Tea Shop
Follow the link for more walks in the Yorkshire Dales (21)
