Pateley Bridge History Wander

Discover the natural and industrial history of Pateley Bridge and its surroundings on this guided History Wander, from ancient ruins to views over the dale.

There are two options for this wander - the main route is just over 5km long and will take at least an hour, or you can take a shortcut to make it 2km and about half an hour long.

Both wanders take you via the ruins of St Mary's Church above Pateley.

Download the map on Google Maps at the bottom of this article, or follow the directions below.

Turn left out of Wildish on Pateley High Street, and when you reach the bottom of the hill turn left again past the bottom of the car park.

Continue until you reach the old Railway Station on the left - you’ll see a plaque on the wall - then keep walking straight on until you reach the Pillars Past sculpture. These three pillars were sculpted by local stonemason Joseph Hayton, and represent a shepherd, a miner and a monastic figure, three important aspects of Nidderdale’s history.

Take the steps down to the river path, turn left and follow the path until you reach the weir*. On your right you’ll see the old mechanisms for opening and closing the millrace to the river, and on your left will be the millrace. This was used to control the water flow to the mill wheel at Glasshouses Mill.

Keep following the path, and Glasshouses Dam will appear on your right. Built alongside the millrace, it was also used to control the flow of water to the mill wheel. It’s now home to many species of birds, including mallards, herons and occasionally swans.

When you reach the end of the Dam, rejoin the road and turn left to walk up through the village. On the other side of the road you can see Glasshouses Mill, originally a flax mill built in 1812-14 and an important part of Nidderdale’s industrial history. It’s now been developed into houses and apartments.

Continue up the hill through the village, following the road. You’ll pass the village green on your left, where the traditional village May Day fete takes place each year, including maypole dancing and the crowing of the May Queen.

Once you reach the crossroads at the top of the hill, cross the road and take the footpath to the left (parallel to the road). Continue along the road, taking in the view of Nidderdale, and cross over the junction to Ripon at the top of the hill. About 100m further along, you’ll see another road leading off to the right. Take this track to join Panorama Walk, the original medieval route from Pateley to Ripon.

Follow the track straight on. You’ll pass a viewpoint on your left, and soon after you’ll see a stile and a signpost to St Mary’s Church on your right. Hop over the stile, and cross the fields diagonally to reach the chapel ruins.

**Once you’ve finished exploring, take the path through the cemetery to return to Panorama Way, and follow the footpath to your right back to the top of Pateley High Street. You can finish your walk here, or take a right past the Oldest Sweet Shop to discover Pateley Playhouse and the Nidderdale Museum in the old Workhouse.

*If you’d rather do a shorter version of the route:

Follow the path along the river until you reach a bench on your left. There’s a track that leads up behind the bench - follow this track past Harefield Hall, up the hill to join the main Pateley road.

Cross the road and turn right, then take a left onto Panorama walk. Follow the road up the hill, continue past the house at the top to enter the cemetery and take the path along the right hand wall to reach the ruins just past the top corner of the cemetery.

Rejoin the original directions at **