🥾 Walking route
Chevin Geology Trail
West Yorkshire
- 📏 2.2 km · 1.4 mi
- ⛰ +138 m
- ⏱ 45 min
- 🐕 On lead
Walk stats
- Distance2.2 km · 1.4 mi
- Elevation+138 m
- Duration45 min
- DifficultyEasy
- Route typeLinear
- TerrainWoodland paths and gritstone outcrops with a steady climb
- Best seasonSpring to autumn for clearest views
- DogsDog friendly, keep on lead near crags and livestock
About this walk
The Chevin Geology Trail is a short but rewarding linear route through Chevin Forest Park, climbing the wooded escarpment that rises above Otley in West Yorkshire. In little more than a mile you gain 138 metres, passing a sequence of waymarked geological features that reveal the sandstone bones of the hillside.
From the start, the path leads past Cross-Bedding, where ancient river currents left their patterns in the rock, and on to the Allan Smith stone before opening out at Surprise View. The name is well earned: the trees part to reveal a broad panorama across the Wharfe valley. The trail then continues through Ritchies Plantation and Manby's Field to Pelstone Crag, a fine outcrop that marks the turnaround point.
Nearby you will also find Sinclair's Field, Knotties Stone, the old Conduit of the Otley Water Works and a disused sandstone quarry, all worth exploring as part of a longer wander in Chevin Forest Park. At around 45 minutes one way, the route packs a surprising amount of interest into a modest walk.
Route map
Route line drawn from OpenStreetMap footpath data. Numbered markers are waypoints on the route; amber star markers are points of interest a short detour away.
Waypoints along the route
6 waypoints along the way
- 1
Cross-Bedding
- 2
Allan Smith
- 3
Surprise View
- 4
Ritchies Plantation
- 5
Manby's Field
- 6
Pelstone Crag
Worth a short detour
Points of interest just off the route, look for the amber markers on the map.
Sinclair's Field
~271 m off the route
Knotties Stone
~216 m off the route
Conduit of the Otley Water Works
~294 m off the route
old sandstone quarry
~462 m off the route
Chevin Forest Park
~256 m off the route
Route & waypoint data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).