Wyre Way (Garstang to Abbeystead)

This gentle section of the Wyre Way makes for a relaxed hour on foot, following the young River Wyre as it slips through the quiet folds of Over Wyresdale. Setting off in the shadow of the Bowland fells, the path threads between water meadows and mixed woodland, with Mark Holme Wood, Mill Wood and Bank Wood offering shade and birdsong along the way.

A highlight en route is Castle Hill motte, the grassy mound of a long-vanished Norman fortification that rises above the valley floor. From here the way continues on easy ground beside the Wyre, with glimpses upstream towards Abbeystead Reservoir and the surrounding Wyresdale landscape of pasture, drystone walls and wooded cloughs.

At just over four kilometres with only modest ascent, the walk finishes in the village of Scorton on the western edge of the Forest of Bowland. It is a good half-day outing that pairs well with a return by local bus or a linked onward walk, letting you swap car keys for boots without complication.