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Distance: 4.7 miles/ 7.5km; shorter & longer walks possible- check out their website!

Route: https://boltonabbey.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Cavendish_to_Barden_Bridge.pdf

Facilities: Parking a little pricey but worth it and plenty there. There’s a cafe at Cavendish Pavilion as well as a couple of spots in the village.

Access: The suggested route says it is suitable for pushchairs- and it’s surfaced paths so I’d tentatively agree. But be prepared for some steep climbs and narrow edges, there’s a couple of large stones to navigate too so probably would recommend two people! We have done the walk with a buggy, but wouldn’t be rushing to do it again. DO NOT try in wet weather.

My husband’s back has been playing up, and with my 6 month pregnant belly we thought a buggy walk would be the best way to enjoy today’s gorgeous weather! We settled on Bolton Abbey- a firm favourite of ours and decided to do this relatively easy route. It is steep in parts so don’t go prepared for a gentle saunter, but definitely do-able.

We decided to start at the Pavilion and walk up to Barden bridge up the east side of the river. You could also choose to walk to the bridge and back along the relatively flat west path, but then you’d miss out on some of the superb views you get!

We found a lovely spot for lunch by the river near the Aqueduct; another benefit of a buggy walk means we could pack up extra kit underneath so could spread out the picnic rug and take a ball to play with. When it’s not being used as a car park (it wasn’t today) the field at Barden Bridge would be another good choice.

We were delighted to find a Yorkshire Dales ice cream van parked up at the bridge, and happily wolfed them down as we turned back down the river.

Any desperate calls to the toilet or for food can be covered by a detour to the Strid facilities as you pass- luckily no need today for us.

The final stretch back to the Pavilion is on a flat and wide path, and is the part of the woods where there are often activities for the children to see, so it’s worth checking the events before you head there.

The Pavilion is the perfect place to end, it gets quite busy during peak times so prepare to queue for food!

Today was the sort of day where any type of walk would have been a total joy, but Bolton Abbey looked absolutely amazing in the winter sunshine, we had a fantastic day out!