Exploring the Yorkshire Dales - Usha Gap campsite and Muker to Keld Hike
- Jackie Pickles
- Apr 26
- 5 min read
The Northern Dales and particularly Swaledale are the most wonderful areas to explore. We spent two fantastic nights at Usha Gap campsite and hiked the iconic trail between Muker and Keld that takes in several waterfalls, historic sites and if you are there in early summer, the wild flower meadows.
Usha Gap Campsite
The family run campsite is situated on a working farm on the edge of the stunning village of Muker. It has the most delightful welcoming feel to it with a warm reception as you book in. There is a well stocked small shop that sells a wide selection of local meat for your bbq's and other bits you may have forgotten to pack.
There are no defined pitches on the campsite and you get a choice of being riverside or in the fields at the back of the farm that have the most magnificent views down the valley, particularly at sunset. The riverside pitches get very busy and space is at a premium, we decided to stay near the farm where there was a really natural hustle and bustle as it was the height of lambing season!
Mid week in off season, the campsite was reasonably quiet with around 20 vans and tents in total, however from chatting to the farmer, weekends and holidays are quite different! They have a 3rd field that they open up and I can imagine it is pretty vibrant on a sunny bank holiday.
It is located in the most ideal location if you are a keen hiker and there are several walks that are well sign posted that you can do without having to move the van. From high moorland treks to short riverside walks, there is something for everyone.
The facilities are oustanding with a great facilities block that has an indoor washing up area and fantastic showers. As you can probably tell we loved our stay here and will definitely return. We love that you can take a firepit and enjoy sitting out in the evening for a little longer, listening to the lambs and cows settling down for the night.
Muker
The village of Muker is a mecca for hikers and tourists particularly in the summer when the wild flower meadows are in full bloom. There is the most wonderful art gallery that show cases work from local artists in several media's. There are a couple of little craft shops - the wool shop is definitely worth a visit.
The pub in the village is community run and a very popular spot to stop at after a long day on the fells. They stock a range of local brews and Richard was particularly impressed that they had a 0% Guiness for him! I enjoyed one of their local IPA's.
Muker to Keld river walk
Swaledale is famous for its stone barns that litter the horizon. Historically, every field had a small barn known locally as cow'uses that they would store the hay in the loft and feed the cattle in below over the winter months. The cow muck was then used to fertilise the fields, it also meant that the cattle did not need to be moved around. The hike takes you through several of these fields in the lower valley and it is really interesting to see how the farming has evolved.
We had the most fantastic hike, the weather was definitely on our side which only enhanced it's beauty. The first part of the hike is through the lowland fields, crossing over the river to give you a panoramic view up the valley.
After a couple of miles with a little bit of a steady up hill, you drop down to the first waterfall at Swinners Gill. There are some old ruins there and a footbridge that overlooks a series of smaller cascades. For many people this is the turnaround point for a good 6km-ish hike roundtrip.
We carried on and joined the coast to coast path for a short while to get to Crackpot Hall. A set of old ruins on the edge of a quarry that are interesting to explore and not far off the planned route, there are still parts of the original iron work such as the fireplace still in situ.
Once back on the Keld footpath, we came across the remains of a tractor - of course you have to have a pretend drive of it! This part of the hike is quite an uphill from Swinners Gill and can be a little more challenging, but the reward is dropping down to the next waterfall just before the village of Keld. There are a few waterfalls in the area and we would recommend going back down the other side of the river to Kisdon Force which is quite spectacular. We have done it before but we had a different return route planned this time.
After we had eaten our picnic on the benches outside the village hall,
We stopped off at the campsite in Keld for a cup of tea and cake. We love the fact that the village leaves the hall open in the winter for hikers to stop off and get a warm drink as there are many routes that go through the village including the Coast to coast, the Herriot Way and the Pennine Way. I have included a photo of the view from the campsites top field - we are definitely going to stay there next time!
With our legs still feeling quite fresh, we took the longer route home over the top of the fells and Kisdon then dropped into the pretty village of Thwaite. The views from up there were spectacular, including a glimpse of the drive over the infamous Buttertubs road.
As the weather changed, with heavy rain forecast we set off home again but we did manage to stop aff and have a look around some of the villages that we went through. Reeth was one of the villages that we had looked at when we were relocating to the Dales and is a bustling place with a few pubs and cafes, art galleries and local shops. It has a lovely feel to it, sadly for us, it was too far north and remote for us to be able to get back to Cheshire and visit our family as often as we do.
We had never visited Castle Bolton before - it is an impressive place that we will go back to have a proper explore when the weather is better. We hopped out the van to get a couple of photo's before the rain started.
West Burton is another one of our favourite Dales villages - very quintisential Yorkshire with its large village green, rows of terrace stone houses and an impressive waterfall. The Cauldon Falls are a popular tourist spot in the summer and a great place for a quiet mid week wild swim in warmer weather.
Click on the link below to our YouTube video which shows more of the beauty of the area, the hike and the campsite.
In our next blog we are at Warwick Racecourse CAMC and the Warner National Motorhome, Campervan and Camping Exhibition at Stoneleigh where we on stage talking with Motorhome Matt and our book has it's official launch on the No Fuss Travel Guide stand.
Have a great week
Jackie and Richard
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