Walks
The Farndale daffodil walk
For a few weeks each spring the banks of the River Dove in Farndale turn yellow with wild daffodils, smaller, paler and altogether more delicate than garden varieties. The walk that follows them, from Low Mill to Church Houses, is one of the easiest and best-loved routes in the North York Moors.
Wild daffodils along the River Dove in Farndale, the flowers are native and much smaller than garden daffodils.
The walk in short
- Distance
- About 3 miles there and back (1.5 miles each way)
- Time
- 1.5–2 hours at a gentle pace, longer with photograph stops
- Difficulty
- Easy and almost flat; stiles, gates and mud after rain
- Start
- Low Mill car park, Farndale (or Church Houses, walked in reverse)
When the daffodils peak
There is no fixed date. In an average year the flowers come out through the second half of March and hold into the first half of April, but a cold, late winter can push the display back by a fortnight and a mild one can bring it forward. Peak, when the banks are properly yellow rather than green with buds, usually lasts only a week or two.
Because of that, treat any date you read as a rough guide and check the current condition before you set off. The North York Moors National Park Authority and the Farndale village/parish channels post updates during the season, and the pub at Church Houses is a reliable source if you ring ahead. If you can be flexible by a weekend either way, you will see a far better display.
Parking and getting there
Farndale sits north of Kirkbymoorside, reached on narrow single-track lanes with passing places. The main daffodil-season car park is at Low Mill, near the start of the riverside path; there is a second small car park at Church Houses at the top end, beside the pub. Both are modest in size, both charge in season, and both fill early on a fine spring weekend.
Arrive before about 10am, or come late in the afternoon when the light is better anyway. Please do not park on the verges or in field gateways, this is a working dale and the lanes need to stay passable for farm traffic. In peak season a park-and-ride or shuttle arrangement sometimes operates; check the National Park website for the current year.
The route
From Low Mill, drop down to the River Dove and follow the well-marked path upstream on the east bank. It runs close to the water for the whole way, through a series of kissing gates and over stone-flagged sections laid to protect the ground, with the daffodils spreading in drifts along the banks and out under the trees. There is no navigation to speak of, you simply follow the river.
After about a mile and a half the path arrives at Church Houses, where the Daffy Caffy and the pub make an obvious turning point. Most people walk back the same way, which is no hardship as the view down-dale is the better of the two. If you want more, quiet lanes and field paths above the valley make a longer loop, though the flowers are firmly a riverside affair.
Doing it well
- Stay on the path. The daffodils grow in a local nature reserve; picking them or trampling the banks for a photograph is both unlawful and unkind to everyone behind you.
- Boots, not trainers. Even in a dry spell the flagged sections and gate approaches stay wet.
- Dogs on leads. Sheep and lambs are in the adjoining fields through the whole daffodil season.
- Go midweek if you can. Farndale is a small dale absorbing a lot of visitors in a short window.
Make a day of it
Farndale pairs naturally with Hutton-le-Hole, ten minutes away, where the Ryedale Folk Museum and the village green make an easy afternoon. The drive over Blakey Ridge to the Lion Inn is one of the finest moorland roads in the park, see our driving routes. For what else is worth timing a trip around, from lambing to the August heather, read the best time to visit.
Frequently asked questions
- When do the Farndale daffodils flower?
- Peak is usually somewhere between mid-March and mid-April, and it moves by a week or two each year depending on the winter. A cold spring pushes it later. Because the window is short, check a current report before you travel rather than booking on a fixed date.
- How long is the Farndale daffodil walk?
- The classic riverside path from Low Mill to Church Houses is roughly 1.5 miles each way, about 3 miles there and back, mostly flat and easy, on a mix of surfaced path, stone flags and grass that can be muddy.
- Where do you park for Farndale?
- The main daffodil-season car park is at Low Mill, with a second option at Church Houses near the pub. Both are small and fill early on fine spring weekends; there is a seasonal charge and the single-track lanes in are not the place to park on verges.
- Can you pick the daffodils?
- No. The wild daffodils are protected within a local nature reserve, picking or digging them up is not allowed. Keep to the path, keep dogs on leads through the sheep fields, and let others get their photographs too.
- Are the Farndale daffodils dog friendly?
- Yes, on a lead. The route crosses working farmland with sheep and lambs in early spring, and there are stiles and kissing gates along the way.