Low Row

If you are considering Low Row as a destination, you will find several points of interest to help plan your trip: historic buildings, a Heritage Trail, a walking route with specific distance details and hands-on experiences at Hazel Brow. This lets you choose whether to focus your trip on local history, a walk or outdoor activities.

History and Buildings

The Heritage Trail passes “Paradise,” a former textile workshop dating from 1653, and follows Hatter’s Syke waterfall. The trail therefore features both a former place of craft work and a natural landscape feature. The word “former” is important here: Paradise was a textile workshop that existed in 1653.

How Hill, Low Whita, is a Scheduled Monument containing a late prehistoric fortified settlement. Another example of the area’s architectural history is Low Whita (Bells) Farm (east): this regionally typical farmhouse has associated outbuildings and garden walls. Its origins date back to the 17th century; it was later altered, including for a mid-19th-century butter factory.

The Stable Block at Paradise is also among the historic buildings. It is a Grade II listed building dating from 1791. The dates therefore differ considerably: a specific year is given for the Stable Block, while the farmhouse’s origins and later alterations belong to different periods in its architectural history.

Walking and Getting Your Bearings

Swaledale Walk 6 Melbecks starts at a large lay-by on the south side of the main road between Low Row and Isles Bridge. The route is 4.25 miles long, has 610 feet of ascent and is graded easy/moderate. The estimated duration is around 2.5 to 3 hours. This time range is approximate; the distance, ascent and difficulty grade describe other aspects of the same route.

Low Row United Reformed Church can also be included when finding your way along the Melbecks route: it is 150 m beyond the lay-by. A short, careful detour along the road leads to it. When planning your route, you can consider the starting point and this detour separately.

Nature Trails and Experiences at Hazel Brow

Hazel Brow’s Green Nature Trail runs through woodland along the River Swale and to its pebbly banks. It also passes through traditional hay meadows, where colourful flowers and bees can be found during the growing season. This makes the difference between the two routes clear: Swaledale Walk 6 Melbecks is defined by its distance, ascent, duration and difficulty grade, while the Green Nature Trail is characterised by woodland, riverbanks and seasonal wildlife.

At Hazel Brow, you can feed and interact with goats, sheep, geese and alpacas as part of the Farm Animal Experience. The Alpaca Walk is a leisurely stroll through the pastures of Low Row in Swaledale. Both experiences involve animals, but have different focuses: the Farm Animal Experience is about meeting and interacting with several animal species, while the walk is a stroll with alpacas.

Another hands-on experience focuses on traditional dry-stone walls. You will work with an experienced dry-stone waller and receive guidance on building and repairing them. The experience also explains the history, heritage and importance of these walls in the Yorkshire Dales landscape. Hazel Brow’s activities therefore range from animal encounters and a walk to a hands-on craft experience with a historical connection.

Discover more destinations: Muker, Scalby, Oldstead, Ingleton, Oulston, Danby, Cononley, Thornton-le-Moor

For the wider travel overview: North Yorkshire.