Best Places to Visit in West Yorkshire
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best places to visit in West Yorkshire are Lumb Hole Falls, Pugneys Country Park, River Wharfe, Valley of Desolation Waterfall, Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, Gaddings Dam and Folly Dolly Falls.
West Yorkshire runs from Pennine moors above Todmorden and Hebden Bridge to the old towns of the Calder and the edge of Wharfedale. Water gathers for swimmers high on the moors at Gaddings Dam, with its little beach a thousand feet up, and drops through wooded cloughs at Lumb Hole Falls near Hebden Bridge and the small Folly Dolly Falls near Meltham.
Where the county meets the Yorkshire Dales, the Valley of Desolation runs down its cascades on the Bolton Abbey estate and the River Wharfe spreads its family swimming pools near Appletreewick. Closer to the towns, the medieval Chantry Chapel sits on Wakefield's old bridge, one of the few bridge chapels left in England, and Pugneys Country Park spreads its lakes below the ruins of Sandal Castle.
Some are wild moorland spots, others quiet town corners. Here are seven places to visit across West Yorkshire.
Lumb Hole Falls
Photo: Humphrey Bolton via Geograph.org.uk
Lumb Hole Falls is a woodland waterfall on Crimsworth Dean Beck, a few miles north of Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, where the beck drops into a plunge pool. A stone arched packhorse bridge crosses just above the fall, making the classic view of the spot.
The pool is used for wild swimming, though the land around it is private and access has at times been limited. Reaching the falls means a scramble down, and they can also be seen from above.
Bluebells and wild garlic come out in the woods in spring, and the walk in follows lanes and paths from Hebden Bridge or nearby Hardcastle Crags.
Pugneys Country Park
Photo: Mike Kirby via Geograph.org.uk
Pugneys Country Park occupies reclaimed ground just south of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, where opencast pits and gravel workings gave way to a public park in 1985. Its two lakes serve double duty as nature reserves and as flood storage for the River Calder, and both lie beneath the hilltop ruins of Sandal Castle, which the park gazes up towards.
Walkers follow lakeside and woodland paths, a cafe waits nearby, a light railway runs on some weekends, and a large flock of swans holds court on the water. Boating has been trimmed back since 2023, with only limited hire during the summer holidays.
Pack a picnic and settle in.
River Wharfe
Photo: Stephen Craven via Geograph.org.uk
This stretch of the River Wharfe runs through Wharfedale below the village of Appletreewick, on the reach toward Barden Bridge, a well-liked family swimming and paddling spot on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. Here the river spreads over a rocky pool with a small island, a shingle beach and gentle rapids upstream, with grassy banks and a rope swing.
It is reached on the riverside footpath from Appletreewick or from a nearby campsite. Submerged rocks make diving dangerous, and this is a gentler, safer stretch than the notorious Strid a few miles downstream near Bolton Abbey.
Valley of Desolation Waterfall
Photo: Anthony Parkes via Geograph.org.uk
The Valley of Desolation is a wooded valley on the Bolton Abbey estate in Wharfedale, where Posforth Gill runs down in a series of small waterfalls and cascades. Its bleak-sounding name comes from a great storm in 1826 that tore the valley apart, though it is green and calm now.
A footpath climbs past the falls and on out onto Barden Fell moorland, rising toward Simon's Seat at 485 metres. The estate charges for parking, and dogs are not allowed in this part of it.
Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin
Photo: Mike Kirby via Geograph.org.uk
Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin clings to the side of the old bridge crossing the River Calder at Wakefield in West Yorkshire, and ranks among the few bridge chapels still standing in England. First licensed in 1356, this small, ornate place of worship is richly carved in the Gothic manner where it juts out over the water.
A restoration in the 1840s saw its worn original west front taken down and eventually re-sited over in Thornes Park. Wakefield Cathedral now looks after the building, which is not open daily but throws its doors wide for the odd service, exhibition or open day.
Try to time a visit around one of those.
Gaddings Dam
Photo: Steve Partridge via Geograph.org.uk
Gaddings Dam is an old mill reservoir high on the moors above Todmorden in West Yorkshire, more than a thousand feet up on open, windswept ground. Along one side is a small sandy beach, often claimed as the highest in Britain, which draws wild swimmers up the steep walk to the water.
It was saved from being drained when local people bought it to keep it. There are no facilities and no road to it, just moorland all around.
Folly Dolly Falls
Photo: habiloid via Geograph.org.uk
Folly Dolly Falls is a small waterfall near Meltham in West Yorkshire, half a mile or so from the town on the old railway path known as the Meltham Greenway. The water cascades down a sandstone fault, running over joints and ledges where softer shale meets harder rock, the stone reddened by iron along the fault.
It sits on private ground, reached down steep steps and a short way up the stream. Trees have grown up around it, so it is now hidden from the old railway line.
FAQs
Where can you swim in West Yorkshire?
Gaddings Dam, an old mill reservoir high on the moors above Todmorden, has a small sandy beach often claimed as the highest in Britain, drawing swimmers up a steep walk. Lumb Hole Falls near Hebden Bridge has a plunge pool below its packhorse bridge, and the Wharfe near Appletreewick spreads gentle family pools on the edge of the Dales.
What is the Wakefield chantry chapel?
The Wakefield chantry chapel, the Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, is a small ornate medieval chapel built onto the side of the old bridge over the River Calder at Wakefield, one of only a few surviving bridge chapels in England. Licensed in 1356, it is a richly carved Gothic building, now cared for by Wakefield Cathedral and open for occasional services, exhibitions and open days.
Which places in West Yorkshire are good for a family day out?
Pugneys Country Park south of Wakefield has two lakes below the ruins of Sandal Castle, with lakeside paths, a cafe, a weekend light railway and a big flock of swans. The gentle River Wharfe pools near Appletreewick are a well-liked family swimming and paddling spot, safer than the notorious Strid downstream.
Conclusion
West Yorkshire runs from Pennine moors to the old Calder towns and the edge of Wharfedale. Water gathers for swimmers high on the moors at Gaddings Dam, with its beach a thousand feet up, and drops through wooded cloughs at Lumb Hole Falls near Hebden Bridge and the small Folly Dolly Falls near Meltham.
Where the county meets the Dales, the Valley of Desolation runs down its cascades on the Bolton Abbey estate and the Wharfe spreads its family pools near Appletreewick. Closer to the towns, the medieval Chantry Chapel sits on Wakefield's old bridge and Pugneys Country Park spreads its lakes below Sandal Castle.
From moorland reservoir to bridge chapel, these are the places to seek out across West Yorkshire.
