This short walking trail combines the highlights of all the other Otley town centre walking trails in one map. This is great for those with limited time, or who are looking for a whirlwind tour of the best Otley has to offer.
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Whether you are looking to brush up on some of the most important events in British history, wish to sample a traditional Yorkshire market, want to enjoy the great outdoors or are looking to enjoy some retail therapy, Otley provides something for everyone.
This pretty, authentic market town, lying between the banks of the River Wharfe and the great outdoors of the magnificent Chevin escarpment, once played an important part in the culmination of the First English Civil War and was the birthplace of renowned furniture maker Thomas Chippendale.
Today, it still hosts a market three times a week in addition to a bi-monthly farmers’ market and is home to a wide range of one-off shops, boutiques, cafés, pubs and restaurants.
Visitors can also venture to the riverside or the Chevin for magnificent walking, cycling and running, or discover nature at the Gallows Hill Nature Area and Wharfemeadows Park.
This guide provides a whistle-stop tour of the very best Otley has to offer.
About this walk
Length: Around 1.3 miles (2km), without the extensions to the Chevin and Gallows Hill that can add a further mile or more each – both have parking for drivers.
Time taken: 30 minutes (brisk) to 90 minutes (slow)
Difficulty: Easy
1 Otley Chevin Forest Park
The Chevin is a ridge escarpment on the southern side of the Wharfedale Valley. Overlooking the town, it was created by the huge forces of the Ice Age glaciers that carved this part of the country.
There’s ancient history up here with some of the oldest Neolithic art in Europe, courtesy of the Knotties Stone – a cup-and-ring design appears when you pour water on it – while the Chevin was once home to a Roman road that connected Ilkley to Tadcaster and York.
Now a forest park, there are dozens of trails to explore whether walking, running, mountain biking or horse riding, while other activities include clay pigeon shooting and the chance on select days to try your hand at dry stone walling. The Chevin is also home to traditional pubs, hotels, B&Bs and campsites.
2 All Saints Parish Church & The Navvies Memorial
The site of All Saints Parish Church may have been consecrated as early as the 2nd century AD when Christianity first came to Britain; fragments of Anglian crosses dating from 750AD have been found on the site. The foundations of the current church are thought to be Anglo Saxon, but the main body is Norman and dates from the 11th century.
Significant additions were made in the 13th and 19th centuries, while the church contains the tombs of legendary local families, including distant relations of gunpowder plotter Guy Fawkes. According to legend, the horse of Methodist church founder John Wesley is buried in the churchyard.
Across Church Lane, the Grade-II listed Navvies Memorial commemorates all the navvies who built the country’s railways. The memorial is a replica of the north portal of the 1849 Bramhope Tunnel and pays tribute to those who died during its construction.
3 Kirkgate Arcade
This charming covered Victorian arcade is worth a visit just to look up and see its old glass ceiling and original architecture. Stay awhile to discover a range of shops offering collectors’ items and bric-a-brac.
4 Otley Market Place and Jubilee Clock
Otley market is one of the most historic in Britain – there have been markets held here since the mid 1220s – and the stalls are still erected around Market Place three times a week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. There is also an artisan farmers’ market, held on the second and last Sundays of every month.
Market Place is home to the town’s iconic Jubilee Clock, built in 1887 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s reign. The 20ft (6m) clock serves as the notional centre of the town.
Nearby is the Buttercross, a group of covered benches that were once home to the market’s butter traders and are now often used by charities for fundraising, or for shoppers to sit and take the weight off their legs.
Also on Market Place is the historic Black Bull pub, while the surrounding streets are home to Otley’s three fabulous, award-winning butchers. Choose from any one of Weegmann’s (6 Market Place), Geo. Middlemiss & Son (3 Market Street) and J.B. Wilkinson & Sons (15 Boroughgate). We all have a favourite. Which is yours?
5 New Market
This quaint, cobbled street leading to Market Place is home to some of Otley’s finest independent shops, as well as a number of great cafés and tearooms. It also often plays host to the cameras of Emmerdale – Otley doubles as the popular soap’s fictional market town of Hotten.
6 Westgate
Westgate houses some of Otley’s hidden shopping gems, including boutique garden centre and gardening school Courtyard Planters, and various home furnishing stores.
7 Thomas Chippendale Statue
Famed cabinet maker Thomas Chippendale was born in Otley in 1718 and baptised in Otley Parish Church on June 5, long before going on to make his fame – but not fortune – in London. While some of the facts about his early life are unknown, it is thought he may have attended a school on the site of the Old Grammar School on Manor Square. The site is home to a statue and blue plaque in his honour.
8 Otley Courthouse
With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, a woollen industry emerged in Otley as the town began to thrive. To facilitate Otley’s expansion, the Courthouse was built and the building also housed a police and fire station.
Today a much-loved arts centre that features performances from national names, one of the building’s cells has remained in its original condition and can be viewed on tours of the building. This venue has also doubled as the police station in old-favourite ITV series Heartbeat.
9 River Wharfe & Wharfemeadows Park
Wharfemeadows Park runs alongside the River Wharfe, the 21st longest river in Britain, which stretches from the Yorkshire Dales to the River Ouse near the east coast. Visitors can walk through lovely gardens, take a boat onto the river, relax in the café or work out at an outdoor gym.
Across the river is Tittybottle Park. Once known as Manor Parade Gardens and created in 1909, this park soon got its affectionate name as it became a haven for mums, nannies and children.
10 Gallows Hill Nature Area
Otley’s popular Gallows Hill Nature Area is an incredible story of regeneration. Formerly a sewage treatment works, the 14-acre site was taken over by the town council and turned into a wonderful riverside park where the fertile ground helps provide a peaceful habitat for amphibians, insects and birds. Look out for the ponds where you may see a flash of blue as a kingfisher flies by.
11 The Maypole & Cross Green
At 75ft (23m) tall, Otley’s Maypole in Manchester Square is said to be the highest permanent one in the country and provides the setting for annual spring dances. It sits across the road from a parade of shops on Cross Green that includes pre-loved designer clothing store Jenni’s Dresser.
12 Bondgate
Another shopping highlight in Otley is Bondgate. It is home to the artisan Bondgate Bakery, running shop Yorkshire Runner, and alternative health store Ivy House among others.