Hawes Mosaic Trail: The Full Route Split into Two Easy Sections

How to Walk the Hawes Mosaic Trail in Two Manageable Halves

The Hawes Mosaic Trail is a circular route through Upper Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by the local community in 2000 to celebrate the millennium, it features twenty mosaics, each depicting an element of the dale’s rich culture, history, landscape, flora, and fauna.

The full trail is 11 miles long and begins at the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes. Along the way, it passes through the villages of Burtersett, Gayle, Hardraw, and Sedbusk, before concluding at St Margaret’s Church, where a special millennium window commemorates the project.

Walkers on the Hawes Mosaic Trail can expect scenic highlights such as the dramatic Aysgill Force waterfall, the impressive Appersett Viaduct, and sweeping panoramic views across Upper Wensleydale. Each mosaic is set into a dry stone wall, and part of the fun is spotting them as you go.

The twenty mosaics along the trail reflect many of the themes captured in the millennium window inside St Margaret’s Church. Together, they form a visual narrative of Upper Wensleydale’s heritage, linking past and present through art, nature, and faith.

The Millennium Window at St Margaret’s Church

The millennium window is located in the south aisle of St Margaret’s Church. To mark both the Christian second millennium and the tricentenary of the granting of Hawes Market Charter, the Parochial Church Council chose to replace one of the most severely damaged windows. In its place, they commissioned a new commemorative civic window depicting themes meaningful to the dale.

At the centre of the window is a motif of the Good Shepherd, portrayed as a modern Dales farmer. From the outset, this was seen as particularly fitting, as sheep farming has been central to life and work in the area for around a thousand years.

The left-hand light features Appersett Viaduct with a train passing over it. Beneath this, the Market House is shown with market stalls in front and women shopping. Below, two men stand at the auction mart, and at the bottom is Haylands Bridge over the River Ure.

The centre light depicts Jesus, rendered as a present-day Good Shepherd carrying a lamb, with the Church of St Margaret, Stags Fell, and Cotter End in the background.

The right-hand light shows John Wesley preaching on horseback. It also features the monks of Jervaux Abbey, who introduced cheese-making to the Dales, the legendary Knitters of Gayle, and a waterfall. The Dales are home to many waterfalls, including England’s highest, found behind the Green Dragon Inn at Hardraw.

Smaller lights illustrate the flora and fauna of the Dales, including meadow flowers, curlews, a rabbit, squirrel, and trout. Crowning the window is a radiant depiction of the sun.

The Full Hawes Mosaic Trail

I have a dedicated page on my website for the full 11-mile Hawes Mosaic Trail. On that page, you can view the route on OS Maps and Outdooractive, follow detailed step-by-step directions, download a printable version with a map, and watch a video about the walk on YouTube.

The page also includes all the trail statistics, such as distance, duration, ascent, parking advice, and recommended maps, along with many of my photographs taken while walking the route.

Visit the full Hawes Mosaic Trail page here: https://www.paulbeal.com/hawes-mosaic-walk

Splitting the Hawes Mosaic Trail into Two Shorter Walks

I’m often asked whether the Hawes Mosaic Trail can be split into two more manageable sections. The good news is that it can, and quite easily. Below you’ll find two shorter circular walks, each covering one half of the full trail. Between the two walks, you’ll see all twenty mosaics. The Pink Flower mosaic serves as the crossover point, appearing as the final mosaic on the first walk and the first mosaic on the second.

Hawes Mosaic Trail: Section One With Nine Mosaics in Six Miles

This six-mile circular walk starts from the Dales Countryside Museum car park in Hawes and takes in nine of the twenty mosaics. It should take around three hours and is a moderate walk.

The nine mosaics are the Land Rover, Sheep in Field, Head of Roman Soldier, Shepherd and Dog, Cow, Candle, Curlew, Fish Symbol and Rainbow, and Pink Flower. Each one is set into a dry stone wall along the route.

Step-by-Step Directions for Section One

Begin this section of the Hawes Mosaic Trail at the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes. The museum, part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, offers a large pay-and-display car park and toilet facilities. Exit the car park and return to the main road, the A684. Turn left and walk along the footpath by the side of the road, heading towards Bainbridge. Continue walking until you reach Carr’s Billington Agriculture Country Store on your right. Outside the store, you will find the ‘Land Rover’ mosaic set into the wall.

Carry on walking along the path beside the road, passing a handful of houses until you near the edge of town. Turn right just before Wensleydale Press and follow the public footpath signposted to Burtersett. The path is paved with stone flags and leads across a field to a minor road named Old Gayle Lane. Go through the gate, and if you glance over your right shoulder, you’ll see the ‘Sheep in Field’ mosaic embedded in the dry stone wall.

Cross the road and continue following the public footpath signposted to Burtersett. This stone-paved path leads across several fields for about half a mile. Along the way, you’ll pass old stone barns and go through multiple gates in the dry stone walls. When you reach a large metal gate where the path splits, do not go through it. Instead, take the right-hand path uphill. At the next gate, turn left and cross a field, then pass through another gate. Continue across a smaller field and walk between two houses to reach New Lane in Burtersett. Here, you’ll see the ‘Head of Roman Soldier’ mosaic set in the dry stone wall directly in front of you.

Turn right and walk uphill along New Lane. At the next junction, turn right again and follow Shaws Lane. You’ll pass Burtersett Village Institute on your right. This lane, which becomes bordered by dry stone walls on both sides, is signposted to Gayle. After just over a third of a mile, you’ll pass a barn on your left and come to a gate ahead. To your left, set into the wall, is the ‘Shepherd and Dog’ mosaic.

Continue along the public footpath heading west for roughly half a mile. Cross several fields and gates, passing more stone barns as you go. Yellow public footpath waymarkers and wooden signposts will guide your way. Eventually, the path splits. Take the right-hand path downhill, signposted to Gayle (East), not the left-hand path to Gayle (South). Continue across several more fields, following the yellow waymarkers downhill towards the village of Gayle. As you reach the minor road called Marridales, go through the gate and look over your right shoulder to see the ‘Cow’ mosaic set into the wall.

Turn left and walk along Marridales, then almost immediately turn right to cross the road bridge over Gayle Beck. Just after the bridge, turn left onto a narrow, cobbled public footpath that passes in front of cottages overlooking the beck. At the end of this path, continue straight along the minor tarmac road called Gaits, walking between houses and cottages. After passing the last house on your left and Scaur View on your right, turn left and follow the public footpath up a short flight of steps. Here, beside the steps, you’ll find the ‘Candle’ mosaic.

Go through the metal gate and follow the public footpath across the field until you reach a crossroads with a wooden signpost. Ignore the two paths signposted to the Pennine Way and take the left-hand path towards Aysgill Force. Soon, the path splits again — take the left-hand route and descend the steps towards Gayle Beck. Follow the path beside the beck for about half a mile. You’ll pass through multiple fields, gates, and wall gaps, all well-marked with yellow waymarkers. As the waterfall comes into view, walk through the last gate just before it and look over your right shoulder to find the ‘Curlew’ mosaic set in the dry stone wall.

Continue past Aysgill Force, keeping to the path beside Gayle Beck. Pass a footbridge on your left, but do not cross it. Keep going past a second footbridge, again without crossing. Shortly afterwards, the beck bends left away from you. Continue straight on to reach a stone track with a wooden signpost. Turn right here, signposted to Faw Head, and follow the track to a large wooden gate. Go through it, turn right, and follow the grassy track gently uphill. After about a quarter of a mile, passing through several gates, you’ll see the ‘Fish Symbol and Rainbow’ mosaic on your right.

Keep following the track for just over half a mile. You’ll walk through a farm, then reach a house named Faw Head. Continue straight on to Mossy Lane. Turn left here, ignoring the Pennine Way signs on both your right and left. At the next junction, turn left onto Bands Lane, signposted to High Bands. The ‘Pink Flower’ mosaic is set into the wall on your left. This is the last mosaic on section one of the Hawes Mosaic Trail, and the first mosaic on section two.

Returning to the Start

Turn around and head back to Mossy Lane. Turn left and continue heading north very briefly. At the next junction, turn right onto the tarmac lane known as Gaits. After just a few minutes, turn left again, following the road called Garris all the way through the village. After about a quarter of a mile, you will reach Gayle Lane. Turn left here and follow the road north towards Hawes.

Continue following this road for about a third of a mile. Along the way you will pass Wensleydale Creamery on your right-hand side. Eventually, you will reach the A684, which is the main road through Hawes. You will be on the western side of Hawes, so turn right and follow the A684 all the way through the town.

On the way, just before you cross Gayle Beck, remember to visit St Margaret’s Church to have a look at the millennium window, created in the year 2000, which inspired the mosaics featured along this scenic route. Then continue following the road to eventually get back to the Dales Countryside Museum where you started your Hawes Mosaic Trail.

Hawes Mosaic Trail: Section Two With Twelve Mosaics in Seven Miles

This seven-mile circular walk starts from Gayle Lane car park in Hawes and takes in twelve of the twenty mosaics, beginning at the Pink Flower, which is also the final mosaic on section one. It should take around three and a half hours and is a moderate to challenging walk.

The twelve mosaics are the Pink Flower, Sunset, Kestrel, Yellow Flower, Steam Train, Lime Kiln, Monk, Purple Flower, Goose, Red Squirrel, Kingfisher, and Brown Trout.

Step-by-Step Directions for Section Two

Begin this section of the Hawes Mosaic Trail at Gayle Lane car park in Hawes. Exit the car park and turn left onto Gayle Lane. Follow Gayle Lane south, passing Wensleydale Creamery on your left-hand side. After about a third of a mile, take the road on your right called Garris, straight after the house called Gayle Laithe and just before the bridge which crosses over Gayle Beck.

Continue following this road all the way through the village. It is the route of the Pennine Way and it will bend around to the left and then right to eventually meet another road called Gaits. When you reach Gaits, turn right and follow the road to a junction. This track is called Mossy Lane. Here, turn left, then soon afterwards turn right into Bands Lane, signposted to High Bands. The ‘Pink Flower’ mosaic is set into the wall on your left.

Walk along Bands Lane past Low Bands Farm, then past another large farmhouse on your right. Continue uphill along a stone track signposted to Cam Road. After a third of a mile, you’ll come to a T-junction. Directly ahead, you’ll find the ‘Sunset’ mosaic in the wall.

Turn right and follow the stony track to the B6255 main road. Turn right again and walk briefly downhill. The ‘Kestrel’ mosaic is set into the wall on your left.

Turn left and follow the bridleway signposted to Thorney Mire House. Walk along this well-defined grassy public bridleway for over half a mile. You’ll see Thorney Mire House and other cottages across the field on your right. Continue until you reach a large wooden gate leading onto Lanacar Lane. On the left-hand side of this gate, you’ll spot the ‘Yellow Flower’ mosaic.

Go through the gate, turn right, and follow Lanacar Lane past Thorney Mire House, Thorneymire Cottage, and Thorneymire Woodland Retreat. Stay on this minor road for about half a mile until you reach Appersett Viaduct. Directly beneath the viaduct, you’ll find the ‘Steam Train’ mosaic set into the wall.

After passing beneath the viaduct, continue along the road to reach the A684 in Appersett. Turn left and walk across the road bridge over Widdale Beck. Ignore the first left turn, a bridleway to Widdale, and take the second left, a public footpath signposted to Mossdale Head. Follow this path alongside the A684 until you reach another road bridge. Leave the path and cross the bridge over the River Ure. Walk along the road until you reach the junction leading to Hardraw. Look to your right and you’ll see the ‘Lime Kiln’ mosaic in the wall.

Cross the road to Hardraw and walk through the gate in the dry stone wall. Follow the footpath signposted to Bluebell Hill. Cross a field, then a footbridge over Broad Carr Sike, and continue following the waymarkers uphill. After about a third of a mile, you’ll see a wooden signpost in the middle of a large field where the path splits. Take the right-hand path and continue across several fields for about half a mile. You’ll eventually reach the Pennine Way just outside Hardraw. Turn right and follow it downhill to the main road, then turn left into Hardraw.

Cross the road bridge over Hardraw Beck and pass St Mary’s and St John’s Church, followed by the Green Dragon Inn. Immediately after the pub, turn left as though heading to Hardraw Force. You’ll spot a small signposted path to Simonstone on your right. Follow it through the back yard of a house and along a flagged stone path up a grassy slope to an ornate wooden bench in front of a dry stone wall. The ‘Monk’ mosaic is set into the wall beside the bench.

Follow the footpath uphill, past the gable end of a house on your right. Go through a gate and continue along the path signposted to Simonstone. Cross a field to reach Simonstone Country Hotel, then walk along its driveway to the road. Turn left, and you’ll quickly see a signpost for Sedbusk on your right. Beside this signpost, set into the wall, is the ‘Purple Flower’ mosaic.

Follow the footpath to Sedbusk through a farm, then continue for nearly two-thirds of a mile. You’ll cross several fields, pass old stone barns, and walk through gaps in the dry stone walls. As you near Sedbusk, the path splits. Keep straight on rather than turning right. Head between two houses and pass through a gap in the wall to reach the village green. Look over your left shoulder to find the ‘Goose’ mosaic in the wall near the wooden benches.

Cross the village green and turn right onto Shutt Lane. Then turn right again onto Sedbusk Lane. Walk past the Coach House on your right. As you leave the village, you’ll see the ‘Red Squirrel’ mosaic in the wall on your right.

Turn left and follow the footpath signposted to Haylands Bridge. Walk down the grassy slope to reach a road named Bellow Hill. Cross the road and spot the ‘Kingfisher’ mosaic set in the wall next to a small gate and wooden signpost.

Go through the gate signposted to Haylands Bridge and follow the stone-paved path downhill across the fields. Cross a narrow old packhorse bridge to reach Brunt Acres Road. Turn left, then cross the River Ure via the road bridge. Continue walking along the road until it curves around to the left. On your right, you’ll see a gate and the final mosaic on the Hawes Mosaic Trail. It’s the ‘Brown Trout’ mosaic, set into the wall.

Returning to the Start

Go through the gate and follow the path, signposted to Hawes and the Pennine Way National Trail. Follow the flagged stone path across the field to rejoin Brunt Acres Road. Continue along the road into Hawes. You will be on the eastern side of the town.

At the junction, cross over and turn right onto the cobbled A684. Walk into the town centre, crossing the road bridge over Gayle Beck and passing shops on both sides. When the cobbles end, turn left to visit St Margaret’s Church. Inside, you’ll find the millennium window, created in the year 2000, which inspired the mosaics featured along this scenic and rewarding route.

After visiting the church, continue heading west through the town, then turn left onto Gayle Lane where you parked at the beginning of the Hawes Mosaic Trail.