The Crackpots Mosaic Trail, Dallowgill, Nidderdale

If you’re looking for a unique and interesting walk in the Nidderdale area, the Crackpots Mosaic Trail is a must. This moderate seven-mile trail takes you through the beautiful landscape of Dallowgill, where you’ll encounter 22 illuminated mosaics that celebrate the local scenery and wildlife.

👉 Print the Crackpots Mosaic Trail route map and directions here.

The mosaics were crafted as part of a community project in 1997 to honour the designation of Nidderdale as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The talented group responsible for these masterpieces is known as ‘The Crackpots’ from Kirkby Malzeard. Group members were guided by Margaret Murphy from Rural Arts North Yorkshire.

Each mosaic is a cute work of art, created with great attention to detail and bursting with local charm. The mosaics depict the flora and fauna that can be found along the trail, as well as scenes from the surrounding landscape.

As you make your way along the trail, you’ll encounter a variety of paths, gravel tracks, fields and minor roads. The entire route takes around four hours to complete, offering ample time to take in the scenery, enjoy a leisurely stroll, and stop to admire the mosaics.

The best map to use on this walk is the Ordnance Survey map of Nidderdale, reference OS Explorer 298, scale 1:25,000. It clearly displays footpaths, rights of way, open access land and vegetation on the ground, making it ideal for walking, running and hiking. The map can be purchased from Amazon in either a standard, paper version or a weatherproof, laminated version, as shown below.

Grab your walking boots, your OS Explorer 298 map, and get ready to explore the Crackpots Mosaic Trail! If you like, open and print the Crackpots Mosaic Trail PDF file and take it with you.

Trail summary

Location: Dallowgill, Nidderdale, North Yorkshire.
Map: Ordnance Survey map of Nidderdale, reference OS Explorer 298.
Distance: Approximately seven miles.
Time to complete: About four hours.
Starting point: Car parking area on Kirkby Malzeard moor near Tom Corner.
Terrain: Moderate route with tarmac roads, gravel tracks and fields.
Trail highlights: 22 illuminated mosaics depicting local scenes, flora and fauna.
Mosaics: 1 Sheep; 2 Red Grouse; 3 Dragonfly; 4 Adder; 5 Potato House; 6 Sighting Tower; 7 Wild Rose; 8 Great Spotted Woodpecker; 9 Friesian Cow; 10 Flag Iris & Tadpoles; 11 Brown Trout; 12 Leaves; 13 Curlew; 14 Boots & Beer; 15 Bluebells; 16 Fungi; 17 Deer; 18 Rabbits; 19 Barn Owl; 20 Bents House; 21 Pheasant; 22 Roman Soldier.

Trail directions

1. Sheep

Head east from the car park along the minor road until you reach a forked junction. Look for the Sheep mosaic at this point.

2. Red Grouse

Take the left-hand fork and continue north-east along the road to a dry stone wall on your left. Here, you’ll find the Red Grouse mosaic.

3. Dragonfly

Head north-west on the track initially alongside the wall until you arrive at a sheep pen where you’ll see the Dragonfly mosaic.

4. Adder

Go east and uphill towards the dry stone wall where the Adder mosaic is situated.

5. Potato House

Walk east along the lane past Carlesmoor House Farm and through the hamlet of Carlesmoor. Look out for the Potato House mosaic shortly after.

6. Sighting Tower

A little further along the lane, you’ll come across the Sighting Tower mosaic.

7. Wild Rose

Continue heading east along the lane until you reach a minor road where the Wild Rose mosaic is located.

8. Great Spotted Woodpecker

Take a left and head uphill briefly to the east along the road before making a right turn onto the Ripon Rowel Walk. You’ll see the Great Spotted Woodpecker mosaic.

9. Friesian Cow

Head south along the Ripon Rowel Walk, cross the footbridge, and go uphill to find the Friesian Cow mosaic.

10. Flag Iris & Tadpoles

Head east along the track until you reach the point where it bears right. Here, you’ll find the Flag Iris & Tadpoles mosaic.

11. Brown Trout

Walk south along the lane and use the footbridge to cross the stream, then continue uphill until you find the Brown Trout mosaic.

12. Leaves

Continue south-east along Belford Lane until you reach a minor road with a farm on your left, where the Leaves mosaic is situated.

13. Curlew

Walk further south-east along the minor road until you reach the junction with the main road (Dallowgill Road), where the Curlew mosaic can be found.

14. Boots & Beer

Make a right turn at the main road and head south-west until you reach the Boots & Beer mosaic near a house with a large lawned garden.

15. Bluebells

Continue along the main road in a south-west direction, then take a right turn at Castiles Farm into Dallow Lane. Here, you’ll see the Bluebells mosaic.

16. Fungi

Follow Dallow Lane through the hamlet of Dallow and along the side of the woodland until you find the Fungi mosaic.

17. Deer

Walk down through the woods and cross the footbridge to reach a woodland clearing where the Deer mosaic can be found.

18. Rabbits

Bear right and walk uphill along the track heading north-east, then turn north and enter the field on your left to see the Rabbits mosaic.

19. Barn Owl

Head west across the field into the bottom left-hand corner and enter the woodland to find the Barn Owl mosaic.

20. Bents House

Follow the path through the woods until you emerge into open fields, then head north-west until you reach Bents House where the Bents House mosaic is located.

21. Pheasant

Walk past the buttressed barn and past another set of buildings, then head north-west across the fields towards Potter Lane Farm. Turn right at Potter Lane and walk north-east to a barn where the Pheasant mosaic can be found.

22. Roman Soldier

Follow the sunken path lined with gorse bushes north-east until you reach a minor road at the top. Turn right and head east towards the car park to find the Roman Soldier mosaic.

Print the route

If you’re interested in completing the Crackpots Mosaic Trail, feel free to open and print the PDF file below and take it with you. It contains all the information you’ll need to enjoy the walking route and find the mosaics.

👉 The Crackpots Mosaic Trail PDF file

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Look at these walking guides

Three very good paperbacks from the Amazon Cicerone store. There are many others to choose from. Although I make up my own walking routes, I regularly look at these guides for inspiration.