Druid’s Temple Circular Walk Guide

I’m not so sure about this walk. First of all, Druid’s Temple was great, and I enjoyed having a walk around this area. The rest of the route I’m iffy about.

Looking into the stone circular of Druid's Temple at the end of the circular walk.

A stone structure surrounded by woodland trees on the walk around Druid's Temple.

I had decided to do this walk anticlockwise, so as to finish with Druid’s Temple. Give me something to head towards, and imagine I was on some sort of adventure. A mission to find the temple. Like Indiana Jones (which was my favourite movie as a child). In that respect, the walk didn’t disappoint. From the sections of bog and mud, to the apocalypse of flies, and just general feeling of uneasiness.

Looking through a gap in the straggly trees to the ruins of a stone building, partway through the Druid's Temple circular walk.

Why did I feel so uneasy? It was sort of a combination of things. The perfect storm to feed my anxiety. I explain in better detail when I describe the route further down.

If I was to do it again, I would just walk straight to Druid’s Temple, and have an explore around that area. It’s large enough, with numerous trail options, and some lovely views. However, just because I didn’t like the full circular, doesn’t mean you won’t. My anxiety had a big part to play in this. I will show you what it’s like and you can decide for yourself.

What is Druid’s Temple?

Druid’s Temple is basically a series of stones, which is not quite as ancient as it may seem. It was in fact designed using places like Stonehenge as inspiration. William Danby (a wealthy landowner) had it built in the 19th century, as a way to ease unemployment, and pay the local people for their labour.

Looking down over the stone circle of Druid's Temple near the end of the circular walk. The stones are surrounded by tall woodland trees.

If you want to see some actual prehistoric rocks, then you should head to Avebury. It’s the largest Neolithic stone circle in the world. You would need to head to Wiltshire, in the very south of England, to see it.

Staying local, Brimham Rocks are also super super old. Older than the dinosaurs. This walk takes you around them, and then across the moor. I was very impressed by these rocks. You can also see the rocks as part of this Pateley Bridge route.

How long is the Druid’s Temple walk?

If you simply want to just see Druid’s Temple, you can walk there from the car park in a couple of minutes. To do this full circular route, it’s about 5 miles.

Looking across the grass field towards a hill of patchwork green grass fields.

Is Druid’s Temple easy to walk?

Walking around Druid’s Temple is super easy. The full circular walk is definitely more of a slog, with some hills, and lots of bog and mud, but I would still rate it as easy.

A grass field with turfs of hay grass, and woodland trees ahead.

A large grass field with a metal barrel on wheels on the right side.

Where do you park for Druid’s Temple?

You need to park at Swinton Bivouac, which is a camp ground area. There is a medium sized gravel parking area which may or may not be free to park. I’m not entirely sure, but it looks like payment is voluntary.

It’s a bit odd, because payment is done via an honesty box. But you have to put the money in an envelope with your registration plate number on it. Kind of like naming and shaming whether you are honest or not. At the time of writing, it costs £2 for a car.

A field with white yurts at Swinton Bivouac, at the start of the Druid's Temple circular walk.

A small wooden A frame hut on stilts, with a sign that says 'Parking and Bike track hut'. — This is the honesty box

A gravel car path with a few parked cars on the right side.

It looks like it gets busy on weekends. I arrived at midday Saturday, and it was actually almost empty. However, it was also the day of the King’s Coronation. Once I got back at around 2pm (after the coronation was finished), it was full.

Is Druid’s Temple pram friendly?

The trails around Druid’s Temple are suitable for off road type prams in parts. They are somewhat maintained, although a little rugged and a bit muddy in some areas, so you may need to adjust where you walk. The full circular route is not.

A muddy dirt trail leading around a stone structure in the woods, on the walk around Druid's Temple.

A very muddy trail lined with tall woodland trees, when walking through the woods at Druid's Temple. — One of the muddy bits in the woods at Druid’s Temple

Is the Druid’s Temple walk dog friendly?

Druid’s Temple is dog friendly, but the full circular route has some obstacles. First, there is a lot of sheep, so dogs would need to be kept on a lead most of the way.

A sheep and two lambs sitting in a grass field, on the Druid's Temple circular walk.

A sheep with two lamps feeding from it, in a large grass field.

There are some stiles, however, at the time of writing, you don’t need to worry about them. At every one, the fence on either side is either completely broken, or there are big holes. The first one actually has a doggy door.

What time is Druid’s Temple open?

Druid’s Temple is open 24h a day, and is free to explore.

Logistics

Start/finish: Swinton Bivouac car park
Where is it: The car park is easy to find. As you are approaching Druid’s Temple by car, there are signs directing you where to go. Post code is HG4 4JZ.

Distance: 5 miles for the full circular. Less than a mile if you want to just walk straight to Druid’s Temple.
Time: 2h
Terrain: Grass, bog, mud, dirt trail, some road.

Difficulty: Easy
Time of year: I did this in spring
Amenities: At Swinton Bivouac, there is a cafe. Nothing along the route itself.

Map for the Druid’s Temple circular walk

You can find my more detailed walk map for the full Druid’s Temple circular walk on AllTrails

Route Description for the Druid’s Temple circular walk

From the car park, if you want to go straight to Druid’s Temple, walk back out, and turn left at the end. At this point, there are signs telling you where to go. It’s a little bit more road walking to reach the woodland, with an information board giving you all the details.

Start the circular walk

From the car park, walk to the other end and onto the dirt track, which curves to the left around the building area. A short way along, there is a stile with doggy door to the right. Go through there.

A muddy track on the right, curving to the left around a bamboo fence.

A stile in a wooden fence, separating the grass fields.

Over the stile, you need to head all the way downhill in a straight line. It’s along here where the mass of bog happens. Some parts were deceptive, as I put my foot down onto what seemed like a dry patch, to be sucked right in. It was very swampy.

Looking down the grass hill field, with a stone wall running down the middle of it. There are woodland trees in the distance at the bottom of the hill.

A muddy wet strip along the side of a stone wall in the field. — The bit that looks safe and grassy is actually bog

What I realised, after some back and forth trying to navigate the bog, was that if you don’t walk so close to the stone wall, the ground is actually drier.

When you reach the bottom, go through the gate on the left.

A wooden gate in the stone wall, with woodland trees on the other side.

The flies

I had started to experience some flies further back, but it was here that they came in full force. Big flies with hanging legs. To give you an idea, I had to keep my mouth shut, although, they did still find their way into my nose. I have never experienced anything like this and wondered if something had died nearby.

These flies went on and on as I made my way along the grass ridge.

A grass ridge path with woodland trees on the other side of a wire fence on the right, and some yellow gorse bushes on the left, near the start of the Druid's Temple circular walk. — I’m surprised you cant see the flies in the photo. It’s like they weren’t there and I was imagining it

My mind started to play with me, and I envisioned the flies engulfing me to the point of death. The further I went, the worse they got. I even started to panic a little, like I was heading to my doom. As I write this now, from the comfort of my bedroom, I feel a little silly. Death by flies.

The grass trail and silence

At the end you will reach the road. This is where the flies stopped. Like the road had an invisible shield. The safe space.

The grass path leading onto the side of a road, with a stone wall and wooden trail signpost on the left. There is a stone hut building on the other side of the road to the left.

At the road, turn left, and just on the right passed the abandoned shed, is a gate to take you back onto the trail.

The next section is a grassy strip of trail, which goes on for some time, through a few gates. It was eerily silent, with the occasional animal noise. I was already on edge from the flies, so every noise startled me. I felt like I was being watched. Followed. I hadn’t told anyone I was out here. There was no phone signal. I hadn’t passed a single person. If I was attacked, there was no one to hear me scream.

I told myself I was being silly….and picked up the pace.

A grass trail with yellow gorse bushes to the right and orange hay grass to the left.

A grass trail leading ahead, lined with orange hay grass, and some trees ahead.

The bridge and broken fences

When you reach a more open area, there is a bridge over to the left, or the grass trail to the right. I could see the grass trail took me towards an abandoned shed building. I was already creeped out and wanted to finish the walk to Druid’s Temple as quickly as possible. The bridge route is shorter, so I went with that.

To take the bridge, on the gate there is a yellow arrow marker. I imagine one would usually walk through the gate, however, the fence was completely broken down and being taken over by nature.

An open area of grass with trees ahead and to the left, and a metal gate on the left.

A yellow on a wooden post, pointing ahead to the right.

A wooden bridge over a stream of water on the circular walk to Druid's Temple. There is a tree straight on the other end of the bridge.

Over the bridge, turn right towards the next stile, with a broken down fence. Then go up the hill to the next stile with a broken fence.

A wooden stile surrounded by dead orange fern.

A dirt trial leading up to a wooden stile and broken down fence.

The fields and farm

Past the stile, you need to walk in a diagonal to the right. There is a faint marking of grass trail which will lead you up the hill to the gate, and into a large field of sheep.

A grass trail through a field with a few big trees ahead.

A wooden fence and gate ahead in the field.

A large grass field with a few sheep and lambs ahead, and some trees on the other side.

Continue straight across this field, and take the second gate opening (see photo below). Through there, you want to head in a diagonal to the right, towards the farm building.

A puddle in the opening of a fence, with a big tree on the right, partway through the walk to Druid's Temple.

A grass field with a fence ahead, and a field on the other side. There are farm buildings on the other side of the second field.

My guard was up again. After that farm dog chased me recently, I get very nervous around farms. Anticipating that next attack.

At the gate opening, follow the yellow arrow left but slightly right, to reach the stile (also with a big hole in the fence).

A yellow arrow on a wooden fence, pointing to the left, partway through the circular walk towards Druid's Temple.

A wooden stile with a wire fence on the left and metal gate with holes on the right, in a field of overgrown grass.

Over the stile, turn right to go over the next stile, then through the gate past the farm building.

A small grassy area, with a stone wall ahead, and farm building on the other side.

A wooden fence and metal gate corner with a stone budding on the right and farm sheds ahead.

Again, the silence was really making me nervous. My mind was envisioning me being kidnapped and locked in a basement. I told myself that it was so silent because everyone was watching the Coronation.

Regardless, I hurried along the path quickly to leave the farm area, to reach the road at the end.

A road track leading through and open white gate, lined with stone walls.

The road

At the road turn left. There is now a fair bit of road walking. Uphill to start, then it levels off. It’s not a busy main road, so there is no need to worry on that side of things.

A road lined with bushy trees on the left and leafless trees on the right.

As you may have gathered by now, I was highly anxious. So when I heard a car coming up from behind, which would be my first human contact on this Druid’s Temple walk, I was convinced it was coming to abduct me, and I really did let out a sigh of relief when it just drove on by.

When you reach the turning with a sign pointing left to Swinton Bivouac and Druid’s Temple, walk to the right instead, and along the side road.

The road as it curves ahead to the left, with a side road leading off it straight. The road is lined with grass. — Turn right here

A grey sign with white writing saying 'Swinton Bivouac and Druid's Temple' and an arrow pointing left to walk to it. There is a wooden fence and field behind the sign. — Turn right

Keep following this road as it curves you around a little, then past a house and through a gate into the next field.

A side road leading straight ahead, lined with strips of grass and a few trees.

A road leading through a gap in the stone wall, and a wooden trail signpost on the right, on the walk towards Druid's Temple.

A dirt track leading through a metal gate and into a field.

Fields, fields and more fields

You may have guessed it, now it’s lots of field walking, and a little random in parts.

In this field, follow the track towards the woodland on the other side, and then through the gate on the left.

A metal gate leading to a grass trail. There is a mass of woodland trees on the right side of the trail.

Now you just go straight. Straight through some more gates, and across more fields.

The grass trail leading to a metal gate with a large grass field on the other side.

A large grass field with a sheep and lamps walking across it, on the walk to Druid's Temple. There is a wooden fence on the other side of the field and one large tree.

A large grass field with a hay feeding trough on the left.

A muddy strip leading to a metal gate in the stone wall, and a field on the other side. There are a couple of sheep sitting on the other side of the fence.

Once you reach the gate in the photo below, you change direction.

Looking down the grass hill, to a metal gate and fields of green on the other side. There is a big mass of trees on the right side.

Now this is where it gets a bit odd. The trail takes you in a left diagonal, all the way to reach a wooden signpost telling you to go left to walk to Druid’s Temple. So essentially you end up walking in a V in a field, which felt a little pointless.

A large grass field with tufts of hay grass on the walk towards Druid's Temple.

A wooden trail signpost pointing left to walk to Druid's Temple.

I didn’t want to do this so followed the trail to the right, which according to my map would take me into the woodland and along to Druid’s Temple. However, once I reached the woods I came across a very small sign saying private, no entry. No fences or anything. Just a small almost missable stump. My anxiety spiked again, standing there in these private woods. So I rushed on back up the hill, to follow the sign for Druid’s Temple in that pointless V.

Following this direction, you will go through another gate, across another field, and through a stone wall, heading towards the woods.

A small metal gate in the wooden and wire fence, leading to a field on the other side. There are tufts of hay grass around the fence.

A wooden stump trail post with a red arrow pointing the way to walk to Druid's Temple ahead, across a very large grass field. There are trees lining the field on the other side in the distance.

A small wooden gate in the stone wall, with a large grass field on the other side.

A grass trail in the field, leading towards woodland trees.

The reservoir view

As I was walking along the edge of the woods, I took a look back and gasped at the view of the reservoir below. I had wondered if I would get to see the reservoir on this walk, although, with all those other things going through my mind, I had completely forgotten about it. It made me a feel a little calmer seeing it. Views, particularly water views, always make me feel good.

Looking down the grass hill fields to the reservoir at the bottom, near the end of the Druid's Temple circular walk.

Walk into the woods towards Druid’s Temple

Walking along the edge of the woods, you will reach an interesting bridge on the left. According to my map, I needed to stay straight, which I soon discovered is wrong. What you need to do is go over that bridge and turn right.

A wooden walkway and bridge on the left, leading into the woods, with a grass field on the right.

Staying straight, I reached a locked gate laced with barbed wire, and had to carefully climb over it. I didn’t have it in me to walk back.

A red metal gate with a stone wall on the right and partly broken wire fence on the left, and woodland trees on the other side.

Either way, you should end up on a woodland trail.

A long strip of dirt trial through the woods with tall trees, on the walk towards Druid's Temple.

Stay following this trail, ignoring the trail offshoots to the right, all the way to the end. This time you turn right (see third photo below).

A wide trail in the woods, on the walk towards Druid's Temple.

A thin dirt trail surround by bushes and trees.

A grass trail, with a wooden stump trail signpost on the right, and a mass of trees ahead, on the walk towards Druid's Temple.

Keep going, and soon Druid’s Temple will appear.

A muddy path of trail in the woods, leading to an opening with some of the stones of Druid's Temple visible ahead.

The rocks of Druid's Temple with a dirt walking trail around it.

You can walk through Druid’s Temple, and for the best view, go up the small hill to the left of it.

What happened to me?

I was so happy to be here. Mission accomplished. I really had felt like I had been on some dangerous adventure, and made it to the end alive.

I don’t know why my anxiety had reared its head. All the things that happened don’t usually trigger me (except the dog fear, which you can find more background on here). I get asked all the time if I feel safe when out walking alone. The answer is yes, without doubt. In fact, I love it. I prefer it. So that constant fear of being abducted was unusual. Something I didn’t mention, as I knew I would sound crazy, but there was also a point in the walk, through one of the fields, that I had this feeling someone was lurking behind, and going to shoot me in the back. I had a real sense of urgency throughout the walk.

I really hope this was a one off, and I guess I will find out on my walk tomorrow….

Update: Tomorrow happened, and I did a wonderful walk from Muker to some waterfalls. It was perfect. No anxiety.

Walk around Druid’s Temple woods

From Druid’s Temple, you can have a nice walk through the woods. I took the trail to the right of it, which leads to more rocks, and a wonderful view down to the reservoir.

A wide dirt trail through the woods on the walk away from Druid's Temple, leading to an opening of light straight ahead.

Looking down the hill, through a gap in the trees, to the reservoir below on the walk through the woods around Druid's Temple.

To keep things simple, I ended up sticking to the main trail that took me on a loop, but there are other trails around you can take to explore. I was done with exploring today.

A grassy dirt trail leading through the tall trees, near the end of the circular Druid's Temple walk. — One of the offshoot trails

The main trail will lead you around, past some more rocks, to reach the entrance and information board. From here, take the road to the right, which will lead you back towards Swinton Bivouac.

A stone structure surrounded by woodland trees, with small rays of light shining down on it, near the end of the walk around Druid's Temple.

A road path circling around a small green.

A white signpost pointing left for Druid's Temple, and right for Swinton Bivouac, at the end of the walk.

More walks near Druid’s Temple

Also in the northern area of Nidderdale, is Scar House Reservoir. It is in my top three favourite reservoirs to walk around. Nice and moody. My other favourite reservoir is Grimwith, over in the Yorkshire Dales. This walk features a bit of history (older than Druid’s Temple).

Further south in Nidderdale, you could try this walk around Brimham Rocks. It’s a nice easy short route, however, if you want something a bit longer and more challenging, there is a great walk from Pateley Bridge. I will get that one published soon.

Also local is Hackfall Woods, which is an enchanting ancient woodland, with beautiful rugged landscaping. I thoroughly enjoyed that one. You can read about the walk through Hackfall Woods here.

For more walks in the Nidderdale Area, you can read my guide on all the best walking routes here.

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Druid's Temple walk guide in North Yorkshire.