Grab your wellies and pack a picnic – it’s time to go on a fun-filled, family-friendly walk the kids will love near Leeds.
Looking for family-friendly walks in and around Leeds? Look no further. We’ve put on our walking boots, zipped up our waterproofs and explored the great Yorkshire scenery on our doorstep to bring you 10 brilliant kid-friendly routes. Get ready to go on epic expeditions into the jungles of the Meanwood Valley Trail, follow the tracks of ancient railways through The Lines Way and discover the incredible views high up on Otley Chevin. With plenty to keep the kids entertained and a handful of options for buggies, you’re sure to find something that suits.
Bramley Fall Woods Circular
If you want an easy, nature-filled walk the kids will love in Leeds, head to Bramley Fall Woods. This 1.7-mile route near Pudsey starts and ends in the same place, so you can head back to the car easy-peasy, but it’s also short at less than hour and generally easygoing underfoot.
Pushchairs might be awkward in more muddy spots and crossing the Leeds Liverpool Canal locks at Newlay, but carriers and wellies will be well rewarded as you shuttle down hills, take canal-side paths and explore the pretty woods.
Start point: Pollard Lane – find it on Google Maps.
Distance: 1.7 miles.
Difficulty: Easy.
Route: Check out the route.
Yeadon Tarn Circular
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On the outskirts of Leeds, Yeadon Tarn is an idyllic spot for one of the best family-friendly walks in Leeds. The scenic backdrop of yachts, water fountains and woodland set the scene, while the picnic-perfect grassy patches and great playground are great for breaking up this 1-mile wander.
This walk is proper pram-friendly, with a paved, completely flat path circling the water, where you can also get up close to swans and ducks – bring some feed if you like, but leave the bread at home!
Start point: Cemetery Road – find it on Google Maps.
Distance: 1 mile.
Difficulty: Easy.
Route: Check out the route.
Harrogate Pinewoods
If you want to get away from the city for your next family-friendly walk near Leeds, why not try this belting 1.5-mile walk outside of Harrogate? It’s just 40 minutes from the city centre and will take around an hour to complete. This one is best for little walkers, but if you’ve got a carrier for littler ones, it should be a perfect gentle walk, full of woodland and parkland.
The Pinewoods are glorious, ready-made for eager explorers to get close to nature, with loads of birds to discover as you head to Valley Gardens, a great spot for a picnic. And if you really want to make a day of it, RHS Harlow Carr is just next door.
Start point: Harlow Moor Drive – find it on Google Maps.
Distance: 1.5 miles.
Difficulty: Easy.
Route: Check out the route.
Roundhay Park Circular
When it comes to family-friendly walks in Leeds, you can’t ever go wrong with Roundhay Park, and this walk is a doozy with the kids. It’s the perfect way to explore one of Europe’s largest parks, home to ample parking so you can reach the start easily – why not park by Tropical World and add to that to your day?
It takes you first along the smaller Upper Lake, then through the woodland to the castle folly, before you follow the perimeter of the Waterloo Lake to the Lakeside Cafe. There are playgrounds and picnic spots aplenty to boot. Got a buggy? Just stick to the paths around the lakes.
Start point: Princes Avenue – find it on Google Maps.
Distance: 2.5 miles.
Difficulty: Easy.
Route: Check out the route.
The Otley Chevin Surprise View Circular
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Got eager little ramblers at home? Want to show them some impressive views? This is one of the best walks with kids near Leeds. It’s 2.7-miles-long, so perhaps one for the little ones who can walk for a couple of hours, but the paths are easy to follow and fairly flat.
Kick things off at Surprise View car park, which in easy reach of the start – you can head clockwise or anticlockwise, but either way, you’ll get to enjoy incredible views over Otley, explore vast woodland, visit an old quarry, wander through a nature reserve and soak up the vista over Wharfedale.
Start point: Surprise View Car Park – find it on Google Maps.
Distance: 2.7 miles.
Difficulty: Easy.
Route: Check out the route.
Eccup Reservoir Circular
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If you’ve got slightly older kids and are looking for great family-friendly walks in Leeds, head to Eccup Reservoir. This flat 5-mile route is perfect for a long afternoon stroll with plenty to see and enjoy. It starts on Alwoodley Lane with a walk through the Goodrick Plantation and onto Owlet Hall Farm where the kids can really enjoy a beautiful woodland.
Then it’s onto the reservoir at the bottom of the Dales Link Way, but keep an eye out for all manner of birds and wildlife. Why not bring a picnic to enjoy before you head back to the car?
Start point: Alwoodley Lane – find it on Google Maps.
Distance: 5 miles.
Difficulty: Easy.
Route: Check out the route.
Castle Hill Circular
It should take just under an hour from Leeds to the outskirts of Huddersfield to start the Castle Hill Circular and if you’ve got good little ramblers in your brood, this 3.9-mile wander promises to be a great day out.
Starting on Ashes Common, it’s mostly easy, visible paths that take you around two Iron Age hill forts, the site of a deserted medieval village and a 12th-century motte-and-bailey castle. There are incredible views from the start, plenty of places to stop for a picnic and all manner of woodland, before a final climb up to Castle Hill.
Start point: Castle Hill Side – find it on Google Maps.
Distance: 3.9 miles.
Difficulty: Easy.
Route: Check out route.
Meanwood Valley Trail
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Although the full route could be a bit much for little ones, the fact that the Meanwood Valley Trail is customisable and can be split into three parts makes it one of the best family-friendly walks in Leeds. The full trail is 7-miles-long, but you can split it into segments, with two 2-mile and one 3-mile routes.
Highlights include the historic Seven Arches Aqueduct, the beautiful Hollies and the rolling Meanwood Beck, with plenty of flora and fauna to discover. There are climbs and muddy patches, so not one for buggies, but it’s a win with welly-wearing kids!
Start point: Woodhouse Moor Car Park – find it on Google Maps.
Distance: 7 miles.
Difficulty: Easy.
Route: Check out the route.
The Lines Way
Credit: Elspeth Robinson/Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
A green corridor that runs along a disused railway track, The Lines Way is a 3.5-mile stretch that passes four different wildlife reserves, making it one of the best nature walks with kids in Leeds, perfect for multiple visits. The rails have been taken off to form a footpath suitable for buggies and wheelchairs, so it’s a great and accessible family-friendly option.
Woodland, wetland and hedgerows line the track, changing the further you go, while they can charge through old arches once used by the trains and play hide and seek in the woods.
Start point: 1 Blands Crescent – find it on Google Maps.
Distance: 3.5 miles.
Difficulty: Easy.
Route: Check out the route.
St Aidan’s Nature Reserve
An RSPB site with plenty of lakes and wetland birds, St Aidan’s Nature Reserve is a hidden gem that may have passed you by. There are a series of flat and pushchair-friendly routes that weave around the lakes and lots of picnic spots, as well as two slightly more challenging walks.
From skylarks to marsh harriers, you can spot loads of feathered friends on your way round, which makes it one of the best walks for kids near Leeds. Pick up walking guides and kids’ activity packs from the visitors centre in the car park, and get exploring!
Start point: St Aidan’s Nature Reserve – find it on Google Maps.
Distance: Ranging from 1.1 miles to 3 miles.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate.
Route: Check out the routes.
