1. Start your ride at the Friden car park (a useful car park for accessing the Pennine Bridleway too!). Only this time, head back down onto the road, turn right and ride north under the Pennine Bridleway bridge. After 500m on this road, you will see a bridleway gate to the right. Take this path which follows parallel to the road as it bends left before separating and heading 90 degrees right into the first dale. Go through the bridleway gates and enjoy your first grassy canter through the tree lined meadow, heading eastwards. You will pass through two fields with gates, making sure you keep to the bottom of the dale.

2. The bridleway curves left and heads uphill to another gate. From here, follow the stone wall along the tops, affording you magnificent views of Gratton Dale and the surrounding countryside. Follow the bridleway as it drops down slowly into the dale (photo above). Once at the bottom of the dale, enjoy another canter through the magnificent limestone scenery.

3. You will arrive at a set of two gates. Go through the first and turn immediately left to pass through the second. Be careful, these gates are narrow for a horse with stone gate posts that aren’t very forgiving! (You can extend this route by going right however it does involve a busy road) . Follow Gratton Dale bridleway north passing until you reach a minor country lane. 

4. Turn left at the road (Dale End) and ride along the road west, making sure to take the left hand road heading up hill when you reach the fork. Continue along this road, past several dairy farms until the road turns sharply right.

5. At this point, pick up the obvious bridleway track heading left The start of this route follows a narrow drove but this soon opens out into fields again before joining up with the top of Gratton Dale where you passed through earlier on.