13/10/2026
Here’s a link to the crackpots trail
🧩 CRACKPOTS MOSAIC TRAIL: 22 MOSAICS AROUND DALLOWGILL
🐾 The Crackpots Mosaic Trail is a seven-mile circular walk through Dallowgill in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire. Along the way, the route leads you in search of 22 mosaics depicting local scenery, wildlife, plants and aspects of the area's heritage.
🎨 The mosaics were created in 1997 as part of a community project celebrating Nidderdale's designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the protected landscape now known as Nidderdale National Landscape. The idea was to encourage people to explore and appreciate this wonderfully quiet part of the countryside while discovering the artworks along the way.
👥 The 22 mosaics were made by a group called 'The Crackpots' from the nearby village of Kirkby Malzeard. They worked under the guidance of Margaret Murphy from Rural Arts North Yorkshire, creating the collection of colourful mosaics that now forms the basis of this unusual walking trail.
🚗 Dallowgill is within easy reach of places such as Harrogate, Ripon and Pateley Bridge. The walk starts from the parking area on Kirkby Malzeard Moor above Tom Corner, close to the junction of Kirkby Moor Road and Greystone Head.
🧭 I recommend following the trail clockwise. Part of the enjoyment comes from searching for all 22 mosaics as you go, and a few are surprisingly easy to miss. The seven-mile route uses a mixture of tarmac roads, gravel tracks, fields and woodland paths, with some steeper, rougher and potentially muddy sections. Current official guidance suggests around two and a half to three hours, although it is worth allowing extra time if you want to take things steadily and properly enjoy the hunt for the mosaics.
📜 My website page contains much more information about the Crackpots Mosaic Trail, including a route map, photographs of every mosaic and a printable document that you can take with you while completing the walk.
https://www.paulbeal.com/crackpots-mosaic-trail
👀 Here are all 22 mosaics to look out for along the route. Good luck finding them all:
🐑 Sheep
🦆 Red Grouse
🪰 Dragonfly
🐍 Adder
🥔 Potato House
🔭 Sighting Tower
🌹 Wild Rose
🪵 Great Spotted Woodpecker
🐄 Friesian Cow
🌾 Flag Iris & Tadpoles
🐟 Brown Trout
🍃 Leaves
🐦 Curlew
🍺 Boots & B**r
🔵 Bluebells
🍄 Fungi
🦌 Deer
🐇 Rabbits
🦉 Barn Owl
🏠 Bents House
🐓 Pheasant
👨✈️ Roman Soldier
Hello, fellow walkers and explorers! I'm Paul Beal, from Guisborough in Northern England. Now a retired self-employed shopkeeper, I've dedicated my post-work life to a longstanding passion of mine—hik
