The Dales way takes on average 6 days to walk here is a brief summary of the route and makes a splendid #walkingholiday
Day 1
Ilkley-Burnsall 13.5 miles
The Dales Way begins at the old bridge overlooking the River Wharfe, today the route follows the river so it is easy walking and the surroundings still manage to vary enormously several Villages tempt short detours, from Ilkley The Route Heads to Addingham From there it head to Bolton Bridge crosses the A59, then onto Bolton Abbey this is a nice spot to stop and explore the ruins of Bolton Priory it dates back from 1154 there is also a nice tea room nearby there is the valley of Desolation named after a storm in 1826 it is a popular way up to Simons Seat further on from the priory the Route enter Strid wood here the Wharfe is forced a narrow Gritstone Channel which goes to a great depth the route carry’s ono Barden Bridge a short detour from here would take you to Barden Tower this was built by the cilffords of Skipton as a hunting lodge from there the route continues past the delightful village of Appletreewick then onto the finish at Burnsall, there is a pub and bed and breakfast, the best place from an evening meal is the Red Lion Hotel
Day 2
Burnsall – Buckden 15 miles
This fantastic section goes through the heart of #Wharfedale following riverside paths connecting villages and a beautiful up land traverse with splendid views across Wharfdale. From Burnsall the route follows the river going past Linton Falls to Grassington. Grassington is the capital of Upper Wharfdale with its cobbled square it has a good range of amenities if you have time it is worth a while to have a look round The Grassington folk Museum is a good place to look round the area is know for its Lead mining the area is associated with the Calendar girls and villages in the area were used as location for the film, just recently Grassington was used as a location for All Creature’s Great and Small. Away from Grassington the route moves away from the river and climbs gentle above the valley going through Limestone scenery going past Conistone Pie, here you get some of the finest views across Wharfedale and #Littondale, then the route Reaches the charming village of Kettlewell Famous for its Scarecrow festival, Kettlewell was on a major coaching route to Richmound, the village has tearooms and 3 shops from there the route continues along the River going past Starbottom and into Buckden, The village was once the centre of a large Hunting Forest, the village has accommodation and a shop it has one pub called Th Buck Inn which serve evening meals
Day 3
Buckden-Cowgill 18.5 miles
This section is the most remote and wild part of the walk also the highest point is crossed , the route Crosse the Pennine watershed there are no place to pick up any supply’s until the following day,the route continues to the hamlet of Hubberholme we leave Wharfedale behind and head into langstorthdale still following the Wharfe we go past a few more tiny Hamlets arriving at Beckermonds from there we climb the road to Oughtershaw 11oo ft above the valley from there we take a track which climbs towards the Farm at Cam Houses looking back the views open up a cross the valley going through two farms, from Cam House we continue climbing the reach the Cam High Road which is 1700ft , the Cam High road is a roman road that runs to Hawes we also join the Pennine way a #Longdistacefootpath that runs from Edale to Kirk Yelthom The route continues along the road with great view the 3 peaks and #Ribblehead Viaduct we reach Gearstones from there we crosss the road and follow the path that lead to the head of Dentdale from there the route follows the road and we arrive at Cowgill which is a pub Sportsman Arms they do Bed and Breakfast and evening meals
Day 4
Cowgill-Sedbergh 10 miles
This section traverses the full length of Dentdale following the river Dee, Dent is the midway point which is a good place to stop with its cobbled streets , the route from Cowgill is following Riverside paths and minor road so you need to look out for traffic, when you get to Dent agood place to go is Dent Heritage Centre, Dent has a few nice Tearooms, Adam Sedgwick a famous pioneer of Geology was born in Dent, The village is also know for its terrible knitters, Dent also as a railway station on the Settle to Carlisle railway but is 4 miles way from the village it is the highest mainland station in England at a height of 1150 feet. the route continues to Rash Bridge then turns away from the river arriving in Sedbergh. The village is famous for its school is the largest community in the #Yorkshiredales and at the foot of the magnificent #HowgillFells. Sedbergh is also known as Englands booktown in #Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales as you would expect of a large village it has plenty of amenities one of the beat places for an evening meal is The Black Bull Inn hotel, The Dalesmen also do nice meals
Day 5
Sedbergh-Burneside 17 miles
This day has immense variety the countryside between the Lakes and Dales following the rivers Rawthey and Lune for a time before we get to the rivers Sprint and Mint which leads to the River Kent. The river Kent starts life high up in the #HighStreet range of mountains in The Lake District it goes through the town of Kendal and empties into Morecombe Bay there are no shops on route so you need to carry supplies, from sedbergh the route follows the rive Rawthey then turns to Brigflatts picking up the river Lune going under the Lune viaduct which carried the branch railway Ingleton-Tebay you can still get great views of the Howgills which rise to 2,000ft, the Lune rises in the Howgills, we leave the River and cross the M6 there the route follows various paths to Patton Bridge and the river mint from there the route makes its way to Burneside and the River Kent, the best place to stay and eat is the Jolly Anglers or you could get a taxi/bus/train into Kendal which is 2 miles away and more choice
Day 6
Burneside-Bowness 10 miles
The last day brings about 2 well defined sections, the first is following the banks of the River Kent which Shepheard us into Lakeland proper then we have the rolling upland pastures over Lakeland terrain with fine Mountain Views , the Route Leave Burneside following the river Kent to Staveley. Until 1988 the main road to the Lakes ran through Staveley and the by pass was built, it also has a railway line which was built in 1847 from the Village the route leaves the river crosses the railway line and make its way to school knott where there are paramaniac Views to the mountains to name a few #Fairfield #Langdalepikes, #Bowfell and #Crinklecraggs the views are fantastic radiating for miles from there you carry straight on Bowness arriving at Lake Windermere, there is alot to do in Bowness you can take an open top bus ride, take a steamer ride around the lake or look round Bowness there are plenty of shops and eateries
The Journey from Yorkshire to Cumbria is fantastic, if you have a few days to spare you could spend time climbing the mountains in the area or if you wanted to explore the lakes further you could do the #Cumbriaway which is a long distance walk that goes through the heart of the Lake District it runs from Ullverston and finishes in the border city of Carlisle
Northern Guiding runs guided walking holidays both on The Dales Way and Cumbria Way go to our web pages.