The Dales Way - A Walker's Guide

Picturesque 78 mile route through the Yorkshire Dales and the eastern fringe of the Lake District between Ilkley and Bowness on Windermere. The Dales Way is one of the gentlest multi-day walks in Britain, and an excellent introduction to long-distance walking. Route described in both directions.

It is 13 years since I worked on the first edition of this guidebook, although in the meantime I have rewalked many sections of the Dales Way while working on other projects. The enchantment I experienced during that first effort has reduced not one iota – the Dales Way is every bit as beautiful and charming and agreeable as ever it was. In some ways, because odd kinks have been ironed out and some passages improved, the entire route is rather better than it was, though on the whole little has changed. This still ranks as the finest multi-day walking route in Britain on which to cut one's teeth – in my opinion, anyway, and I have tried a good number of them now.

The Dales Way is a monument to cooperation between the Countryside Commission and the West Riding group of the Ramblers' Association. With commendable vision it was this arm of the RA that in the late 1960s foresaw the unquestionable appeal of a fine line through the valleys of the Dales and across the watershed of Britain into Cumbria, finally dropping to an abrupt end on the shores of the country's largest lake, Windermere. By pressing on to Windermere, the originators of the way effectively and most attractively linked two of the country's major national parks.

The nature of the countryside through which the Dales Way passes is such that this is a far less demanding walk than other middle- and long-distance paths, and for that reason alone is suited to walkers wanting either to complete the walk in sections, returning weekend after weekend until the whole route is covered, or those who want to tackle a multiple day walk for the first time. That is not to say that the Dales Way is any kind of soft option: adverse weather while crossing between Cam Houses and Dentdale, for example, would test the most experienced walkers, and there are many sections were the conditions underfoot are potentially treacherous. But you are seldom far from help or shelter, while the discomforts and privations one generally associates with long backpacking trips are unlikely to prove a burden for long.

There is no question but that over the years of the Dales Way's existence it has significantly helped the local economies along its length, and many isolated farmhouses will now gladly furnish walkers with a range of facilities. But it should not be forgotten that we need to respect property and privacy, especially at times of the year critical to the welfare of the farming economy. In particular, take great care during lambing time between March and May (sometimes a little earlier), when dogs must be under the tightest of controls. From May into summer many of the seemingly lush meadows, alongside the rivers in particular, provide a vital hay crop for the hill farmer. Where the way goes through such fields, do make a point of travelling in single file to avoid damage. It may be grass to us, but it is part of a livelihood to a farmer. Towards the end of the year, from mid-August, we have the grouse-shooting season, and while this doesn’t often affect the way, there are stretches where shooting does take place, on the flanks of Blea Moor, for example. Wherever shooting is going on, do take great care and ensure that you are seen.

One of the great attractions of the Dales Way is that it is rarely far from features of architectural, social, ecological or historic interest – churches, bridges, manor houses, shooting lodges, Roman roads, ancient stone circles, packhorse bridges, suspension bridges, viaducts, nature trails – the Dales Way has them all. It is, too, rich in flora and fauna, unbelievably so, and walkers intending to tackle the way in one go would do well to allow time each day to take everything in, rather than barging on, head down, making for the next overnight halt. The interest never lets up, from the first step to the last. This surely is a hallmark of the greatest of walks, and in the case of the Dales Way, a fitting testimony to the skill and vision of the men and women who pioneered its route.

It is, too, a walk for all seasons, though spring and autumn have the edge. But with careful planning, a winter walk is not beyond the bounds of reason, and certain to add a whole new perspective to the landscape.

The Second Edition

Revised, rewalked, reworked, remeasured. In preparing this second edition of the Dales Way guidebook, the route was walked in its entirety in both directions between September and December 2004, and so contains all route amendments and changes in being at that time, including the reinstated Mint Bridge, the original of which was washed away in February 2004.

The second edition differs from the first in that it includes the entire route in the opposite direction, for those who want to begin in the Lake District and end in Ilkley. And the many unofficial variants included in the first edition have been left out, leaving walkers to focus entirely on the Dales Way. In any case, experienced walkers will have no problem working out variant routes of their own.

The 'reverse' direction route description does not include the background information and commentary found in the Ilkley to Bowness direction, but this information is cross-referenced from the relevant pages, allowing readers to quickly find what they are looking for. The reverse route description is rather more simplified than the outward direction, but provides enough information for the route to be followed accurately. There are also cross-references in the reverse route description to the maps in the outward direction.

Unlike the first edition, this edition does not contain an accommodation guide. Over the shelf-life of a book of this kind, such information quickly becomes meaningless and unhelpful. Up-to-date information is, however, readily available on an annual basis from other sources – see Accommodation and Additional Information below.

Planning the Walk

The total distance of the Dales Way is 126km (78.7 miles), give or take a few strides.

Having a number of long-distance walks under my belt, I know full well the importance of maintaining daily progress, of not falling behind schedule, especially if time is limited. But I know, too, that too much progress focuses the mind rather more on the end of the walk and not on what there is to enjoy throughout it. Keeping going, sticking to 22, 25, 28km (14, 16, 18 miles) each day, simply becomes a route march, and if you apply those tactics to the Dales Way you will be back home in no time, and possibly wondering what all the fuss was about, largely having missed the point.

With so much of interest concentrated in so (comparatively) short a walk, for a full enjoyment of the process it is vital to allow time to explore and potter about, to paddle in the streams and rivers, to visit churches (and pubs), to get something of a feel for the lifestyle that permeates the course of the way and of the history that has fashioned the land it traverses. Generally, it is not a bad idea to take your cue from the rivers you will follow – nowhere do they charge headlong, save for the odd moment of madness, preferring to meander gently, switching this way and that to inspect nooks and crannies, going with the flow. You should do the same.

To avoid imposing any set pattern on the walk beyond that demanded by the disposition of accommodation, no attempt has been made to configure the guide into daily sections. Each of the sections simply represents a linking together of two or more geographical locations, that's all. Given this format, the walker can construct his or her own daily dosage according to standards of fitness and competence, and inclination to wander and explore.

All of this presupposes that walkers want to do the whole thing from end to end in one endeavour, but the Dales Way also lends itself very much to completion on a piecemeal basis. There are generally good public transport services along much of its length, notably in the early and later stages, to facilitate walkers who must return to base, while only a modicum of cooperation is needed for groups of walkers with at least two cars to devise linear excursions. Public transport is also available at each end of the Way, both Ilkley and Bowness being convenient for British Rail links, the former from Bradford and Leeds, the latter by way of Windermere to Oxenholme on the west coast mainline.