Walking in the Yorkshire Dales: South and West

Wharfedale, Littondale, Malhamdale, Dentdale and Ribblesdale

By Dennis Kelsall, Jan Kelsall

ISBN

9781852848859

Availability

Published

13 Apr 2017

Reprinted

9 Jun 2022

Edition

Second

Pages

256

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.45cm

Weight

280g

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Part of a 2-book set, this guidebook describes 44 walks in the southern and western Yorkshire Dales, including the famous 23 mile Three Peaks circuit over Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough. The other, mostly circular routes of 3½ to 13 miles cover the scenic region between Sedbergh, Kirkby Lonsdale, Settle, Skipton and Grassington.

Seasons

Year round walking in the Yorkshire Dales, but be properly kitted out on the tops in winter.

Centres

Skipton, Settle, Grassington, Kirkby Lonsdale, Sedbergh, Dent, Grassington, Clapham, Malham

Difficulty

From gentle two-mile walks to more strenuous day-long routes

Must See

The individual character of each dale, wild fells, cosy villages, the traditional farming landscape, the Yorkshire Three Peaks route, Malham cove

ISBN

9781852848859

Availability

Published

13 Apr 2017

Reprinted

9 Jun 2022

Edition

Second

Pages

256

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.45cm

Weight

280g

Overview

A guidebook to 44 circular walks in the south and west of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with bases including Sedbergh, Malham, Grassington, Skipton, Settle and Kirkby Lonsdale. The walks cover the valleys of Wharfedale, Littondale, Malhamdale, Ribblesdale and Dentdale - each with its own distinctive landscape and character. Also included is the Yorkshire Three Peaks, a 23 mile (37km) challenge to bag three summits - Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.

The walks range between 3.5 and 13 miles in length and showcase Yorkshire's diverse landscapes, beautiful views and rich heritage. With the exception of the Three Peaks walk, they are designed to suit most abilities: steeper sections are rare and usually short-lived. Detailed route description and 1:50,000 OS mapping are provided for each route, along with information on nearby points of interest and facilities.

Highlights include delightful riverside walking in Wharfedale, spectacular views of the distant Howgills and Lake District Fells, and the arresting limestone cliffs of Malham Cove providing a wonderful introduction to this magnificent area.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Overview map

Map key

Location of walks

Introduction

Evolution of the landscape

Geological history

Human settlement

Industry and enterprise

Farming in the Dales

Plants and wildlife

The Southern and Western Dales

The Yorkshire Dales National Park

Practicalities

Navigation and maps

Careful planning

Clothing and footwear

Food and drink

Taking your car

Leaving your car behind

Using this guide

1 Lower Wharfedale and Barden Moor

Walk 1 Bolton Abbey

Walk 2 Barden Moor

Walk 3 Simon’s Seat

Walk 4 Burnsall and Trollers Gill

Walk 5 Grassington and Grass Wood

Walk 6 Conistone

2 Upper Wharfedale

Walk 7 Great Whernside

Walk 8 Kettlewell and Arncliffe

Walk 9 Buckden Pike

Walk 10 Old Cote Moor Top from Buckden

Walk 11 Buckden and Yockenthwaite

Walk 12 Horse Head and Langstrothdale

Walk 13 Oughtershaw Side

3 Littondale

Walk 14 Arncliffe and High Cote Moor

Walk 15 Old Cote Moor Top from Arncliffe

Walk 16 Pen-y-ghent Gill from Litton

Walk 17 Litton and the River Skirfare

4 Malhamdale

Walk 18 Airedale and Weets Top

Walk 19 Gordale, Malham Tarn and the Cove

Walk 20 Malham Cove and Pikedaw Hill

Walk 21 Mastiles Lane

Walk 22 Fountains Fell

Walk 23 Winterburn Reservoir

Walk 24 Cracoe Fell

5 Dentdale and the Western Outliers

Walk 25 Great Knoutberry Hill

Walk 26 Wold Fell

Walk 27 A Walk into Deepdale

Walk 28 Great Coum

Walk 29 Dentdale

Walk 30 Calf Top and Middleton Fell

Walk 31 Barbon Low Fell

Walk 32 Gragareth and Great Coum

6 Around Ribblesdale

Walk 33 Attermire Scar and Victoria Cave

Walk 34 Langcliffe and Catrigg Force

Walk 35 Plover Hill and Pen-y-ghent

Walk 36 Upper Ribblesdale along the Ribble Way

Walk 37 Ingleborough from Ribblehead

Walk 38 Whernside from Ribblehead

Walk 39 Gayle Moor and the Source of the Ribble

Walk 40 Clapham and the Norber Boulders

Walk 41 Ingleborough from Clapham

Walk 42 Ingleton Falls

Walk 43 Kingsdale

Walk 44 The Yorkshire Three Peaks

Appendix 1 Route summaries and suggestions for longer routes

Appendix 2 Where to find out more

Updates

We do not yet have any updates available for this book

We are always grateful to readers for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground. If you would like to send some information to us then please use our contact form. They will be published here following review by the author(s).

Reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed this book

This book contains 44 walks from Wharfedale, Littondale, Malham dale, Dentdale and Ribblesdale and follows on from their previous book of walks in the North and East of the Yorkshire Dales. It includes seven walks that I know but there are many others that I have walked in these areas over the last 50 years that Dennis and Jan have also included.

They are seasoned walkers, writers and photographers and the 44 walks that they have selected range from 3.5 miles around Attermire above Settle to 23 miles for someone who wishes to tackle the Three Peaks in one day in the Ribblehead chapter. The book is divided into six chapters; Lower Wharfedale, Upper Wharfedale, Littondale, Malhamdale, Dentdale and Ribblesdale and range from four walks in the Litton dale chapter to eight in the Ribblesdale one.

As well as the walks themselves, the book also contains chapters on the evolution of the landscape, Plants and Wildlife, the area covered by the walks, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, practicalities and how to use the guide. The text, maps and photographs are all very concise and my only criticism of the book is that some of the walks start or finish partway down a page and the next walk carries on from there on the same page. By enlarging or reducing some of the photos or realigning of the text these could have been made to fit so that each walks started on its own separate page.

Apart from this minor blemish, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will be using it to cover some of the walks I have either not done before or where it has been several decades since I last trod some of these "broad acres" of Yorkshire.

John Burland, Yorkshire news

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Dennis Kelsall

Dennis and Jan Kelsall have long held a passion for countryside and hill walking. Since their first Cicerone title was published in 1995, they have written, contributed and illustrated over 50 guides to some of Britain’s most popular walking areas and have become regular contributors to various outdoor magazines. Their enjoyment of the countryside extends far beyond a love of fresh air, open spaces and scenery. Over the years Dennis and Jan have developed a wider interest in the environment, its geology and wildlife, as well as an enthusiasm for delving into local history, which so often provides clues to interpreting the landscape.

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Jan Kelsall

Dennis and Jan Kelsall have long held a passion for countryside and hill walking. Since their first Cicerone title was published in 1995, they have written around 35 guides to some of Britain’s most popular walking areas and have become regular contributors to various outdoor magazines. Their enjoyment of the countryside extends far beyond a love of fresh air, open spaces and scenery. Over the years Dennis and Jan have developed a wider interest in the environment, its geology and wildlife, as well as an enthusiasm for delving into local history, which so often provides clues to interpreting the landscape.

View author profile