Guide · Walking Yorkshire Dales
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The Dales Way is an 80-mile long-distance walking route from Ilkley in West Yorkshire to Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District, following the River Wharfe from the urban edge of Bradford through the heart of the Yorkshire Dales before crossing the watershed into Cumbria and descending to the Lake District.
It is consistently rated among the finest long-distance walks in England — not for drama or altitude (it avoids the highest ground), but for the sustained quality of the valley scenery, the variety of the landscape and the satisfaction of walking, in a week, from the edge of one of England's largest urban areas to the centre of its most celebrated national park.
Ilkley to Grassington (22 miles, 2 days): The walk begins in Ilkley — a Victorian spa town on the edge of the West Yorkshire conurbation — and follows the Wharfe upstream through Bolton Abbey and Barden Bridge to Grassington. This section passes through the wooded Wharfe gorge below Bolton Abbey, the famous Strid and the increasingly open upper valley above Burnsall.
Grassington to Ribblehead (26 miles, 2–3 days): The route leaves the Wharfe above Grassington and crosses the limestone plateau towards Buckden, then over the watershed to Ribblehead. This is the most dramatic section — high moorland, limestone pavements, the descent to Ribblesdale and the crossing of the watershed between the Dales and Cumbria.
Ribblehead to Bowness (32 miles, 3 days): The final section crosses the Howgill Fells and descends into the Eden Valley before the final approach to Windermere through the limestone hills of south Cumbria. This section is the least walked but contains some of the finest quiet landscape of the entire route.
Distance: 80 miles in total, typically walked in 6–8 days.
Difficulty: Moderate. The route is well-marked and avoids the highest ground, but some sections are remote and the Howgill Fells crossing requires navigation ability. Good walking boots and waterproofs are essential.
Accommodation: The Dales Way is well-served by B&Bs, hostels and a few camping sites at appropriate intervals. Book in advance for summer months; the route is popular enough that accommodation at the main overnight stopping points (Grassington, Buckden, Ribblehead, Sedbergh) can fill early.
Transport: Both ends are served by public transport — Ilkley by train from Leeds (30 minutes) and Bowness by bus from Windermere station. This allows a linear walk without a car.
The Dales Way connects the two landscape areas that Lake District Tours covers — the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. Walking it in the standard direction (south to north) takes you from the working valleys of the Dales to the lakes and fells of the Lake District in a week of continuous walking, crossing the entire Pennine watershed on foot.
The Dales Way connects directly to Windermere. Contact us to discuss a bespoke walk-based tour using the Dales Way route.
More from the Yorkshire Dales:
80 miles, from Ilkley in West Yorkshire to Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District.
Typically 6 to 8 days.
No — it's rated for the quality of its valley scenery rather than drama or altitude, deliberately avoiding the highest ground, though the Howgill Fells crossing needs map skills.