Quintessential English countryside at its best — Dales Way

The Dales Way is an enchanting hike through the heart of the Yorkshire Dales to the foothills of the Lake District.

Following tranquil riverside paths for the most part, the trail explores a landscape of picturesque farmland interspersed with crumbling dry-stone walls, rugged moorland, lonely fells, idyllic valleys and sleepy villages.

From Ilkley, West Yorkshire, the Way runs for 80 miles (129 km) to Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria, to finish on the banks of England’s most magnificent lake.

Along the way, you pass some iconic sights including the awe-inspiring 12th century ruins of Bolton Abbey, the gushing waters of The Strid ravine, the atmospheric Yockenthwaite Stone Circle, as well as many impressive Victorian viaducts and old buildings.

The walking is generally quite leisurely along the Dales Way. Whilst there are hills, they are gentle and yet reward you with breathtaking views. The trail is well-maintained and well-signposted, too.

Due to how remote some sections of the Way are, accommodation options and places to eat and drink are not always abundant. Whilst every stage in this Collection finishes close to accommodation, even if there are only a few options nearby, it is worth planning in advance and scheduling any rest days accordingly.

The most common way to walk the Dales Way is from southeast to northwest, as per this Collection. Whilst there is nothing to stop you from completing it the other way, starting from Ilkley, just outside the national park, and finishing with spectacular views over Lake Windermere, in the heart of the Lake District, is widely considered to be the best option.

In this Collection, we split the route into five stages. Of course, you can split up each stage into as many days as you are comfortable with. You can also walk any single stage, or a couple of stages, in isolation.

If you are planning to arrive by public transport, you can catch a train to Ilkley railway station, typically with a change in Leeds or York, depending where you are coming from. It is then a 10 minute walk from the station to the start of the trail. To get home, you can catch the 6, 599, or 755 bus services (or walk for 30 minutes) from Bowness Pier to Windermere railway station, which has connecting services around Britain, typically via Lancaster or Oxenholme.

If you are planning to arrive by car, your best bet is to negotiate with a hotel or B&B a rate to stay for a night either side of your hike in Ilkley. Alternatively, you could find long stay parking in Leeds, which has good transport links with the start and finish. Getting from Bowness to Ilkley via public transport is some undertaking. You would need to follow the steps above to get to Windermere, which has trains to Ilkely, typically with changes in Leeds or Manchester.