Dales Way Guided Walking Holiday

Ilkley to Windermere through the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.

Length: 80 miles

Duration: 5 to 8 days

Difficulty: Intermediate

From £950 per person

Experienced guides, including qualified Mountain Leaders

Local B&Bs and inns booked for you

Daily luggage transfers

Guided every day, or self-guided with support

The walk

The Dales Way follows rivers almost all the way from Ilkley to the shores of Windermere, through some of the loveliest country in northern England. It begins at the Old Bridge in Ilkley, follows the River Wharfe deep into the Yorkshire Dales, crosses the high watershed of the Pennines on an old Roman road, then drops through Dentdale and the Lune valley into the Lake District.

It is a walk of gentle gradients and constant interest: medieval priories, stone villages, waterfalls, packhorse bridges and riverside inns, with only one real stretch of high ground. That makes it one of the best first long-distance walks in Britain.

How it works

Tell us when you would like to walk, how many of you there are and how many days you would like to take, and we build the trip around you.

We book your accommodation in comfortable local B&Bs and inns along the route, supporting the small businesses that make the Dales what they are. Your luggage is moved between each night's stop, so you only carry what you need for the day. Breakfast is included at most places, and packed lunches can be arranged.

A Hike Yorkshire guide walks with you every day, handling the navigation and sharing the history, folklore and wildlife of the route. If you would rather walk on your own, we can set you up self-guided, with our team meeting you at checkpoints along the way to resupply.

We can also arrange transfers to the start in Ilkley and from the finish at Windermere.

The route

Daily stages are typically between 9 and 15 miles, depending on how many days you take. These are the main stops along the way.

Ilkley to Burnsall: From the Old Bridge in Ilkley, the route follows the Wharfe past Addingham to Bolton Abbey, where the twelfth century ruins of Bolton Priory stand beside the river, then through the woods past the Strid, where the whole river forces itself through a gap barely a stride wide, to the village of Burnsall.

Burnsall to Buckden: Up Wharfedale past Linton Falls and Grassington to Kettlewell, then on to Buckden at the head of the dale.

Buckden to Dentdale: Past the tiny church and inn at Hubberholme, along Langstrothdale and up onto the Cam High Road, a Roman road across the watershed and the highest point of the walk, with views towards Ribblehead and the Three Peaks, before dropping into Dentdale.

Dent to Sedbergh: The cobbled village of Dent, home of the "Terrible Knitters of Dent", then over to Sedbergh, England's book town, beneath the Howgill Fells.

Sedbergh to Bowness-on-Windermere: Along the River Lune, across quiet farmland to Burneside, and finally down to Bowness-on-Windermere and the shores of England's largest natural lake.

Fitness and terrain

The Dales Way suits regular walkers who are comfortable with several consecutive days of walking. Most of the route follows riverside and field paths with gentle gradients. The Cam High Road crossing is the one exposed upland section, where weather can change quickly and a guide is most valuable.

Getting there and home

Ilkley has a railway station with regular trains from Leeds and Bradford. Windermere station, a short distance from Bowness, connects to the West Coast Main Line at Oxenholme. We are happy to arrange transfers at either end.

Pricing

Prices start from £950 per person. Every trip is tailored, so the final price depends on your group size, how many days you take, whether you walk guided or self-guided, your food requirements and any transfers you need. Tell us what you have in mind and we will come back with a quote.