Self Guided Walking Holidays
on The Dales Way
A perfect introduction to inland long distance walking, The Dales Way is a more genteel walk across the North West of England, taking in both the National Parks of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District with outstanding geology and stunning landscapes from Ilkley onward to the iconic Lake Windermere in Cumbria.
Official Path Distance
82.0 miles (132.0 km)
A perfect introduction to inland long distance walking, The Dales Way is a more genteel walk across the North West of England, taking in both the National Parks of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District with outstanding geology and stunning landscapes from Ilkley onward to the iconic Lake Windermere in Cumbria. 
The 81 mile long Dales Way officially begins at the Old Bridge in Ilkley, a village steeped in history stretching back to the Bronze Age, with evidence of such remains viewable at the local museum. Before starting on your adventure try one of the locally brewed ales. Following pathways alongside the local rivers, you traverse through the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park with its breath-taking and imposing limestone geology and native flora and fauna within the fields and woodlands.
Awe inspiring natural landmarks abound – high Tarns, waterfalls, gentle babbling streams, roaring rivers, calming meadows and sheltering woodland are certainly worth a few photographs during your walk.
Climbing upward you are rewarded with views of Whernside, Pen-y-ghent and Ingleborough, the three great peaks heralding your closeness to the Lake District National Park as you continue on the well-marked pathway towards your goal of Bowness-on-Windermere and journeys end.
Idyllic little villages such as Burnsall and Sedburgh nestle within the hills and dales to welcome you after each days walking. Local pubs and inns offer you a chance to swap your days experience with other walkers who may be on the same path, or will inspire you to try some of the other paths which criss-cross this exceptional walk.