(Anna-Maria and Chris write:) This is one of the wettest reviews we have done in some time and is likely to stick in the memory for a while.


Oh no! What's happened to the footpath?!

The Dales Way is a delightful walk passing through two valleys (Wharfedale and Dentdale) before cutting up under the shadow of the Howgills and striking out across the valley between the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District to allow a final day of Lake District walking. This final day allows the walker to get a real feel for what it is about the scenery that differs between the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales and the more rugged terrain of the Lake District.


A stone bench at the Dales Way start

Our review was carried out over the New Year period. We often review routes over this holiday week and while it has sometimes allowed us to review routes in snowy conditions in the past, this year led us to wading through unexpected streams and rivers and plenty of mud. Fortunately the accommodation that we use welcomes muddy walkers and we were warmly greeted each evening despite our condition.

Unfortunately the wet weather had a heavy impact on the wildlife. Other than a fleeting glimpse of a deer and, on another opportunity, a heron (who was presumably much happier than we were with the damp outlook), our animal encounters were less wild and more domesticated, passing as we did through numerous fields of sheep which are being kept on lower pastures during the winter months.

The weather also provided some unexpected challenges for us. The riverside path on the final day had been completely consumed by the river and was knee-deep in flowing water and we found that even the simplest field crossings had become shin-deep mud to be waded through with care. There was a definite sense of adventure as a result of this and we only hope that the rain abates for a while to prevent similar flood damage occurring to the Yorkshire and Lake District routes as we saw in early 2010.


Ho hum - what a day!


Anna-Maria on the slightly damp footpath


Ah well - press on along the path...

As a long distance footpath the Dales Way is perhaps one of the kinder routes for those who haven’t walked a multi-day route before thanks to its flatter nature. The first two and a half days and the beginning of the final day are all characterised by riverside walking with very little climbing away from the river while the middle days cross low moorland, staying at the lowest points wherever possible.

This is not a route for those looking for hilltops and far-reaching views. Instead it is an opportunity to explore some of the lesser-know corners of the Yorkshire Dales and appreciate the more immediate beauty they can provide.

This is definitely a route not to be overlooked. While the Dales Way is frequently overshadowed by the more widely known Pennine Way and Coast to Coast, the Dales Way has a subtlety. It allows the walker time to think and to appreciate the surrounding countryside rather than providing constant challenges in the climbs or strenuous terrain.


The signpost in Ilkley showing the Dales Way route

The Dales Way certainly felt like a companionable route. With paths than were often wide enough to walk two-abreast we were able to talk together with ease and the relatively easy terrain (when not wading through knee-deep bogs thanks to the days of torrential rain) provided time for contemplation of New Year’s Resolutions still to be begun.

Dales Way - please join us on the route!

Here are two photos from explorations in the Yorkshire Dales yesterday, in mid-July 2011:


Hay fields and barns in Swaledale


Hardraw Force near Hawes in Wendsleydale

Both of these scenes are short strolls off the Pennine Way trail.

Pennine Way - see our trips

(Simon writes) Spring always feels like it has sprung when new-born lambs are about. Fields become pictures of serenity in the newly warm light and warm air, each mother sheep being orbited by two tiny lambs.

Today I walked from Sedbergh to Kendal along the Dales Way, before our first season on this super week-long trek.


Beautiful lambs near Sedbergh


Sedbergh is one of the major stops on the Dales Way. Here we see it tucked under the Howgill Fells


Following close to the River Lune towards the North


This is definitely sheep country. At Lune Viaduct


The Yorkshire Dales National Park logo crops up here and there, here seen carved and painted yellow on a wooden footbridge

Dales Way - see our super trek from Ilkley to Bowness

(Simon writes:) Here was the scene last Saturday at the foot of the hill below Dent station, at the hamlet of Cowgill, where the Dales Way runs alongside the River Dee. As can happen in Dentdale, the river rose and made the two roads in the valley impassable. It's tricky to capture the scene in a gale but here is my effort!




Dales Way - our trek which passes through Dentdale in more clement months

Alpine Exploratory has moved to the Yorkshire Dales, or to the edge of the National Park at any rate. The market town of Settle is our new base. Here are the new contact details:

Alpine Exploratory
7 Victoria Street
Settle
BD24 9HD
United Kingdom

Tel +44 (0)1729 823 197
Fax +44 (0)1729 822 679

This is Three Peaks country and it will be a pleasure to continue our recces in the Yorkshire Dales from Settle.

Contact us

For our forthcoming trip, the Yorkshire Dales Explorer, we spent an enjoyable few days in mid-December researching more walking routes.


A frost near Buckden in Wharfedale


At Hubberholme's church


Semer Water above Wensleydale


In the bottom of Arkengarthdale


Above Thwaite is a superb view down Swaledale


A close-up on the sheep

We'll be putting up full details of this trip in the coming weeks, ready for its first season in 2010.

In the pipeline

Here are three photos from recent explorations in the rolling landscape between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. This is an agreeable area crossed by the Coast to Coast but otherwise overlooked in favour of the national parks on either side.


Horses above Great Asby


A lime kiln near Orton: on the Coast to Coast


A barn and sheep near the River Eden at Mallerstang

After some more good walking in the British Autumn we've developed our Yorkshire Dales Weekend trip into a longer route. It's now a circuit of Ingleborough, passing Whernside and Pen-y-ghent, and we call it the Tour of the Three Peaks. For a 4-day break it gives a chance to become in tune with this very pleasant area, and discover some lesser-known corners. It's a flexible route and each day you can climb one of the hills or take valley paths to the next stopping point.

Tour of the Three Peaks