You'll walk 129 kilometres through the Yorkshire Dales and into Cumbria, taken along riverside meadow and limestone dale rather than open fell, with the priory ruins at Bolton Abbey beside you and the Howgills coming up ahead. A route often called the gentlest of England's long-distance paths.
Your trail divides naturally into three parts — not by day, but by country. You follow the Wharfe north through Yorkshire's limestone dales; you cross high ground into Dentdale and Sedbergh; and from there, you walk the Howgill flanks down into the Lakes.
Limestone country and riverside meadow, with the Wharfe always to your left or right and the dales narrowing as you go.
The trail's high crossing, then a different valley altogether — Dent's cobbles, Sedbergh's bookshops, the Howgills already showing themselves to the west.
Howgill grass under your boots, the River Kent for company, and Lake Windermere coming closer with each stage.
Most people walk it in 5 days. Some want longer to take it all in. Others want the challenge of doing it quicker. Pick the trip that suits you — or customise yours below.
Included with every trip
Everything you need for every day of your trail — built around your exact itinerary. Your route, your accommodation, your packing list. Ready before you leave, works offline when you're out there.
Tonight's accommodation
Check-in time, room type, phone number and directions — all in one place
Day-by-day trail description
Route map, elevation profile and written description for each stage
Packing list and pre-trip checklist
Everything you need, nothing you don't. Tick items off as you go
Works offline
Open it once with data and it's yours — no signal needed on the trail
Included with every trip
Your custom GPX file is built around your exact itinerary — day by day, door to door. Load it onto any device or app before you set off and navigate with confidence.
Works with
Hear it from the trail
Jessica Mather
Jessica Mather walked the Dales Way in four days last summer. She's still thinking about a man fishing in his eighties and a seventeen-year-old with a sketchbook.
“You've got all these doubts in your head, but as soon as you get walking, everything's all right anyway.”Read Jessica’s story →
The Dales Way is the trail I usually point people to when they've done a coastal walk or Hadrian's Wall and want something quieter. Walk it slow — five or six days, not three — and let the river do most of the work. Prettiest in late spring, before the bracken takes over.
Craig has spent over ten years in adventure travel — most of it talking walkers through trails like this one. He's helped hundreds of people plan their Dales Way, knows where they typically underestimate the watershed crossing between Wharfedale and Dentdale, and has the calls in his pocket from people who've walked it the week before.
If you want to talk through your timing, your fitness, your pace, or anything the planner can't answer — call. Most of our customers do, and Craig's the one who'll answer.
The things walkers ask us most often — answered plainly, so you don't have to ring to find out.
Still not sure? Ring us on 0131 560 2740 — Craig usually answers.
If you've scrolled this far, we need to help you get onto this trail. The bit the planner can't help with — "is the pace right for me?", "is August really that busy?", "can we add a rest day in Keswick?" — that's a two-minute phone call. Most people who book the Dales Way ring first.
