England - Dales - Dales Way (Ilkley To Bowness-on-Windermere) - Venture
England - Dales - Dales Way (Ilkley To Bowness-on-Windermere) - Venture
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Summary
Summary
An 80 miles route that follows the Dales Way from Ilkley to Bowness-on-Windermere and completed over 6 days. For the first 2.5 days the River Wharfe is your guide as it takes you past the wonderful Bolton Abbey and the fearsome Strid, to the more sedate pretty, villages of Appletreewick, Grassington and Kettlewell. The landscape gets more remote as Wharfedale is left behind and the trail takes a tour of the magnificent railway viaducts built during the 19th century. The route then drops down into delightful Dentdale where Yorkshire ends and Cumbria begins. The landscape changes from the limestone pavements and outcrops of Yorkshire to more rounded hills of Cumbria. After visiting Sedburgh the walk traverses the M6 and enters the Lake District where the route follows a rural landscape to Bowness-on-Windermere. For those wanting adventures beyond the Dales Way, then there are many Lake District opportunities beyond Bowness.
Notes
Notes
Most people complete the Dales Way in the direction from Ilkley to Bowness-on-Windermere. Transport links are pretty good from both ends, and I can't really see any particular advantages for a specific direction. Maybe doing it from Ilkley to Bowness-on-Windermere you get more of a feeling of walking towards a more rural landscape.
I chose to use campsites on the trail, but there's a plethora of other accommodation options if required.
I used the excellent Trailblazer Guide for this trail. It is full of useful and useful line drawings of the route. I also took the rather expensive Cicerone Walking The Dales Way. This basically turned out to be a booklet with 1:25,000 OS map extracts of the route. I never used it since I found the gpx downloads to my phone were sufficient, but I guess it could have served as a backup if my mobile was unworkable. The route is also very well signed and so it was rare that I even checked a map.
I found it a relatively easy walk that was generally over good surfaces and without thigh-busting ascents (well, maybe there was one or two).
Click on the above map for an interactive map of the routes in this Venture. Use the toggle slider to display the specific routes that you want to see on the map.
The Trails Map (dropdown, top right) is the best free map for displaying footpaths and topography. Expand to full screen (cross arrows, top right) to see route detail. Ordnance Survey maps can be used with a small subscription to Plotaroute.
See the Captain's Log of individual days for details of GPX Downloads, Plotaroute Maps and Map/Directions PDF.
Duration: 6 days
Date: 24/07/2024-29/07/2024
Overall Length: 80.29 miles
Overall Height Gain: 2387 m
Route: Ilkley, Appletreewick, Grassington, Buckden, Cowgill, Sedburgh, Burneside, Bowness-on-Windermere
Day 1 - Ilkley To Appletreewick
Starts at the Old Bridge in the historic spa town of Ilkley and follows the River Wharfe upstream, passing through fields and pretty villages. Visits the historically important Fairfield Friends Quaker Meeting house. Continues along the Wharfe to the dramatic ruins of Bolton Abbey. Walk through the Bolton Estate grounds to where the River Wharfe narrows into an impressive set of rapids known as The Strid. Continues along the river through a picturesque landscape to the small village of Appletreewick.
Day 2 - Appletreewick To Buckden
A wonderful walk starting at Appletreewick and following the River Wharfe upstream to first Burnsall and then on to Grassington. Enjoy the pubs, shops and cafes that this small town has to offer before heading uphill and following the contour of the hillside to the quaint Kettlewell. Continue along the river enjoying the best of the Yorkshire Dales scenery to the little village of Buckden.
Day 3 - Buckden To Cowgill
The longest and hardest day along the Dales Way with a 19 mile extravaganza between Buckden and Cowgill. Heads along the delightful Langstrothdale before climbing to the remote hamlet of Oughtershaw. Visits the intriguing honesty café at the old chapel in the village. Experience the viewtastic scenery on the Alternative High Level route over Grove Head, Wold Fell and Great Knoutberry Hill before descending into the pretty valley of Dentdale at Cowgill.
Day 4 - Cowgill To Bramaskew Farm
Follow the River Dee down the delightful Dentdale valley before arriving at the shortbread tin picture hamlet of Dent. Take a wander around its narrow, cobbled streets before continuing downriver alongside the River Dee. Heads across to the town of Sedbergh at the foot of the mighty Howgill fells. Replenish your supplies at the fine selection of cafés, pubs, bakeries and bookshops. Follows the River Rawthey before exchanging it for the River Lune. Heads northwards along Lunedale visiting the towering Lune Viaduct along the way.
Day 5 - Bramaskew Farm To Burneside
The shortest day of the Dales Way that mostly involves field hopping with occasional cow avoiding. It is not without some dramatic scenery though, such as at the Crook Of Lune bridge and the Lowgill Viaduct. It leaves the Yorkshire Dales National Park behind, and crosses the busy M6, before heading westwards towards the distant Lakeland hills. Finishes at the astonishing and beautiful Sprint Mill at Burneside.
Day 6 - Burneside To Bowness-on-Windermere
The last day of the Dales Way which probably has more undulations along the trail than the rest of the walk combined. Starts with some pretty walking alongside the River Kent between Burneside and Staveley, before winding its way across a hybrid of fields and fells towards Lake Windermere. Views of the Lakeland hills become more frequent and dramatic throughout the walk. Descends to the Dales Way stone bench finish at Bowness-on-Windermere. Experience the culture shock of the tourist town after 6 days of remote walking.
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