Dales High Way

Start: Saltaire
Grid Ref: SE 139378
End: Appleby
Grid Ref: NY 683204
Distance: 144 km
Walking Time: 8 days
Counties Traversed: Yorkshire, Cumbria
Explorer™ Maps: OL27, OL2, OL19

The Dales High Way starts from Saltaire in West Yorkshire and crosses some of the finest and most spectacular scenery the Dales have to offer, finishing at Appleby-in-Westmoreland in the lush Eden Valley. The return journey is made on the famous Settle to Carlisle line - the most beautiful railway in England. There can surely be no better and more relaxing way to return to the start of this wonderful walk

The 90 mile route covers some of the most beautiful scenery in the Yorkshire Dales from the darkly mysterious Rombalds Moor, with its Stone Age rock art, to the dramatic limestone scars of Malhamdale. It meanders along the banks of the River Ribble, where in autumn salmon can be seen leaping up the waterfalls of Stainforth Force, and passes the isolated splendour of Sunbiggin Tarn. It climbs mighty Ingleborough, favourite of the Three Peaks, and in a breath-taking six mile ridge walk crosses the velvety folds of the Howgill Fells.

The walk can conveniently be undertaken in 8 days, with plenty of time to enjoy the market towns and villages along the way. The guidebooks recommendation for the daily stages is as follows:
Day 1: Saltaire to Ilkley - 7.5 miles
Day 2: Ilkley to Skipton - 11.4 miles
Day 3: Skipton to Malham - 12.9 miles
Day 4: Malham to Stainforth - 10.3 miles
Day 5: Stainforth to Chapel-le-Dale - 11.6 miles
Day 6: Chapel-le-Dale to Sedbergh - 15.7 miles
Day 7: Sedbergh to Newbiggin-on-Lune - 10.9 miles
Day 8: Newbiggin-on-Lune to Appleby - 12.7 miles

There is also a Dales High Way companion book providing in depth information about the route, the landscape, history and much more, helping to make the walk a more enriching experience. Accommodation is generally plentiful except at Chapel-le-Dale, so when planning the walk book there first. Alternatively consider heading for Ribblehead where there is a pub and a bunkbarn. This adds 1.9 miles to day 5 but saves 2.7 miles the following day. The guidbook includes alternative bad weather routes for the highest sections, Ingleborough and the Howgill Fells. The guidebook authors maintain an accommodation listing on the trail website www.daleshighway.org.uk

Acknowledgement - Text for this page has been adapted from the guide book by Tony and Chris Grogan