The 12 best walks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park

The 12 best walks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park

The best walks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park criss-cross one of the most beautiful spots in England

In the 18 months since we moved to the market town of Richmond in North Yorkshire, we have spent much of our free time exploring the national park on our doorstep. Whether we're discovering the best views or climbing the highest mountains, we've fallen madly in love with the landscape of the Dales.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 2,179 km2 of countryside and is home to one of England's premier outdoor landscapes. The park's glacial valleys are defined by a unique terrain of high heather moorland, rolling hills and dramatic waterfalls, interspersed with miles of dry stone walls and delightful villages.

With miles of well-developed footpaths, the Dales are best explored on foot. Here we highlight the best walks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park - 12 outstanding reasons to visit the heart of England.

Best walks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park

We've picked the best walks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, which include everything from gentle waterside strolls and quiet meadow strolls to more challenging highland climbs and multi-day hikes.

For more information about activities and accommodation in the Dales, visit the National Park website.

1. Burnsall Grassington

Distance: 13km (8mi)Duration: 3 hoursDifficulty: Easy

alt="Grassington is one of the best walks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park">DreamtimeBurnsall lies on the River Wharfe, which is surrounded by fells

This gentle riverside loop takes you through the idyllic countryside surrounding the villages of Grassington and Burnsall. The River Wharfe is lined with dramatic fells, but it is the waterway's tranquil pools, waterfalls and streams that make for one of the most tranquil walks in the Dales.

Along the trail are some of the park's best wild swimming spots, the best of which is above the second weir near Linton Falls.

2. Malham Bay and Tarn

Distance: 13km (8mi)Duration: 3-4 hoursDifficulty: Easy-medium

alt="Malham Cove is one of the best walks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park">Atlas & BootsThe view from the top of Malham Cove

This was the first walk I did in the Yorkshire Dales and it remains one of the most impressive. The route is a fantastic introduction to the Dales topography, with limestone scars, steep cliffs, rolling green hills with dry stone walls and a sparkling loch (lake) having everything to offer.

The path follows Malham Beck under the 70m (230ft) limestone cliff of Malham Cove, one of the most dramatic scenes in the Dales. After a steep climb to the top of the bay, pause to take in the views before continuing on the Pennine Way to Malham Tarn.

With a handy car park nearby, the Tarn makes for a lovely circular walk (5.6 km/3.6 miles). On a calm day, the view across the water is impressively calm.

3. Howgill Fells

Distance: 16km (10mi)Duration: 5-6 hoursDifficulty: Moderately difficult

alt="The Howgills">Bernd Brüggemann/ShutterstockThe Howgills are home to steep gorges and wide high ridges

The Howgills, an upland plateau approximately 10 miles long and 5 miles wide, form a natural border area between the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. They are characterized by steep gorges and wide high ridges and also offer some of the most dramatic views in the Dales.

The access town of Sedbergh is close to the M6 ​​motorway, but the Howgills remain largely remote. I spent two days on the peaks and rarely met other hikers along the way.

The climbs can be tough in places, but the hard work only makes the view more rewarding. Look out for a handful of wild fur ponies roaming the Howgills.

4. Crackpot Hall

Distance: 10km (6mi)Duration: 2-3 hoursDifficulty: Moderate

alt=”best views in the Yorkshire Dales Crackpot Hall”>DreamtimeCrackpot Hall and the views over Swaledale

The green and pleasant moorlands of Swaledale are probably the landscape you imagine when you think of the Yorkshire Dales. The trails around Muker, Keld and Gunnerside are nothing short of idyllic.

This route in Upper Swaledale takes in the pretty waterfalls of Kisdon Force and the famous ruins of Crackpot Hall. There are also magnificent views over the winding road of Buttertubs Pass, once described by Jeremy Clarkson as "England's only truly spectacular road".

Several of the better-known long-distance footpaths crisscross the slopes of Swaledale and Wensleydale, including the Pennine Way and Coast-to-Coast.

5. Muker Gunnerside

Distance: 11km (7mi)Duration: 2-3 hoursDifficulty: Moderate

alt="Gunnerside is one of the best walks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park">Atlas & BootsSwaledale and Wensleydale offer some of the best walks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park

When Kia and I first visited the Yorkshire Dales, it was the village of Gunnerside that captured our hearts. We pulled over to the side of the road to admire the impressive view. Five minutes down the road we stopped again and had our first cup of Yorkshire tea and a slice of cake. It was the first of many and we were convinced!

In late spring, Muker's famous hay meadows burst into color, adding another picturesque layer to this wonderful cross-section of the Dales. With cream teas never far away, this route can easily be combined with part or all of the above route to Crackpot Hall.

6. Keld Tan Hill Inn

Distance: 17km (11mi)Duration: 5-6 hoursDifficulty: Moderate

alt="The Smardale Gill Viaduct">Kevin Eaves/ShutterstockThe Smardale Gill Viaduct

A walk past famous Roman cairns, craggy gates and Britain's tallest pub will never disappoint. This stunning walk on the edge of Swaledale is one of the most popular in the Dales.

Aside from the pub and the unrelentingly impressive views, the highlight of this walk is the Nine Standards Rigg. The row of cairns stands on the edge of the slope of Hartley Fell. No one knows their purpose, but one theory is that the cairns were built by the Roman army to remotely resemble troops.

The welcoming Tan Hill Inn is Britain's tallest inn at 528 m (1,732 ft) and located roughly in the middle, it's definitely worth stopping for light refreshment.

7. Smardale Gill

Distance: 12km (7.5mi)Duration: 3-4 hoursDifficulty: Moderate

alt="The Smardale Gill Viaduct">Kevin Eaves/ShutterstockThe Smardale Gill Viaduct

This is an excellent walk through the remote, small, steep-walled gorge of Smardale Gill. This north-western area of ​​the Yorkshire Dales was only included in the national park with the boundary expansion in 2016. The region has proven to be a charming, if somewhat underrated, addition to the park.

This route is a great way to experience the newest region of the Dales. The breezy figure-eight path passes a striking Victorian viaduct, remote villages and hamlets, an ancient deciduous forest and a high moorland bridleway offering excellent views over the gorge and the Scandal Beck river.

8. Upper Wharfedale

Distance: 13km (8mi)Duration: 3-4 hoursDifficulty: Easy-medium

alt="The village of Buckden in Upper Wharfdale">Kevin Eaves/ShutterstockThe village of Buckden in Upper Wharfedale

I've taken several walks through Upper Wharfedale from the village of Buckden, and for good reason: the valley showcases some of the park's most beautiful features. Tranquil waterfalls, picturesque stone bridges, picturesque valleys and panoramic highland views can be found in this tranquil part of the park.

This route follows a fairly easy path but offers some exceptional views of the surrounding valleys and the higher limestone terraces in the area. The route could also be adapted to include a trip to the nearby summit of Buckden Pike for some truly panoramic views of the neighboring fells.

9. Ingleborough

Distance: 6.5 km (4 miles)Duration: 2-3 hoursDifficulty: Medium

alt="Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales National Park">Peter Stuart/ShutterstockIngleborough looks good from every angle

Now let's talk. This may be one of the most well-trodden paths in the park, but there's a good reason for that. At 723 m (2,372 ft), Ingleborough is the second highest peak in the Yorkshire Dales and the surrounding landscape is dotted with terraced fields, stone walls, cavernous potholes and labyrinthine limestone pavements.

The attractive mountain with its striking silhouette looks good from every approach and is blessed with an all-round enjoyable summit plateau. The only downside is that Ingleborough is – quite fittingly – one of the most popular walks in the Dales.

10. Three Peaks Challenge

Distance: 39.2 km (24.5 miles)Duration: 8-12 hoursDifficulty: Difficult

alt="Approaching Pen-Y-Ghent">Peter Stuart/ShutterstockApproaching Pen-Y-Ghent

I have to admit that I haven't officially completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge yet, but I have ticked off each mountain one by one. The three mountains – Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent – ​​form the highest, second highest and ninth highest peaks in the Dales.

• Whernside, 736 m (2.415 Fuß)
• Ingleborough, 724 m (2.375 Fuß)
• Pen-y-Gent, 694 m (2.277 Fuß)

Whether you complete the challenge in a single hike or spread it out over day trips doesn't matter; the landscape is bewitching either way. The route offers spectacular views of all three mountains, the ever-present Ribblehead Viaduct and, further afield, the Howgills, the Lake District and - on a clear day - even Morecambe Bay on the distant horizon.

11. Coast to Coast

Distance: 58km (36mi)Duration: 3 daysDifficulty: Difficult

alt="Britain's best long-distance walks from coast to coast">DreamtimeThe Coast-to-Coast crosses three English national parks

Designed and popularized by Alfred Wainwright, the Coast-to-Coast Walk is neither a national path nor a unique footpath, but it is still one of Britain's best long-distance walks. The unofficial trail starts in St Bees on the west coast and crosses three major English national parks: the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors.

The Yorkshire Dales section runs from Kirkby Stephen to Richmond and includes many of the Swaledale trails mentioned above as well as the excellent network of trails between Reeth and Richmond. Once it leaves the park the path heads through Richmond, practically past our front door, and on to the North York Moors and the North Sea at Robin Hood’s Bay.

12. Pennine Way

Distance: 84km (52mi)Duration: 5 daysDifficulty: Difficult

alt="Britain's best long-distance walks Pennine Way">DreamtimeThe Pennine Way traverses some of England's most beautiful highland landscapes

Britain's oldest national footpath (opened in 1965) traverses some of England's most beautiful highland landscapes. It is by far the most famous and one of the most popular walking routes in Britain. The Pennine Way begins in the Peak District and runs 431 km (268 miles) north to the Scottish Borders.

One of the most challenging parts is the Yorkshire Dales section. It is also one of the most beautiful and showcases the best of the national park as it runs from the southern edge to the northern edge and includes many of the hikes mentioned above.

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