Dales Way Maps

The Dales Way, established in 1968, is a 78-mile long-distance footpath starting in Ilkley and ending in Bowness-on-Windermere. The route was devised by the West Riding Ramblers’ Association which included Colin Speakman and Tom Wilcock. The path traverses two National Parks, the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. It is very much a river walk, following several river valleys including the Wharfe, Dent, Lune, Mint and Kent. Some interesting and impressive sights along the way include Bolton Abbey, the Strid ravine, Yockenthwaite stone circle, the Ribblehead Viaduct and the Crock of Lune Bridge, to name but a few. The walk is not as long, nor as strenuous, as some long distance footpaths and can take anything between four days to a week to complete depending on how much one wishes to stride out. The Cam High Road is the highest point at 1,705 feet and the total elevation gain and loss for the Dales Way walk is in the region of 8,000 feet.