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Classic Yorkshire Dales

Wensleydale & Swaledale
 
Verdant slopes criss-crossed by drystone walls, impressive castles, dramatic waterfalls… This self-guided walking holiday leads you into the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, and includes luggage transfers between your four atmospheric bases – Middleham, Aysgarth, Reeth and Richmond.
Classic Yorkshire Dales. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
Classic Yorkshire Dales. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
 

Holiday information

 

A walking holiday in the Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and at its heart lie the fast-flowing rivers of the Ure and the Swale, which have carved out the spectacular valleys we see today.
Amid the colourful patchwork of heather-clad moors and verdant slopes lie imposing castle ruins, traditional stone villages and authentic market towns – all of which you will have chance to explore as you cross from Wensleydale to Swaledale on foot.
Our varied walk begins in elegant Middleham, with its historic castle and horse-racing stables, and culminates in the cobbled market town of Richmond. En route, you pass the famous Aysgarth Falls and well-preserved Castle Bolton, and cross meadows bounded by drystone walls and dotted with the traditional barns that are so characteristic of this corner of Yorkshire.
 

Improved itinerary coming soon!

We are currently revamping this holiday for 2021. If you would like us to let you know when the revised itinerary is finalised, please contact us.
 
Gallery
 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on almost any day of the week, and are free to add extra nights.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.

    You should always be prepared for wet weather, whichever month you are travelling.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 6 6 9 11 15 18 20 20 17 13 9 7
    mm 67 53 60 57 58 56 51 67 63 62 68 69
  • Arrival in Middleham
    Night 1: at Lindmar House (where you spend one night).
    As your first night’s accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of walking.
  • Middleham to Aysgarth: 15km (9.5 miles), 5hrs
    The walk begins by the impressive ruins of Middleham’s 12th-century castle, the former favourite home of King Richard III, and hence dubbed the ‘Windsor of the North’. Leaving Middleham behind, you head out across the racehorse training gallops with commanding views over the River Ure and the pretty village of Wensley with Castle Bolton in the far distance. You soon begin to descend through meadows and woodland towards the river, passing through the pretty village of West Witton, where you can choose to stop for lunch at one of the village pubs. On reaching the river, you follow its meandering banks to Aysgarth, passing the famous three-step falls on your way to The George & Dragon Inn or Cornlee Guest House.
    Middleham to Aysgarth: 15km
    Beside the River Ure on the route from Middleham to Aysgarth
  • Aysgarth to Reeth: 17.5km (11miles), 6hrs
    After a last look at Aysgarth’s tumbling falls, you rise towards the looming presence of Castle Bolton, one-time prison of Mary, Queen of Scots. This impressive structure was built by Sir Richard le Scrope in the 12th century and is still owned by the same family who live nearby. From the castle, you continue your steady ascent up onto heather-and-bracken-clad Harkerside Moor, with far-reaching views into Swaledale as you start your equally long and steady descent towards the traditional market town of Reeth for a night at the Arkleside Guesthouse.
    Aysgarth to Reeth: 17.5km
    Reeth village
  • Reeth to Richmond: 18.5km (11.5 miles), 5hrs
    Reeth is the halfway point on the Coast-to-Coast walk and you now join this well-waymarked route for part of the way to Richmond. The day begins on easy paths beside the River Swale to Marrick Abbey and the village of Marske and then up through woodland to Applegarth. Here, you drop down to the banks of the Swale once more for a delightful riverside stroll towards Richmond, under the watchful eye of the castle standing high above the handsome three-arch stone bridge. After a final steep ascent into the town, your last night is spent in the centrally located Frenchgate Guesthouse.
    Reeth to Richmond: 18.5km
    The river path along the Swale on the route from Reeth to Richmond
 

Accommodation

You stay in a mixture of small guesthouses and welcoming country inns. Due to availability, we offer a choice of accommodation in Aysgarth, as shown below. You will be informed of the exact accommodation reserved (along with any price implication) when we confirm your holiday to you.

We offer an upgrade option in Middleham. Please indicate your preference at the time of booking.
 

Extend your stay

What is included
  • 4 nights
  • 1 dinner
    3 picnics
    4 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • route notes and maps
  • transfer back to first accommodation to pick up car
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

All 9 reviews
  • Ian and Judith, Monmouthshire
    21 September 2020

    This was an excellent short holiday, with plenty of variety - from seeing the racehorses at Middleham (and meeting one of the stable staff who filled in some background for us) to waterfalls and moors. As it was wet on the middle day we followed the advice not to walk over the moor, but rather than take a taxi we walked from Castle Bolton to Reeth - this was enjoyable in its own way. The breakfasts and picnics were all excellent, with plenty of choice at breakfast. The evening menu at the George and Dragon was excellent - a good varied menu, beautifully cooked and presented. On the last evening we had an excellent dinner at Rustique in Richmond. The guidance on walking through fields with livestock was helpful as there were a lot of cattle!

  • Anon
    06 September 2020

    Due to covid this was an alteration to our trip to the Dolomites which Inntravel handled really well

  • Mrs C Hunt
    Hereford
    05 September 2020

    Enjoyable walking in a beautiful part of the world. The excellent and accurate walk notes were invaluable.  Having not visited the Dales before, we both felt that the choice of villages were both interesting and delightful.  

  • Ms C Farrar
    Teddington
    29 August 2020

    We really enjoyed the walking, although we struck lucky with the weather. We were glad not to have the stress of flying at this time and the route was lovely. My partner hadn't been to the Dales and was impressed. Loved Middleham and wouldn't have made a special trip there if it weren't for this holiday - very enjoyable first day's walking after a trip round the castle. We enjoyed a visit to Castle Bolton and ate our lunch in the little vineyard, feeling like we could have been in France.

  • Ms L Osterkloft
    Malta
    19 September 2019

    We had a lovely holiday in the Yorkshire Dales. All the guesthouses were really nice, the staff so friendly and welcoming! We were asked what we wanted for breakfast and picnics, and given recommendations for things to see and do in the area. The walk notes were very detailed, which was good because in places it could be hard to navigate with only the map. The scenery was amazing, we couldn’t help but stop often to take photos or just admire the views.

  • Mrs J Clarke
    Haddington
    09 September 2019

    Thoroughly enjoyed this holiday, as with all other Inntravel holidays. We would have liked an extra day in Richmond as we only did the short 5 day holiday and didn’t have enough time to look around.

  • Lady C A Johnston
    Orpington
    15 July 2019

    Walking over the gallops was really interesting, Bolton Castle was very worthwhile, walking over the moors was exciting in terms of their scale and the absence of people.

  • Anon
    07 October 2018

    Excellent direction and a wonderful short sampling of this beautiful area!

  • Mrs J Murton
    Colchester
    27 July 2018

    Being a lone traveller can be quite daunting, this is my first holiday on my own. The guide/routes were very accurate but when I first read them I was unsure if I would be able to follow them, I think I was worried that I wouldnt find all the signs and stiles as some were quite hard to spot. But overall it was very good, just avoid the cows! Being chased was petrifying.
 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • We sincerely hope that your holiday experience will be as enjoyable as it would have been before the pandemic – walking holidays are ideal in these times of social distancing, and we’re not operating holidays if the key highlights can no longer be delivered – but, naturally, there will be some changes to ensure your and other people’s safety.
    Your holiday experience: what to expect >
    Safety measures being taken by hoteliers & others >
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from hotel to hotel, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. If/when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation, meaning that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.

    For more detailed information, see our walking holidays in Europe page.
  • Yes, absolutely. Over the years, we have arranged a great many walking holidays in the UK for customers living in the USA, Canada, Australia and beyond.

    If you've never travelled with us before, it's worth reading the web pages which explain how we can cater for customers who live outside the UK. The main thing to bear in mind is that our tour operator's licence doesn't allow us to book flights that originate outside the UK, and nor are we able to book rail travel in the UK, so we can't make travel arrangements for you, other than pre-arranging taxis between the local railway station and the accommodation – see the ‘prices & travel options’ section for the options available.

    As regards entry requirements, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. Our essential travel information page provides links to websites where you can find out about the applicable requirements, along with general official travel advice.
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can cost tens of thousands of pounds.

    You don’t have to take out our recommended travel insurance policy (if you live outside the UK you’ll definitely need to make your own arrangements, as the policy is only for UK residents), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    We'll ask you for the details of your policy (insurer, policy number and medical emergency phone number) so that we can help out if the worst happens while you are on holiday. It's up to you, though, to check that your policy covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs; we don't check alternative policies.
  • We are happy to take bookings for families of teenagers if they walk regularly, love the outdoors and are comfortable with the distances and ascent/descent involved, but please note that the bedrooms at most of the accommodation we use will normally only sleep a maximum of 3 people, and sometimes only 2.

    At the request of some of the accommodation providers on this holiday, we are unable to accept bookings for children aged under 12.
  • Unfortunately not. The Inntravel team includes many dog owners, but the extra considerations – such as whether taxi firms accept dogs for transfers to the start of walks, whether routes cross private land on which dogs are not allowed, and proximity to a vet’s – would add another layer of complexity to what are already quite complex holidays.
Last fetch time is : 1/20/2021 4:51:25 AM