Description
The Yorkshire Dales
Walking grade: 
Explore the grit stone moors and verdant green dales of Wharfedale and Nidderdale on this week long holiday in the wonderful Yorkshire Dales
Price: £860
– Sole occupancy supplement £140
Duration:
7 nights
Next departures:
– May 7th 2023
The Yorkshire Dales really need no introduction. For a long time I have thought of them as one of the most alluring destinations in this beautiful country of ours. A place of contrast and intrinsic splendour with rolling green hills, broken by rugged scars of limestone and dotted with attractive settlements. Every bit as beautiful as the lakes, but quieter, more down to earth and with the benefit of pretty villages and excellent pubs. I first visited this area as a youngster when I learned to climb at Brimham rocks as a Venture scout. As an adult, I have returned again and again, and I am thrilled to be able to add a holiday in this area to my brochure. Our base for this holiday is the Yorkshire market town of Ilkley -voted the best place to live in the UK in a recent Sunday paper survey. Open moorland and the amenities and facilities of this lovely town are all very accessible from our hotel, the Craiglands Hotel and Spa.
Holiday highlights
- Discover the beautiful and open moorlands that surround the market town of Ilkley.
- Walk along the pretty river Wharfe and view the magnificent remains of Bolton Abbey
- Visit the beautiful market town of Grassington and from there walk to the dramatic Kilnsey crag to follow an ancient monastic route up onto Malham moor.
- Discover one of the lesser-known dales of Yorkshire, Nidderdale
- Stay in the comfortable Craiglands Hotel and Spa, on the edge of the lovely town of Ilkley.
Accommodation
Our base for this holiday is the comfortable and brilliantly situated Craiglands Hotel and Spa in Ilkley. Located on the edge of this lovely Yorkshire town, it is ideally positioned to walk from the door, into wildly beautiful countryside, as well as offering all the amenities of a small market town. Make yourself at home in a beautifully refurbished en-suite bedroom.
Standard rooms are equipped with a comfortable bed and free Wi Fi. Upgrades to executive rooms are available for a supplement of £140 pounds per room for the five nights, please ask If interested. Free onsite parking is available at the hotel.
Breakfast and a three-course evening meal are taken each day in the hotel restaurant.
Included
- En-suite, half-board accommodation at the Craiglands hotel and spa in Ilkley.
- Guided walking with a qualified and professional leader each walking day
Not included
- Sandwiches etc can be bought in Ilkley or are available from the hotel
- Incidental expenses such as drinks.
- Transport to walks, and parking in Bolton Abbey, Grassington and Pateley Bridge. On two of the days we walk from the hotel. On three days we drive the short distance to the start of each walk. I will give a lift to anyone who wishes to travel to the holiday by public transport.
Day-to-Day Itinerary
The following is the proposed itinerary for this short break. However, please bear in mind that in the event of local conditions changing, for example, due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, it may be necessary to change the itinerary. The specific order of the walks will be determined by the weather forecast for the week.
Day 1
Arrive at the Craiglands Hotel and Spa and check into your room. Meet at 7pm in the lounge for a short briefing about the week ahead before dinner.
The nearest train station to the Craiglands Hotel and Spa is Ilkley station.
Meals included: dinner
Day 2: Ilkley moor and the Cow and Calf
Less than five minutes-walk from our hotel takes us up onto the iconic Ilkley Moor. As we leave the town behind, we climb up onto the moor for lovely views back down to Ilkley and Wharfedale. We will pause at the 12 Apostles stone circle for elevenses before continuing on our journey to skirt the village of Eldwick. On our return, we follow the north east edge of the moor to take in the famous cow and calf rocks and pub of the same name. From there it is a short walk back to our hotel.
17 km (10.5 miles) ascent/descent 420 m
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Day 3: Grassington, Kilnsey and Linton
Starting from the beautiful cobbled market town of Grassington (which we will drive to) we walk north from the town through the remains of one of the largest Iron age settlements in England and then through the nature reserve of Grass Wood, which in spring will be alive with wild flowers and plants. After elevenses in the village of Conistone we pass under Kilnsey Crag to pick up Mastiles Lane, a beautiful green lane leading up onto Malham Moor, which was originally part of the monastic road from Fountains Abbey to Borrowdale. From here, we drop down to the village of Linton and back to Grassington.
16 km (10 miles) ascent/descent 400 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 4: The Dales Way and Round Hill
Today we head north out of Ilkley on the Dales way. As it turns left towards Bolton Abbey, we continue across Middleton moor to the summit of Round Hill. From here we can take in views across the lovely Wharfedale and down to Bolton Abbey itself, before returning via a different route to Ilkley.
17.5 km (11 miles) ascent/descent 450 m
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Free day
Today is free for you to explore the local area. You may decide to spend the day in and around Ilkley and indeed, there is more than enough to occupy you for the day in this beautiful little town. If you fancy doing something more energetic than coffee or lunch in Betty’s famous tea rooms and a mooch around the wealth of independent shops in town, then there are the riverside gardens alongside the Wharfe, the town museum at Ilkley Manor house or the towns pool and Lido to be visited.
However, if you fancy going further afield, the following attractions are all within 10 miles of Ilkley:
- The World heritage site of Saltaire, a stunning Victorian village founded in 1853 by the altruist Sir Titus Salt for his workers.
- The beautiful market town of Skipton with its wonderfully preserved medieval castle overlooking the High Street
- The gardens at Percevall Hall or Harlow Carr.
- Stump Cross caverns, one of Britain’s premier show caves located in Nidderdale discovered in 1860 by miners looking for lead seams.
Finally, Harrogate and Leeds are boh close by.
Day 6: Pateley Bridge and Brimham rocks
Today we largely follow the Nidderdale way, on a delightful walk that takes an elevated route out of Pateley bridge, offering wonderful views over Nidderdale as we head towards Brimham rocks. Here there will be some free time to explore the rocks and have a coffee. From Brimham moor, we drop down to the river Nidd, and follow its course back to the pretty village of Pateley Bridge.
16 km (10 miles) ascent/descent 310 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 7: Bolton Abbey and Barden reservoir
Today is a walk of contrasts. For the morning, we follow the delightful river Wharfe, as it winds its way past the magnificent remains of Bolton Abbey, and the mediaeval hunting lodge at Barden Bridge. A short climb takes us out of the valley, and up onto Barden Moor and around Barden reservoir. From here we follow a scenic rich path all the way back down to Bolton Abbey. Soft and grassy underfoot, and with far reaching views across the Dales, it really is the best of walking.
17 km (10.5 miles) ascent/descent 380 m
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Day 8
On this last day, we depart after breakfast.
It’s goodbye until next time!
Meals included: Breakfast
Kit list
For walking each day:
- Good walking boots or shoes
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Lightweight, quick drying trousers
- Base layer
- Mid-layer such as a fleece jacket and an additional ‘spare’ layer depending on the forecast
- Walking socks
- Warm hat and gloves -just in case the weather turns
- Sun hat, sunglasses, lip salve and high SPF sun block
- Day sack (25 litre capacity is a good size) to comfortably carry your kit, lunch and water
- Dry bag or rucksack cover to keep the contents of your daypack dry
- Water bottle
- Basic first aid kit (plasters, blister treatment, antiseptic etc)
- Some snacks to keep you going
- Walking/trekking poles (if you use them)
Maps
OS Explorer maps 297 Lower Wharfedale and Washburn Valley, 298 Nidderdale, OL2, Yorkshire Dales (south and west) .
