Parking
Point-to-point: begin at the signed Dales Way start in Ilkley, a few hundred metres from the railway station. There is no single car park for the full route; finish in Bowness and use the bus or walk to Windermere station for the return.
Overview
About Dales Way
Why go
- Long-distance route through changing landscapes
- Frequent rail access at both ends
Heads up
- Requires multi-day accommodation and logistics
- Cam Fell is exposed and weather-sensitive
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation62–438 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
8 active Lake District alerts
- ClosureChapel Stile footpath closed for retaining-wall riskPart of Footpath 543030 between Chapel Stile and Baysbrown campsite is closed because a retaining wall beside the path could collapse and material it supports could fall across the footpath.Official details
- ClosureStanley Ghyll Lower Falls footpath closed for rockfallThe section of Footpath 408037 leading towards Stanley Ghyll Lower Falls is closed because severe rockfall damage has made the path unstable and further rockfall remains a danger.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake District Tour Guide
Your drive to Dales Way, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake District National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
- 298 audio storiesacross Lake District’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Eurasian Otter, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 265 trails, 89 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Dales Way
Route and distanceType: point-to-point, walked as one continuous line rather than a loop
- Type: point-to-point, walked as one continuous line rather than a loop
- Distance: 80 miles (128 km) one way, quoted as the full end-to-end route
- Start: Ilkley, beside the River Wharfe
- Finish: Bowness-on-Windermere
- The line links the Yorkshire Dales with southern Lakeland, and the stored route deliberately covers the whole walk rather than a shortened section
Time and difficultyTypical schedule: 5 to 7 days, with about six days the common choice
- Typical schedule: 5 to 7 days, with about six days the common choice
- Difficulty: moderate to hard, 7/10
- The grade reflects multi-day mileage on mixed ground and the more demanding Cam Fell crossing, where the walking is higher, rougher and more exposed than the riverside stages
What the walking is likeVariable riverside paths, quiet lanes, farm tracks, and many gates and stiles
- Variable riverside paths, quiet lanes, farm tracks, and many gates and stiles
- Stretches of open, exposed moorland where weather changes quickly
- Limestone country and a string of historic villages through the dales
- Later stages bring the River Dee, the Howgills, the Lune Gorge and the Lakeland foothills
Rough sequence1. Ilkley and the River Wharfe
1. Ilkley and the River Wharfe
2. Bolton Abbey and the Strid
3. Burnsall, Grassington, Kettlewell, Buckden
4. Cam Fell and Upper Ribblesdale
5. Dentdale, Dent and Sedbergh
6. Lunesdale and the Lune Gorge
7. Burneside, the River Kent and Staveley
8. Lakeland foothills to the Bowness finish
Navigation and accessThe route is generally waymarked, but carry a map, guidebook or GPX, especially for higher and…
- The route is generally waymarked, but carry a map, guidebook or GPX, especially for higher and moorland sections
- The route follows public-access countryside; no route-specific permit was established in research.
- Dogs are generally welcome; keep them on a lead or under close control around livestock and through farmland
Getting there and parkingIlkley station sits a few hundred metres from the start
- Ilkley station sits a few hundred metres from the start
- Windermere station is about 1.5 miles from Bowness, with a bus link into the village
- There is no single car park that suits the full route, so travelling by train at both ends is the simpler plan for a one-way walk
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lake District
81 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
13 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
76 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
51 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
233 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
176 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
