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Distance: | 84 miles |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
| Way-marking: | Good |
Trails:
| Along river, over moors, a little bit of everything.
| | Lodging Styles: | English B&Bs |
| Best Season: | Spring
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Highlights:
| All of it. This is a winner. A real diversity of terrain and excellent villages. Good ending at Lake Windemere.
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Stretching 84 miles through the Yorkshire Dales northwest to the edge of the Lake District,  The Dales Way may be one of the best long-distance trails in northern England. It sets out from the easily reached town of Ilkley along the Wharfe River. From the first step there is a beckoning to the walker to come, but not too fast. This is country to be savored and enjoyed.
The route gently makes it's way to Ribblehead where it crosses the Pennines, the "rooftop of England". It then gradually descends and heads for a grand finale at Bowness-on-Windemere in the Lake District.
One of the things that sets hiking in England or other parts of Europe apart from what we're used to here in the states, is the immersion, not away, but into the culture. We love the countryside, the rivers and streams, the lonely moors, and of course, the mountains. But we also love the farmhouse, the pub, the single-room B&B, and the sense of experiencing a different way of life. In essence, it's not just about the hiking.
This is also true of the preparation. There is always the logistical approach which includes getting in shape, knowing where you're going, and taking the right provisions in your pack. But to truly prepare to take a deeper look, reading great stories or even historical fiction can add breath and color to an unfamiliar area. It's difference between someone coming to Estes Park with only a brochure in hand and someone taking the time to read Isabella Bird's A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains or Enos Mills' Radiant Days. The experience will not be the same.
This is why I recommend James Herriot's series of books about the life of an old-fashioned Yorkshire veterinarian as preparatory reading for any hiking done in the Dales. Most of you will recognize such titles as All Creatures Great and Small and All Things Wise and Wonderful. Nowhere was his work so well received as in America. Herriot loved the American people and was amazed at the fascination they had for his work. He once said, "I think that the American people like my stories because they are reaching out for the simple things which they, in their materialistic and urbanized society, have lost: old, unspoiled Yorkshire and a way of life so different from their own."
Hiking boots and books- what a great combination.
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