Extra Nights & Rest Days

Taking an extra night is the perfect way to extend your holiday and give yourself extra time to explore the beautiful countryside of the Yorkshire Dales.

Skipton is a very good choice for a rest day. It is a bustling little town, especially on one of its four weekly market days. Skipton Castle, at the top of the High Street, is the most complete and best-preserved medieval castle in England, thanks to the efforts of Lady Anne Clifford who repaired the damage caused during a 3-year siege during the English Civil War. Lady Anne Clifford also restored the Church of the Holy Trinity, which stands in front of the castle. It has a magnificent 15th century bossed roof, a beautiful chancel screen and a 12th century font with a wooden Jacobean cover.

Settle is a lovely little town with a typical 17th century market square complete with a split-level arcaded shambles. The town has plenty of shops, several cafes and a handful of welcoming inns. As it stands on the Settle-Carlisle railway line, trips to Horton-in-Ribblesdale (to climb Pen-y-Ghent) or Ribblehead (to climb Whernside) or Carlisle (for Hadrian?s Wall) can easily be accomplished.

Sedbergh, England's book town, is a popular choice for a rest day amongst bibliophiles. The town also boasts a fine Norman church, which dates from 1130. The east window is a large stained glass picture depicting the call of Christ to Andrew and Peter. It is unusual in that the single large picture occupies the full width of the five-light window.

You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:

Travel Information

Useful information and travel links that will assist you in your plans to travel to the start of the holiday and back from the end of it are sent to you with your full tour pack. A summary is given below:

By Air - The most convenient major city and international airports are Leeds-Bradford and Manchester.

By Rail - There is a rail station at the start of the trail (Skipton). The nearest rail stations to the end of the trail (Sedbergh) are either Oxenholme (10 miles away), Kendal (11 miles away) or Kirkby Stephen (13 miles away).

By Bus - Various bus services run to Skipton. Very infrequent bus services run to Oxenholme, Kendal & Kirkby Stephen Stations Monday to Saturday only (Thursday & Friday only in the case of Kirkby Stephen) from Sedbergh. The best option is usually to take a taxi from Sedbergh.

From London - Trains run from London Kings Cross station to Skipton.

Return To The Start - The easiest way to return to the start of the trail, is to take a taxi to Kirkby Stephen rail station. From there trains run to Skipton.