Dales Way Highlights

Dales Way Highlights

A short walking holiday from Burnsall to Sedbergh through the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

4 to 5 nights
40 miles
Moderate to Moderate / Demanding

From £450 per person

Discover the available tours

About this route

The Dales Way Highlights tour takes in arguably the most rewarding section of the Dales Way between Burnsall and Sedbergh. The trail explores the beautiful scenery of Wharfedale Valley and visits several wonderful settlements, including Grassington, Kettlewell and Dent.

Each town and village boasts its own charm and unique history begging to be discovered. The walk comes to its completion in Sedbergh, a wonderful market town resting at the foot of the Howgill Fells. This is the perfect walking holiday for those wishing to sample the rolling beauty of the Yorkshire Dales.

Standard
Interactive
© Contours Walking Holidays Dales Way Highlights map
Burnsall to Sedbergh
40 miles (64 km)
28th March to 30th October

Holiday highlights

Visiting the quaint towns and villages of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, including Burnsall and Sedbergh.

Sampling traditional Yorkshire ale in many of the welcoming village pubs along the trail.

Walking through Wharfedale, one of Yorkshire’s longest and most beautiful valleys.

Available tours

CodeTourDurationDifficultyPrice per person
DWH1 From Burnsall(L) to Sedbergh(L) 4 nights, 3 days walking Moderate / Demanding£450
DWH2 From Burnsall(L) to Sedbergh(L) 5 nights, 4 days walking Moderate£560

Dales Way Highlights 4 nights, 3 days walking

£NNN per person
  • Itinerary
  • What's included?
  • Extra nights?
  • Tour facts
  • Route profile
  • Travel info
  • Weather
Start

Travel to Burnsall(L) where your first night's accommodation has been booked

Day 1

Burnsall(L) to Buckden. 13.5 miles (21.5km) / 1142 ft (348 m) ascent

Day 2

Buckden to Lea Yeat(L). 17 miles (27.5km) / 1654 ft (504 m) ascent

Day 3

Lea Yeat(L) to Sedbergh(L). 9 miles (14.5km) / 581 ft (177 m) ascent

Finish

Depart from Sedbergh(L) after breakfast

Your Itinerary

This itinerary lists our preferred overnight stops for this tour. Sometimes there may be a shortage of available accommodation in a preferred location, in which case we will transfer you from the trail to your accommodation and back again at no extra charge. Overnight stops marked with a (T) will always require transfers as standard.

Overnight stops marked with an (L) have very limited accommodation, and therefore more often than not will also require a transfer, particularly on bank holidays and weekends. We will use non-transfer accommodation wherever possible.

The daily mileages quoted are average trail miles only and do not include the distance from the trail to your accommodation. We do not expect you to have to travel more than a mile from the trail to your accommodation; should your accommodation be further than this, transfers will be provided as standard.

Below are the additional costs that may apply depending on your requirements. Dog-friendly tours are subject to a Daily Dog Charge, which will be listed below if applicable. Our standard prices per person are based upon two people sharing a room; if you are on your own, or are part of a group but require a room of your own, then the Solo Traveller or Single Supplements apply respectively:

A note about transfers
Solo Traveller Supplement
£50.00 per person / per night
Single Supplement
£40.00 per person / per night


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

Extra night (Standard)
£60.00 per person / per night

What's included?

  • 4 nights' accommodation in en-suite rooms (where available) in selected B&B’s, hotels, inns and guesthouses along the trail, or a short distance away via taxi provided at our expense.
  • Breakfast each day.
  • Door to door luggage transfer.
  • Maps with the route marked on and a guidebook or route notes describing the trail.
  • An information pack containing an itinerary, instructions on how to find your accommodation each night and a kit list.
  • Detailed travel instructions on how to get to the start of your holiday and back from the end of it.

Extra Nights & Rest Days

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

Burnsall has an idyllic setting with heather covered hills that look down upon the village green, complete with maypole and bordering the River Wharfe. A sturdy bridge with massive breakwaters, an inn, church, school and ancient mullion windowed cottages complete the picture.

St Wilfrid's church has many fascinating features; a tapsel gate - a lychgate with a revolving 'turnstile' entrance, a medieval Adoration of the Magi, a Norman inscribed font and Viking 'hog-backed' gravestones. The school next door was one of the country's earliest grammar schools.

Buckden is another good choice for a rest day. It is an attractive jumble of stone cottages, with a shop and a lovely old inn, perched on the hillside overlooking the River Wharfe.

Sedbergh is a very pleasant market town and ideal if you would like to explore the Howgill Fells.

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

Extra night (Standard)
£60.00 per person / per night

Tour Facts

Total distance: 39.5 miles (63.5 km)
Duration: 4 nights, 3 days walking
Minimum daily distance: 9 miles (14.5 km)
Maximum daily distance: 17 miles (27.5 km)
Code: DWH1 Grade: Moderate / Demanding
Season: 28th March - 30th October
Start of holiday: Burnsall(L)
End of holiday: Sedbergh(L)

Route Profile

Dales Way Highlights Route Profile

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 Manchester, Liverpool John Lennon and Leeds-Bradford.

By Rail - The nearest rail stations to the start of the trail (Burnsall) are either Skipton (about 11 miles away) or Ilkley (about 12.5 miles away). The nearest rail stations to the end of the trail (Sedbergh) are either Oxenholme (about 10 miles away), Kendal (about 11 miles away) or Kirkby Stephen (about 13 miles away).

By Bus - There are no viable public transport options from Skipton to Burnsall, so a taxi would be required. There is a very infrequent bus service between Ilkley and Burnsall. There are also very infrequent bus services from Sedbergh to Kendal and Oxenholme Monday to Saturday only. There is also an infrequent bus service from Sedbergh to Kirkby Stephen station weekdays only, but otherwise a taxi would be required to the nearest railway stations.

From London - Trains run from London Kings Cross station to Skipton & Ilkley. From there a taxi will be required to Burnsall.

Return To The Start - The easiest way to return to the start of the trail is to take a taxi from Sedbergh to Burnsall.

Weather Information

To find out more about the weather forecast for your chosen holiday's general location, please see the following websites:

  • MetCheck - This website allows you to look up detailed weather information for specific locations as far as six months in advance.
  • Met Office - This website shows regional area forecasts a few days in advance, with a general UK forecast description of up to 30 days in advance.
  • Mountain Forecast - This website shows what the forecast is like up on specific hills and fells, and offers forecasts a few days in advance.

Routes on this trail

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A short walking break from Ilkley to Kettlewell along the Lake District section of the Dales Way.Find Out More
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Customer reviews from the Dales Way Highlights

“Very lucky with the weather, amazing countryside and great places to visit and stay.”
Miss Renard, UK
“Accommodation was good, bag transfers were reliable, great hosts.”
Mr Noble, Australia
“Great walk on the best of the Dales. Beautiful weather walking through the river side and pastures, raining and wet walking on the hills, windy, soggy and confused about where the trail went and that was just the first day! Would do it again tomorrow.”
Mr Penland, USA
“A wonderful walk, beautiful scenery; the information folder was very thorough and comprehensive; accommodation was all good or excellent. It was all lovely in different ways.”
Ms Cashman, UK
“It was just great being out in the open air with nothing to worry about but the path to our next stopover.”
Mrs Hanson, UK
“The Yorkshire Dales are beautiful.”
Dr Werner, USA
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