Self-guided walking specialist On Foot Holidays has launched a brand-new route through the Yorkshire Dales (commencing May 2018), adding another unusual option to its UK portfolio and its ever-expanding list of handpicked hikes across Europe.
Rather than sticking to the well-trodden paths of the Dales Way and Pennine Way, On Foot Holidays has gone back to first principles to design a walk that links the highlights of the Dales in a rewarding journey from vale to peak.
The new route seeks to show walkers the two sides of Yorkshire’s rural heritage. Walkers will trek from Inn to Inn, east to west, with a steadily increasing ruggedness, into classical limestone country and a final dramatic climb with stunning views across to the Irish sea.
Starting in the eastern lowlands at Ripon, the first day passes one of the most important centres of medieval England, Fountains Abbey, where the monks owned vast tracts of the county before Henry VIII decided that he would prefer them for himself. There are reminders of the vast pre-reformation estates further along the walk, as the route passes through farms that once provided the Abbey with its wealth.
Walkers then climb through the sheep country of the Dales, the pretty villages of Pateley Bridge, Hebden, Grassington and Kettlewell, before reaching limestone country via Malham Cove, Settle, and Austwick, nestling in the dale below the gaunt massif of Ingleborough.
Staying in small B&Bs and pubs in delightful villages, food is a focus throughout the itinerary (including cream teas galore and stop-offs at two French chef-run restaurants).
On Foot Holidays’ MD, Simon Skutt, also recommends adding on a trip on the Settle-Carlisle steam train, or if guests are really up for an additional adventure, attempt the Yorkshire three-peaks challenge!
The new trip (May to October 2018), costs from £730 pp (two sharing) for seven nights’ B&B, luggage transfers, route notes and an information pack. Shorter versions of the route are also available.
For further information, for expert advice from someone who’s walked the route, and to book, call On Foot Holidays on 01722 322 652 (www.onfootholidays.co.uk).
