Yorkshire Dales National Park

England · Europe · Visited 20 December 2025 · Established 1954

I can't believe it took me almost 30 years to visit the Yorkshire Dales, a national park in my home country. It's a six-hour drive each way from home, so it needs at least a weekend, but it was worth every mile. I've been twice in the last two years and I'm already planning a third.

First visit: the southern fringe

My first trip was a quick one, just before my ultramarathon in the Bannau, so I used it as a training run. I ran a half marathon through the southern edges of the park and the neighbouring Nidderdale landscape, passing Thruscross Reservoir, a moody upland lake with a drowned village beneath it that emerges in drought years. I stopped at the Coldstones Cut, a dramatic hilltop sculpture carved from the rock of a working quarry with panoramic views across Nidderdale, and finished the day with a trip to Stump Cross Caverns, a show cave system right on the park's southern boundary with impressive stalactite and stalagmite formations. It was a taster rather than a proper exploration, but it confirmed I needed to come back.

Second visit: the classic Dales

The return trip was two full days, and I packed them. Malham Cove was the starting point: a sunrise hike up to the base of the 80-metre curved limestone cliff, then up the steep steps to the limestone pavement on top. The pavement is extraordinary, a natural jigsaw of weathered stone slabs (clints) separated by deep fissures (grykes), formed by millennia of rainwater dissolving the rock. I then drove the road above it, Tarn Road, and I'd highly recommend this for sunrise. The early morning sun hit perfectly across the fields and drystone walls, and the light was exceptional.

From there I headed to Horton-in-Ribblesdale, where I hiked a 10-kilometre loop up and down Pen-y-ghent (694m), one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks. It's a brilliant hike, short enough to fit into half a day but steep and rocky enough to feel like you've earned the summit. The final scramble up the nose of the mountain is the highlight.

Next was Ribblehead Viaduct, the famous 24-arch railway bridge that carries the Settle-Carlisle line across the head of Ribble valley. It's spectacular in person, the scale of it against the open moorland is striking. I did a short three-kilometre walk around the base to take it in from different angles but didn't get lucky enough to see a train crossing. If you're willing to wait, the sight of a locomotive on the viaduct with the hills behind it is supposed to be something special.

The next day I headed east, stopping at different points along Wensleydale. The highlight was Aysgarth Falls, a series of three broad limestone waterfalls on the River Ure, set in ancient woodland. There's a visitor centre and places to grab a coffee or scone nearby. My last stop before leaving the park was the Druid's Temple near Masham, a folly built in the 1820s to resemble a miniature Stonehenge, tucked away in a forest clearing. It's an oddity, but a fun one, and a good final stop.

What I haven't done

I haven't touched anything north of the A684. The entire northern half of the park, including the Howgill Fells, upper Swaledale, and the Mallerstang valley, remains unexplored. I also haven't completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge (Pen-y-ghent, Whernside, and Ingleborough in under 12 hours), which is unfinished business. I'll be back for both.

Who it's for

The Yorkshire Dales is one of England's great national parks. The combination of limestone landscapes, waterfalls, historic market towns, and proper hill walking makes it endlessly rewarding. It's busier than you might expect around the honeypot sites (Malham, Ribblehead, Aysgarth), but step off the main routes and you'll find the kind of quiet, rolling emptiness that the Dales are famous for. If you're in the north of England, it's essential. If you're in the south, it's worth the drive.