Walking the Dales Way – a new edition of an old favourite

This article is from Signpost 57, Summer 2018

Dr Terry Marsh has recently written a new edition of ‘Walking the Dales Way’ (published Apr 2018 by Cicerone, ISBN 9781852849436), covering this enchanting route through the Yorkshire Dales. The route features rivers great and small running through spectacular limestone scenery and rolling farmland, across moorland and through woodland and meadows. Characterful towns and villages, ancient monuments, monastic ruins, and historic roads, bridges and churches are all part of the rich tapestry of the region. The 79-mile Dales Way passes through the heart of North Yorkshire and celebrates the unique charm of this very special corner of England.

The fully waymarked trail extends from Ilkley to Bowness-on-Windermere, linking two of England’s most celebrated national parks. Well served for accommodation and facilities, and with easy walking on riverside paths, it is one of the gentlest multi-day walks in Britain and therefore an ideal introduction to long-distance walking. The guide presents the walk in six daily stages of 7-19 miles (with suggestions for alternative schedules), with a route description in both directions.

The comprehensive route description is accompanied by 1:100,000 mapping, and a trek planner, showing where facilities are available, is included to facilitate planning.

Accommodation listings and useful contacts can be found in the appendices. A separate, conveniently-sized map booklet located in the back cover sleeve provides all the OS 1:25,000 mapping needed to complete the trail, elimi- nating the need to carry multiple paper maps. Offering a wealth of information on local points of interest, geology, history, plants and wildlife, as well as all the necessary practicalities such as when to go, how to get there and what to take, this guide is an ideal companion to enjoying this delightful route.

As Terry writes in his Preface: ‘With so much of interest concentrated in so (comparatively) short a walk, for a full enjoyment of the process, it is vital to allow time to explore and potter about, to paddle in the streams and rivers, to visit churches (and pubs), to get something of a feel for the lifestyle that permeates the course of the Way and of the history that has fashioned the land it traverses.’

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