Greentraveller Guide to the Yorkshire Dales National Park
Straddling the Pennines, the Yorkshire Dales National Park is a place of stark beauty and ever-changing moods – sometimes wild and windswept, sometimes tranquil and sunlit. Each valley or ‘dale’ has its own distinct character and the park has the finest limestone scenery in the UK.
There are also plenty of waterfalls, woodlands and vast landscapes crisscrossed with dry stone walls - it’s heaven for those who love the great outdoors. This Greentraveller Guide to Holidays in the Yorkshire Dales National Park will help you get the most out of your holiday. We have chosen the best places to stay, from remote farmhouses to eco-barns, and have sought out the best places to eat, whether it’s a local café or Michelin-starred restaurant.
We’ve information on activities too, from walking to mountain biking – there’s plenty to keep you busy. We'll also tell you how to reach the park's main stations by train and bus, as well as how to travel within the park using local buses and cycle paths.
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From a country house spa hotel to a bell tent with all mod cons or an isolated farmhouse miles from anywhere: there's a wide choice of places to stay
Tuck into local fare, from tasty Yorkshire beef to handmade ice cream at a host of great restaurants, pubs and cafes across the National Park
Striking abbeys, enchanting parks, secret gardens and open farms that the kids will love - there's no end of things to see and do in the National Park
Explore the dramatic landscape of the National Park on foot, by bike or even by steam train – each season brings its own unique colours and wildlife
Map of the Yorkshire Dales National Park
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Nearest national cycle network
David Butterworth, Chief Executive, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
A word from the National Park Authority
From the classic limestone scenery in the south of the National Park, to the open moorland in the north, and the grassy rounded hills of the Howgills in the west, this is a striking landscape which has been attracting visitors for hundreds of years. It is an area of traditional meadows, dry-stone walls and hill country with each dale having a distinctive character and atmosphere.
There is a fantastic network of footpaths and bridleways to explore, you can climb to the highest peak in Yorkshire, go underground in the longest cave in the country and drink in the highest pub in Britain.
There are lovely traditional stone built villages with a strong sense of community which is reflected in the many shows and festivals that take place through the year. You can see the scarecrows in Kettlewell, watch sheep shearing, take part in a fell race or just sit and listen to music at the Swaledale or Grassington Festivals.
One of the great railway journeys takes you through the National Park from Settle to Carlisle - a masterpiece of Victorian engineering as it carves through the area using tunnels and viaducts.
This Greentraveller guide will also introduce you to many of the great places to stay, where to get great local produce and how to find the best places to visit.
David Butterworth
Chief Executive, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
Did you know?
- The Yorkshire Dales National Park is home to the highest peak in Yorkshire – Whernside at 736m
- There are over 4000 field barns and 8600km of drystone wall in the National Park
- The Yorkshire Dales is the UK’s finest karst (limestone) scenery, with extensive areas of limestone pavement, cave systems, sinkholes, dry valleys and crags
- The National Park is sparsely populated, with just over 20,000 people spread over 1760 sq. km
- There are 200 scheduled monuments, 1800 listed buildings and 37 conservation areas in the National Park
- The area is famous for its waterfalls, which include Ingleton, Hardraw, Aysgarth, Stainforth, Kisdon, West Burton, Cautley Spout, and many more
Yorkshire Dales National Park, England
Map: YDNP
