Dales Way Traveller Reviews

Walking The Dales Way was an amazing experience. Wonderful countryside, something special. Went astray a few times but got there in the end.

Perfect in every way - highly recommend.

My wife, daughter and myself booked with Mickledore to walk the Dales Way. The whole experience was excellent. Mickledore provided everything we could have possibly needed, e.g. maps, overnight accomodation, places of interest on route, places to eat, luggage awaited us on arrival every day. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

This was the 4th holiday we have booked with Mickledore and we have been happy each time with their organisational skills. we wouldn't dream of using anyone else.

I walked the Dales Way solo in late May 2019. The weather was far from perfect which just made the experience more exciting in that I had to work with the rain and cold at times and felt all the more justified in enjoying cream tea, heroic for making my goal each day, and superbly rewarded by a hot bath at the end of the days where such a thing was available. It was a top journey that I won't forget. More remote and exciting than I had imagined. Highly recommend the route and Mickledore.

Mickledore was friendly and helpful from beginning to end. Website is well organized and easy to navigate and understand. They were flexible and helped with questions I know were out of the ordinary. I would highly recommend them.

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We are two senior Aussies whose vision of a Yorkshire idyll was fulfilled by this walk through woodland and across moors. Drifts of bluebells and buttercups, pungent fragrance of wild garlic, fat lambs and green as far as the eye could see. Not to mention cosy pubs and hearty Yorkshire food.

Mickledore made the experience personal with individual itineraries and attention to detail to meet our requirements. They set a clear standard for accommodation and provided us with comprehensive information and maps. Communication was excellent and they were very responsive and helpful.

A perfect weeks adventure walking the Dales Way. Wonderful scenery and welcoming hospitality, all without leaving the trail.

Professionally organised trip, and Mickledore obviously have a great working relationship with the BnB’s on route.

Everything went to plan : the weather (amazing), the landscape (varied, full of English charm) and the organization of the holiday by Mickledore.

Great accommodations perfectly located, all of them right on the walk or less than 10 minutes away, with welcoming hosts, perfect timing of the only taxi transfer I had on this walk with a nice and accommodating taxi driver. The walk was cleverly divided in stages long enough to enjoy the walk and short enough to enjoy everything else too. Every question I had has been answered to very quickly and with consideration. It was my 5th walk with Mickledore and definitely not my last. There is great comfort for a solo walker to walk with them.

Loved the variety of accommodation, terrain and scenery and the locals we met on the Dales Way and in the pubs and restaurants at night.

Mickledore was very organised and responded quickly to all our needs and changes.

Five of us, walked the Dales Way from Ilkley to Bowness on Windermere, averaging 14 miles a day and staying mostly in remote BnBs

We used Mickledore , a company based in Keswick, who specialise in organising walking holidays in the UK. Mickledore organise accommodation and the transporting of luggage from one hotel to the next. We walk. We have used this company several time over the past few years. They have planned accommodation for us on the West Highland Way, Coast to Coast and the Rob Roy Way as well as this year's holiday. They are an excellent firm to deal with, by phone or email. Not only do they plan the accommodation and transport but they supply us with maps and guides for the walk, full notes on the places we are staying, advice on local restaurants and transport to start/end points. In a word they are brilliant.

Excellent holiday walking the Dales Way. All parts well organised. Information supplied was excellent. All accommodation was excellent with hosts very friendly and informative.

First time we have used Mickledore and all our hosts said they were the best of this type of company to work with.

This was the second walking holiday we booked through Mickledore. Both have been first class. The holiday consisted of walking the 81 miles from Ilkley in West Yorkshire through Upper Wharfedale before crossing the crown of the country and making our way via Ribblehaed, Dent and Sedbergh to Lake Windermere. We chose to do the walk over 7 days. There are 6 and 8 day options depending on your level of fitness and how much you want to stop and take in the stunning countryside and observe the wildlife. We are both in our mid 60s and are very fit and I think the timescale was the right one for us. The first two days of our walk involved sticking pretty close to the upper reaches of the River Wharfe. It is mostly relatively easy walking although there are some moderately steep climbs to be negotiated. The landscape is lush and green and the rolling hills are criss crossed by the archetypal dry stone walls. We passed through the magnificent Bolton Abbey, skirting Appletreewick and had tea and a scone in the picturesque village of Burnsall before stopping for our first nights accommodation in Grassington. A magnificent sunny morning greeted us, as we climbed out of Grassington continuing northwards. A cool northerly breeze took the edge off the warm late May sunshine and made for almost perfect walking conditions. The descent towards Kettlewell was stunning and we enjoyed lunch by the river in the village. The afternoon took us back close to the track of the Wharfe and we made our way on through Buckden to our next stop in a lovely farmhouse called Low Raisgill in the hamlet of Yockenthwaite. Another hearty breakfast fuelled us for the next leg of our journey towards Ribblehead.. We continued our journey to the source of the Wharfe before traversing Oughtershaw Moor. This was our first stretch of real Pennine moorland. Even in the dry conditions there were still some boggy stretches. Walking boots are a must for this section of the trip. After straddling the Pennine Way for a short distance we crossed the watershed of England and before too long the imposing Ribblehead Viaduct was visible in the distance. Our next night was spent in the splendidly remote but very comfortable "Shepherd's Cottage," about 2 kilometres away from the viaduct. The cottage is right on the Dalesway and the route rises steeply up Blea Moor over a short boggy stretch before finding a track descending down into Dental going towards the village of Cowgill. The cool northerly of the first 2 days had now gone and the continuing sunshine meant the temperature was rising into the low 20s. With Whernside to the south and Aye Gill Pike to the north and the westward flowing River Dee at our side, we made our way through the beautiful valley resplendent in the warm, late spring sunshine. Dent is one of those picture postcard Pennine villages and it was lovely to reach our next stop and have a cool drink. Day 4 took us on via the Dee. The call of the cuckoo punctuated our journey westward towards the pretty village of Millthrop. From there the Dalesway loops souh of Sedbergh before meeting up with the River Lune. Our next accommodation was at Ash-hining Farm. Our guest house proprietor host drove us into Sebergh for our evening meal as is the practice at several of the more remote locations on the route. The warm sun had now become a permanent fixture on our walk and the next day was no exception. The jagged hills of the Lake District were now visible on the horizon and we made our way towards and across the M6 cutting a furrow between the Dales to the east and the Lake District. Soon afterwards we crossed the main west coast railway line and continued through very pleasant countryside and finished our day in the village of Burneside. A taxi was waiting to take us to our accommodation in nearby Kendall. Our last day was one of the shorter stretches, which I think is psychologically good. The odd ache and pain didn't seem too bad on this last morning. We even permitted ourselves a diversion up to Brant fell to enjoy the views over Windermere before descending into Bowness and our finish. Bowness did seem manic after the peace and serenity of the past week but it was great to finish. We made sure we went to register our walk at the Hawkshead shop in the town so that a donation goes to the upkeep of the Dalesway. The sunshine had been with us since lunch time on Day 1!

Mickledore have been excellent. They clearly have walkers designing their programmes. The accommodation has been very good or excellent and the luggage transportation service has been top class. The information they send out in advance is good and they respond promptly to any queries. We will definitely book with them again.