Places to visit in the Yorkshire Dales National Park

Start your trip in Settle, one of the prettiest towns in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. After you’ve checked into Falcon Manor – one of the best places to stay in the Yorkshire Dales and your base for tonight – leave the car and walk to the train station, to pick up the regular Northern Rail service towards Ribblehead. The adventure begins!

Get off the train at Ribblehead – the station just before the famous Ribblehead Viaduct. From here, you have two options, the first of which is following the Ribblehead Viaduct Circular Walk. It’s an easy-to-medium trail, which departs from the station and passes beneath the viaduct’s soaring archways. The bridge is a whopping 104 feet (32 metres) tall, built from 1.5-million bricks in the 1800s. Allow a couple of hours for the 3.6-mile (5.8km) route.

Up for invigorating Yorkshire Dales walks? From Ribblehead, follow the 7.5-mile (12km) trail up to the summit of Whernside – the region’s tallest mountain. It is one of Yorkshire’s Three Peaks, with views stretching as far as the Lake District and Morecambe Bay. It’s a challenging route, but a fantastic introduction to the Dales’ glorious countryside.

Whichever walk you chose this morning, you’ve earned a big lunch at The Station Inn, which is right next to the viaduct. Tuck into a tasty ploughman’s lunch with thick ham and crumbly local Wensleydale cheese, or a steak and ale pie with buttery mash. From the pub, it’s just a short stroll back to Ribblehead train station.

Taking the train across the high Ribblehead Viaduct is one of the most iconic things to do in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Hop on a Northern Rail train heading towards Kirkby Stephen railway station, and enjoy the view from this lofty engineering marvel – and then the patchwork of countryside and rolling hills that follows. After around 25 minutes, hop off at Kirkby Stephen and catch the return service back to Settle.

On the drive from Settle to Malham, stretch your legs at Scaleber Force waterfall – a short stroll from the road through peaceful Scaleber Wood, with only the birds and trees for company. Look out for the old lime kilns as you walk: the pathway leads to a viewing platform, with great views of Stockdale Beck’s waters tumbling down the limestone cliffs.

Looking for great Yorkshire Dales walks? The Malham Landscape Trail encompasses the Malham Cove cliffs and Janet’s Foss waterfall in one invigorating 3.9-mile (6.3km) hiking route, with an additional leg from Janet’s Foss to the Gordale Scar gorge (around 15 minutes’ walk each way). It departs from the car park at Malham National Park, and there are also accessible Miles without Stiles trails leading to Malham Cove and Gordale Scar – ideal for those using wheelchairs or pushchairs. This area can get very busy; at weekends and during school holidays, so consider timing your visit for outside peak season if possible.

Deep-fill sarnies, huge pots of tea, hefty slabs of fudge cake: it’s all on the menu at Malham’s Old Barn cafe. Muddy boots (and dogs) are welcome, and local ingredients take centre stage – whether that’s bacon from local butcher’s Jacksons of Cracoe, or gelato from Brymor Ice Cream in Masham. There are also extensive gluten-free and vegan options.

For a truly unique Yorkshire Dales National Park souvenir, head to Malham Smithy in Malham, where blacksmith and artist Annabelle Bradley designs and makes spectacular wrought ironwork sculptures. With sparks flying and metal glowing, you can see how she hand-crafts each piece – and if you fancy having a go, she also runs hands-on blacksmithing courses.

This evening, we recommend staying at The Lister Arms in Malham, purveyor of fine local ales, hand-made pies, hefty gammon steaks and much more. Nab a spot beside the fire, or a garden table for fresh Dales views. There’s also a handful of bedrooms with kingsize beds and power showers – just the ticket after a day on the trails.

Cobbled streets, quirky shops, stone-built cottages: Grassington village has all the hallmarks of a charming Dales market town, a delightful spot for shopping and mooching this morning. Fans of the 2020 farming TV drama All Creatures Great and Small might recognise Grassington as the real-life location of fictional Darrowby; look out for its bustling market on the third Sunday of every month.

Step inside the magnificent Stump Cross Caverns to explore an underground world that was 300 million years in the making. One of the many natural caves and chasms beneath the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the caverns are yours to explore on a self-guided adventure, with beautifully lit stalactites and stalagmites – and don’t miss the chance to pan for semi-precious gems in its sluice.

Cute, inquisitive and excellent company, llamas make superb walking companions – though be warned, they’ll definitely upstage you on Instagram. At Nidderdale Llamas, you can enjoy spectacular Yorkshire Dales walks with a new furry friend, either around the farm or further afield. The experience is fully wheelchair-accessible, and everybody is paired with their perfect llama in a fun “speed dating” exercise, to ensure that their personality matches yours.

Yorkshire’s biggest artwork, The Coldstones Cut, is unmissable in every sense of the word. Designed by Andrew Sabin, this gigantic monument overlooks both the digger-gouged chasms of Coldstones Quarry, and the wild beauty of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. From the top of its panoramic viewpoints, you’re encouraged to ponder how the human-built and natural worlds coincide.

While it wasn’t a filming location, there’s something very Downton Abbey about Grantley Hall – your recommended spot for tonight’s dinner and stay. As well as 47 lavishly designed bedrooms, it features five fine-dining restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall. Its manicured gardens are peppered with lakes and sculptures, and there’s a full-service spa and swimming pool too. One of the finest places to stay in the Yorkshire Dales.

You have two options this morning, the first of which is an adrenaline-fuelled adventure at How Stean Gorge. It’s time to stop admiring the Yorkshire Dales National Park and get climbing, splashing and scrambling over it instead. Spend the morning gorge-walking and abseiling, before scaling the via ferrata (essentially a cliffside ladder): it’s either thrilling or terrifying, depending on your head for heights!

Prefer to stick to terra firma? Make your way to the National Trust’s Fountains Abbey instead, for a peaceful 5-mile (8km) stroll through its 12th-century ruins and surrounding water gardens. Wild woodlands and flower-filled borders lead to the riverside, and more than 300 red, fallow and sika deer roam the parkland. Most of the walkways are accessible by wheelchair.

Welcome to the weirdest place in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. At The Forbidden Corner you'll find baffling mazes, bizarre follies, larger-than-life sculptures and spooky tunnels – plus endless puzzles, mysteries and games. It’s not just for the kids: this is a place to abandon the rules, to embrace the unknown! After exploring, head to the Potting Shed for sandwiches and ice creams in the herb garden.

One of the most famous waterfalls in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Aysgarth Falls have featured in films and artworks alike – and an easy walking trail leads right to the cascades. While you might not welcome rain on your holiday, it’s worth remembering that the waterfalls are most dramatic after rainfall. For wheelchair access to the waterfalls, an all-terrain mobility scooter can be hired from the visitor centre.

It’s only a short journey to today’s final stop: Stow House, a family-run and dog-friendly bed and breakfast. Its rooms overlook the surrounding gardens and dales, and its owners serve cocktails in the library and sitting room every evening. For dinner, Palmers Restaurant at Aysgarth Falls Hotel is a few minutes’ walk away, serving Yorkshire’s finest: think Dales beef burgers with Yorkshire blue cheese, and house-made pie of the day.

Step into a medieval world where knights show off their archery skills, falcons swoop through the air and wild boars snaffle for treats. In Wensleydale, the mighty Bolton Castle brings history to life with its entertaining displays and interactive fun: maybe you’ll learn how to fly an owl, or try a bow-and-arrow challenge for yourself?

Swap your hiking boots for two wheels at the Dales Bike Centre in Swaledale, which offers guided trips on e-bikes, mountain bikes and road bikes – as well as gear hire and route maps for experienced riders. A huge network of trails leads right from its door, deep into the Yorkshire Dales National Park – with options for all abilities.

Take home a piece of Yorkshire Dales National Park tradition: a handmade jumper from Swaledale Woollens. Each one is made by local craftspeople, using wool sheared from rare-breed Wensleydale and Swaledale sheep. From cosy hats and socks to intricate jumpers, every piece in this charming shop is unique – and for DIY knitters, the shop also sells balls of wool.

Of all the spectacular roads in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Buttertubs Pass is arguably the finest. Its smooth, sweeping asphalt weaves through the high moorland of Wensleydale and Swaledale, between Hawes Yorkshire and the hamlet of Thwaite. There are spots to pull in to admire the view from the summit and visit the limestone potholes that give the pass its name.

The pretty village of Hawes in Yorkshire is home to the Dales Countryside Museum and quirky antiques shops – and is a great base if you’re thinking about extending your trip, too. A short walk will take you to the Wensleydale Creamery, where you can learn about the history of the Yorkshire Dales National Park’s famous cheese, watch it being made in the creamery, and then try a chunk or two for yourself. You’d be crackers to miss it!