Walking

Dentdale is a walker's paradise, and whether strolling through wildflower meadows and meandering down riverside footpaths, or hiking along the old the greenways and drover's roads that adorn the fellsides, the dale has some great walks for any ability. Walking in Dentdale provides the opportunity to see the best of the british countryside, its wildlife and habitat, and changing character as we move through the seasons.

Local Walks

The majority of the walks listed below are covered by OS Explorer Map OL02 - Yorkshire Dales Southern and Western areas, with the exception of the Frostrow Fell walk and walks in the Howgills which are covered by OS Explorer Map OL19 - Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley.

Although none of the following walks are dangerous, it's important to be fully prepared for walking on the fells. Appropriate footwear is essential and the weather can change quickly so it's advisable to carry warm clothing and wet weather gear, along with adequate food and drink. Rivers and becks can flood rapidly after heavy rain. Dogs should be kept under proper control particularly during lambing time (Feb to Apr) and during the late spring and early summer mating season of ground-nesting birds.

Flintergill Outrake Nature Trail

Created by Margaret and Jim Taylor of High Laning Farm, the Flintergill Outrake Nature Trail is a short linear walk of around 1.5 miles which retraces the course of the Flintergill back up through waterfalls, ancient woodland, and upland hay meadows. It culminates at High Ground where a topographical viewpoint gives spectacular panoramic views of Dentdale, the Howgills and the Lakeland Fells beyond.

The full walk description and leaflet download is available on our Flintergill Outrake Nature Trail page.

Around Dent

A relatively easy walk of 3.5 miles which provides a good introduction to the charms of Dent itself as well as to that area immediately to the east of the village. The first half of the walk explores the farmsteads along the lower slopes of the southern dale where there are some spectacular views of the upper dale, before returning along the delightful beck known as the Keld.

Route: 3.5 miles / 1.5 hours / Easy

Download: Walking in Dentdale - Around Dent (pdf)

Flintergill & West

Walking in Dentdale - Flintergill and West leaflet cover This delightful circular scenic walk takes you up fascinating Flintergill and out onto the Occupation Road where, on a clear day, there are glorious panoramas along the dale and beyond. Passing beneath dramatic Combe Scar, winding back through the hamlet of Gawthrop and finishing alongside the River Dee.

Route: 6 miles / 2.5 -3 hours / Moderate

Download: Walking in Dentdale - Flintergill and West (pdf)

Gorgeous Gawthrop

This delightful amble manages to pack in a variety of terrain and points of interest, taking in traditional farmhouses, the lovely hamlet of Gawthrop and a series of little waterfalls. It continues along a popular stretch of the Dales Way (see below), beside the River Dee and concludes with an interesting diversion through St. Andrew's churchyard. More ambitious walkers could add an extra section down the dale, taking in both sides of the Dee.

Route: 3 miles / 1 1/4 hours / Easy (extension to Ellers: 5.5 miles / 2 1/4 hours)

Download: Walking in Dentdale - Gorgeous Gawthrop (pdf)

Frostrow Fell

A fairly strenuous walk which goes beyond Dentdale, then back again, taking in varied landscapes and some occasionally difficult terrain. Frostrow Fell itself has superb views across to the Howgill Fells and the town of Sedbergh. The return leg picks up the Dales Way, descending to the lower stretches of the River Dee.

Route: 8 miles / 4.5 hours / Moderate

Download: Walking in Dentdale - Frostrow Fell (pdf)

Great Knoutberry

This is a classic walk in Upper Dentdale which takes you up and over the top of Great Knoutberry Hill, earning you terrific panoramic views of the Dentdale and Widdale valleys, and the Howgill Fells. On a clear day you'll be able to see the magnificent Three Peaks with Pendle Hill in the distance, and the mountains of the Lake District in the west. Returning via the magnificent viaduct at Arten Gill and the pretty hamlet of Stonehouse.

Route: 7 miles / 4 hours / Moderate - begin and end at Dent Station.

Download: Walking in Dentdale - Great Knoutberry Hill (pdf)

The Three Peaks

The Three Peaks comprises the Yorkshire mountains of Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside. Whether walked singularly or all three combined to make up the classic 24-mile walk, they are some of the very best high level walks to be had in the north of England.

For more details on walking the peaks (both individually and collectively) there is a comprehensive guide available on the Yorkshire Dales National Park website, and also a walk from Dentdale to the summit of Whernside detailed below.

Alfred Wainwright's Whernside and The Howgills

Although best know for his pictorial guides to The Lake District, Alfred Wainwright spent a lot of his later years walking and hiking in the quiet fells of the Howgills and the western Yorkshire Dales, which even today over 50 years later, are still peaceful and largely unfrequented. He wrote of walking in this area in his two books 'Walks in Limestone Country' (1970) and 'Walks on the Howgill Fells' (1972), both of which are excellent guides to the fells surrounding Dentdale.

Whernside

A challenging, whole-day walk based on Alfred Wainwright's classic ascent of Yorkshire's highest peak. Usually tackled from Ribblehead, Wainwright however considers the ascent from Dent to be "...the best of all routes up Whernside because of the lovely countryside from which it springs".

Route: 10.5 miles / 5-6 hours / Challenging

Download: Walking in Dentdale - Whernside (pdf)

Long Distance Walking

Several long-distance walking trails pass through or nearby Dentdale, the most well-known of these being the oldest of them all, the 268 mile Pennine Way which passes near the head of the dale and can be joined via the Pennine Bridleway.

The Dales Way

Running from Ilkley to Bowness the 80 mile Dales Way follows the length of Dentdale before heading out towards the Lake District. It mainly follows riverside paths and is generally a low-level walk.

Web: www.dalesway.org/index.htm

The Dales Highway

The Dales Highway is a more recent walk and is mainly a high level route covering 90 miles from Saltaire in West Yorkshire to Appleby-in-Westmorland. In Dentdale it traverses the northern slopes of Whernside before climbing out of the dale over Frostrow Fell.

Web: www.daleshighway.co.uk/index.htm

Calf Top – A New Mountain

In September 2016, Calf Top in nearby Barbondale became one of England's newest mountains when the Ordnance Survey updated their national height datum, bringing the summit up to a height of 609.6 metres (now shown as 610m on OS maps).

Calf Top can be summitted as it lies on open access land but care should be taken when choosing where you access the fellside.