The Dales Way is a delightful 80 mile footpath that starts from Ilkley and ends at Windermere. We walked it one summer, but don't worry, today's outing is only the first bit! After following the River Wharfe to Addingham and its ancient church, you climb through Nesfield, complete with stocks, to High Austby for a birds-eye views of Lower Wharfedale. Then descending through woods the return is beside the Wharfe to the Riverside Hotel where you can undo all that healthy exercise with a large helping of fish and chips.
LOCATION: Five miles north of Keighley
START: Ilkley, park near the Riverside Hotel, toilets
Grid ref: SE112481 Postcode: LS290AP
DISTANCE: 6 miles
GRADE: Easy
TIME: 3 hours
MAP: Explorer OL - Lower Wharfedale Landranger 104
REFRESHMENTS: Riverside Hotel
EN ROUTE: Low Mill, Wharfedale
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News