Yorkshire Pub Walks: Ales & Dales Trail

Tour Type:

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

Activity Level & Terrain

Expect a mixture of paths, tracks, and minor roads. Some of the paths can become very muddy and boggy when rain falls, often making progress slower than normal. The Ales and Dales trail is not specifically waymarked but you are walking through sections of England’s national trail networks and you regularly pass through small villages and towns – The paths are remote in sections but are walked regularly by other hikers and locals, with a few short sections being on indistinct paths.

Navigation

Using the Macs Adventure Smartphone App is mandatory for this tour. Whilst the Ales and Dales is not an official waymarked path, it does follow sections of many national trails including the Dales Way, Pennine Way, Coast to Coast as well as some other known trails such as the Lady Anne Way, Mark Reid's the Inn Way and the Herriot Way. There are some sections where the path underfoot may become indistinct, but we provide comprehensive route notes, maps and GPX tracks through our smartphone app, so you shouldn’t have any problem finding your way. 

Experience & Fitness

The Ales and Dales trail is a classic inn-to-inn hill walking tour at heart; most of the walks on tour are graded moderate (therefore, the tour collectively is graded as moderate); however, there are a couple of days that are verging on moderate-to-strenuous (please do not underestimate the difficulty of these days). For those that would rather spend some more time in the pubs or tea rooms or those simply looking for a more leisurely day, there are options to either shorten the walks or take public transport on most days - the exception to this is the Aysgarth to Kettlewell routes, there are no shortcuts or public transport on offer. (all shortcuts and public transport options are detailed in our information pack and smartphone app). Below is a breakdown of each day and their approximate distance alongside the ascents and descents.

• 7 Nights in traditional Yorkshire inn's, country manor houses and small boutique hotels
• 7 Breakfasts
• Daily baggage transfers
• Transfers as per your itinerary
• Access to maps, GPX tracks and daily route information with the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app
• All your trip documents provided digitally through your online Macs “My Account”
• 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our UK office

• Travel to/from Grassington
• Dinners and lunches
• Drinks and snacks
• Personal equipment
• Travel Insurance

• Additional nights before or after the holiday
• Transfers to/from Skipton train station to your Grassington accommodation

When To Go

The best time to walk is from April through to the end of September.  It's also possible to walk in the shoulder months of March and October, however, the weather can be a nuisance and the paths can become extremely boggy due to increased rainfall and shorter daylight hours. Please note that there may also be a baggage transfer supplement as it is out of season for our local supplier.

Getting to the Start

By Rail - The nearest train station to Grassington is Skipton. Trains run from London to Skipton (via Leeds) and take approx 4.5-hours or it is also possible to travel from Manchester (3.5 hours). From Skipton, there is a regular local bus service to Grassington that takes around 30 mins. Alternatively for a supplement, we can arrange a taxi transfer for you, from Skipton train station to your accommodation in Grassington. (Costs are approximately £30 one way for 1-4 passengers.

By Car - It is a 4 hour drive from London to Grassington or a 1.5 hour drive from Manchester. The Yorkshire Dales is well linked to all major motorways and road networks. Please let us know if you do plan to drive as we will attempt to arrange parking space for you (please note that this is at the discretion of the hotel and can't be guaranteed).

By Air - The closest airports are Leeds Bradford or Manchester. From either of these airports, you can take the train via Leeds to Skipton. From Skipton, there is a regular local bus service to Grassington that takes around 30 mins. Alternatively for a supplement, we can arrange a taxi transfer for you, from Skipton train station to your accommodation in Grassington. (Costs are approximately £30 one way for 1-4 passengers). For those coming from overseas, you are likely arriving via one of the many London Airports, from here you can catch a train to Skipton as detailed in the "By Rail" section above.

For more information on train times and schedules please visit the Traveline or National Rail websites.

Luggage Transfer

Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. 

At Macs Adventure we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Ninety-nine percent of the time they will only transfer one bag per person, but the allowed weight ranges from anything between 15 and 20kg per bag, depending on the tour you are taking.  We do not have control over the limits that these providers set. Therefore, it is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags, or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees) which we must respect.

General Information

Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.

Ales and Dales in the Press

• Featured in the Telegraph's Top 10 Amazing UK Walking Holidays for 2021: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/walking-holidays/great-british-getaways-10-amazing-uk-walking-holidays-2021/

• Featured in the Daily Mail for UK walking holidays that stay in historic inns: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/escape/article-9383815/The-best-walking-holidays-UK-promise-grand-country-house-hotels-historic-inns.html 

Online Documents

On this tour, all your detailed tour information will be digitally delivered and the trail will be followed using our Smartphone App. You will have access to this documentation and how to use the Macs App via “My Account” on our website. 

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.