England - The Dales Way - The Styles of Stiles (and Gates) & More

One of the banes (and charms) of walking the Dales Way is passing over and/or through the many stone walls, hedgerows, and fences that delineate the pastures. Here's a sampling.

Stiles

Stiles are a set of steps that go over the wall. Some were particularly challenging to squeeze through.

An easy rock stile - the steps aren't very steep, and the passage at the top is wide.

A typical style -- steep steps, narrow passage, and at least one gate. Sometimes there are gates on both sides.

There were also wooden stiles to go over. Sometimes the wooden ones had "doggy doors" so that dogs did not have to negotiate the steps and jump the rails at the top of the steps.

Nelly Bridge has it all. A stile on one end, then the footbridge, and finally a gate on the far end of the bridge.

Gates

In addition to a normal gate, there are "kissing gates" that allow just one person at a time to go through.

Sue opened the gate and entered the triangular area on the left, then swung the gate forward to be able to pass out the back.

And then Lon repeated the process. Kissing gates are easier than styles, but still sometimes a tight squeeze -- especially with a pack.

Way Markers

In theory, you shouldn't need a guide book to follow the Dales Way. In practice, a good guide book is essential.

Sometimes posts with way markers on them are frequent. In other places you kinda have to guess about the path. We only missed one or two posts, and misinterpreted a couple more. That's where the guide books are essential! When in doubt, consult the guide!

Typical footpath markers. There were also markers specific to the Dales Way. Left: Yorkshire Dales National Park marker. Right: Lake District National Park marker.

This type of post was common. We also found "DW" painted on rocks or walls.

Guide Books

There are three good guides to the Dales Way. Each has it's strengths. All are available on Amazon. Our trip was arranged by Contours Walking Holidays (www.contours.co.uk), so we did not need as much information on the logistics of planning the trip.

Our favorite is the original:
Colin Speakman. Dales Way: The Complete Guide, 11th Ed., 2016. Skyware Ltd. (www.skyware.co.uk)
Thorough, informative, entertaining. The author is one of the founders of the Dales Way.
Detailed maps. Includes link paths from Leeds, Bradford, and Harrogate.

Also useful:
Henry Steadman. Dales Way, 2016. Trailblazer Publications. (www.trailblazer-guides.com)
Good background information on flora, fauna, environment.
Detailed maps with charming commentary. ("A whole series of gates, stiles, and a combination of the two precedes Kettlewell, ensuring that you'll arrive in desperate need of refreshment.") Accurate information on elevation profile of the route.
Guidance on where to eat and sleep.

This guide was included in the packet from our tour company, and seemed to be the most used by others. We found it the least useful.
Terry Marsh. The Dales Way, 3rd Ed., 2018. Cicerone. (www.cicerone.co.uk)
Waterproof cover.
1:25,000 Ordnance Survey maps of the route in a pull-out booklet. Elevation profiles hopelessly wrong.
Excellent appendices with "useful contacts" and accommodations. Very useful if you are planning your own trip.
The only guide to give details on walking the reverse path from Bowness-on-Windermere to Ilkley.

England - The Dales Way, Day 9

Wednesday, 22 May 2019

Staveley to Bowness-on-Windermere, 7 miles

Our last day on the Dales Way. It was a relatively short day, officially only a bit over six miles on the Dales Way, but after the Dales Way ends there is a steep walk down into the center of Bowness-on-Windermere, and then more walking to get to our night's inn.

A last look back at the Dales as we hiked above Staveley on way to Bowness-on-Windermere.

The style of farmhouse has changed -- we're definitely in the Lake District.

While sheep were still the dominant livestock, cattle were more frequent now.

Lon at the highest point of today's walk.

Lake District peaks appear in the distance as soon as we got to the top of the first hill out of Staveley.

We're still in karst territory. This "mysterious spring" bubbles out of the ground on the right and travels about six feet before returning underground at the left.

Sharing the path with sheep.

Almost at Bowness -- just a couple of miles of downhill walking.

The official end of the Dales Way. Lake Windermere is in the background.

We picked up our official Dales Way certificates at Hawkshead outfitters in Bowness.

England - The Dales Way, Day 8

Tuesday, 21 May 2019

Patton Bridge to Staveley, 7 miles

We finished the Dales Way with two short days. It was nice to finish the walk with time to enjoy both Staveley (today) and Bowness-on-Windermere (tomorrow). The short day also gave us the opportunity to visit a paper mill in Burneside.

Once we saw Burneside in the distance, it seemed to take forever to get there. We kept on walking, but Burneside didn't seem to get closer. The large buildings to the left are the James Cropper paper mill.

A closer view of the paper mill. The Dales Way actually goes along two sides of the mill property.

The James Cropper paper mill is just a very short distance from the Dales Way. In fact, because a bridge was being repaired, the route into Burneside went directly past the mill. We had read about this paper mill in our guide books, and Lon arranged a mill tour. The offices and labs occupy former schools (the town kept expanding and needing larger facilities), and they are much more attractive than typical industrial buildings. James Cropper PLC makes a huge variety of highly specialized papers and non-wovens. The tour of this unique mill was very interesting, and we appreciate the effort the company made to accommodate a visit from a retired papermaker on holiday in England.

More bluebells. They really contribute to stunning landscapes in May!

I have no idea of the identity of this tree, but the flowers look like it should be in the Leguminosae family.

Once we got to Staveley, we had a late lunch at the highly recommended Hawkshead Brewery. Like many of the small towns we walked through, Staveley had a lot of amenities for its size.

England - The Dales Way, Day 7

Monday, 20 May 2019

Sedbergh to Patton Bridge, 12 1/2 miles

It was obvious we were returning to a more populated area today. We walked along the railroad for about a mile, and we walked within the "noise-shed" of the M6 motorway for about three miles. It was also a day of constant up-and-down. No climb was more than 50 meters (165 ft), but there wasn't much level ground.

We were used to the path going between two rock walls, but no where was it as narrow as this short section just outside Sedbergh.

The interesting "Pepperpot" structure, originally part of the Akay Estate near Sedbergh, and now owned by Sedbergh School. The origin is unclear. It may have been a place for the daughter of the estate's owner to recover from tuberculosis. Or it may have been built as a remote dining room with country views. Later, it was a rental residence. Now it's just an interesting structure in a sheep and cow pasture.

Despite the windiness of the Dales, we only saw two small wind turbine installations on our entire walk.

The first of two railroad viaducts we saw today. This is the Lune Viaduct.

The Lowgill Viaduct.

It wasn't uncommon to find sheep or cows occupying the trail. Without exception, as we approached, the animals moved off the path and watched closely as we passed by.

One guidebook labeled this lovely stretch the "Rhododendron Forest".

This field had been recently mowed, and the farmer was working to gather and bale the hay. We were surprised to see that the path was clearly visible across the field as a change in the color of the grass.

Lots of chickens on this farm! One of our guide books mentions "free range chickens here".

England - The Dales Way, Day 6

Sunday, 19 May 2019

Cow Dub to Sedbergh, 11 miles

Today's walk was long, but relatively easy, with a nice lunch break at Dent.

There's not much water in the River Dee right now, and it frequently disappears underground.

Even at the confluence of the River Dee and Deepdale Beck, the visible part of the river looks like a small pond, not a river.

Later, the River Dee becomes a real stream again, and stepping stones provide access to the other bank.

Pasture land in Dentdale.

Approaching the small village of Dent. Even though Dent is tiny, it doesn't lack for pubs and cafes. We had a nice tea break in Dent.

The monument to Adam Sedgwick.Sedgwick, one of the pioneers of modern geology, was born in Dent and educated in Sedburgh.

Many of the fields were filled with buttercups. I can't help but think of the "Golden Book" Tootle.

Now that we're off the moors and back along the rivers, bluebells again covered large areas, mostly under trees.

We finally got to see dippers.

A thrush, possibly a mistle thrush or a song thrush.

We saw lots of lambs (of course), but today's picture is of sheep enjoying their own little niches in the hill.

We haven't seen many chickens, but this set remedied that.

Approaching Sedbergh. Our inn for the night was about a half mile off the trail.

England - The Dales Way, Day 5

Saturday, 18 May 2019

Oughtershaw to Cow Dub, 11 miles

Today was the most strenuous day on the Dales Way. We passed the highest point on the Dales Way. And we passed the half-way point.

As we walked up Cam Fell the views were worth the effort. We could see two of the "Three Peaks" of the Yorkshire Dales. The distant hump peeking out behind the near fells is Pen-y-Ghent.

The top of the Dales Way where we join the Pennine Way on the Cam High Road. Our day's traveling companion, Dave Carr, got there before us.

Looking back towards Oughtershaw at the summit.

We had a great view of the Ribblehead Viaduct.

As we descended the Cam High Road, all of the Three Peaks were visible. The road is an old Roman road. We were grateful that the forecast storms never materialized, since this section of the Dales Way offers no cover.

Pen-y-Ghent comes into better view.

Ingleborough is the distant peak behind the nearer fell.

Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough behind fells and moors.

An interesting circular wall.

The Dent Head Viaduct. We're getting to a part of the Yorkshire Dales that has quite a few of these massive stone railroad bridges.

Two lambs and a ewe on Cam Fell.

Horse in a pasture along Dent Road.

A curious cow watches us walk by.

Today's fauna included these 2-inch long slugs that were everywhere on Cam Fell. We didn't see them anywhere else.

The end of the day's walk -- the Sportsmans Inn, truly a Dales Way institution. It was here that we learned the difference between an en suite bathroom and a private bathroom. A private bathroom is for the exclusive use of a given room, but you access it off the hall, rather than your room.