Five Days in the Yorkshire Dales: A Practical Itinerary for American Visitors

Base yourself in two or three towns, drive short hops between limestone valleys, and let the pubs do the evening work.

Days 1–2: Settle in Richmond or Leyburn, then work Wensleydale

Fly into Manchester rather than Leeds Bradford if you want the easier drive: roughly two hours up the A1 and A684 to Richmond, or a little under two hours to Leyburn. From Heathrow it is closer to four and a half hours by car, so most Americans I speak to take the train to Northallerton or Darlington and hire a car there. Richmond earns its first night: the Georgian theatre, the castle keep above the Swale, and a market square that still fills on Saturdays. Book a room in the town centre rather than a roadside lodge on the A1 — you want to walk to dinner.

Day two belongs to Wensleydale. Drive the A684 west through Leyburn and Askrigg to Hawes, about 40 minutes end to end without stops, though you will stop. Aysgarth Falls has three separate falls and a flat riverside path, so it suits jet-lagged legs. In Hawes, the Wensleydale Creamery does cheese-making demonstrations and a decent cafe; the ropemakers' workshop down the road is the better half-hour. Eat Wensleydale with fruitcake, which sounds wrong and is not. Best months for this valley are May, June and September — July and August bring coach traffic into Hawes by mid-morning.

Day 3: Swaledale, Buttertubs Pass and the slow road to Reeth

From Hawes, take the B6255 over Buttertubs Pass toward Thwaite. The name comes from the limestone shafts beside the road, where 18th-century travellers lowered butter to keep it cool — pull over at the top for the view down Swaledale, which is steeper and emptier than Wensleydale. The descent into Muker is single-track in places with passing places, so allow 30 minutes for the nine miles and be willing to reverse. Muker's meadow hay barns and the old lead-mining cottages around Gunnerside are the reason photographers come back.

Reeth is the natural overnight, about 20 minutes further east. It has three pubs around a village green, a small museum in the old literary institute, and Swaledale sheep in the fields behind. Ask for a room with parking, because village parking is tight. If you want a longer walk, the Swale Trail from Reeth toward Grinton is a gentle riverside path suitable for an afternoon. Skip the Tan Hill Inn unless you specifically want the drive — it is another 40 minutes of moorland road each way for a pub best known for its height.

Days 4–5: Malham, Skipton and the run home

Move south-east through Kettlewell and Kilnsey to Malham, roughly an hour and a half from Reeth. Malham Cove's limestone pavement and the dry valley above it are a 45-minute climb on a good path; Gordale Scar is a further 20 minutes and worth the extra. Park in the village and pay at theNational Trust car park — the lane fills by 10am in summer. Stay in Malham if you want dawn photographs, or push on to Skipton for a bigger town with a castle, a market four days a week and the Leeds-Liverpool canal running through it.

Skipton makes the last night easy: 45 minutes to Leeds Bradford Airport, an hour and ten to Manchester on a good run, and direct trains to Leeds in around 40 minutes if you are returning the car. Eat at a pub off the High Street rather than on it — the Sheep Street places are fine but busier. If you have a spare half-day, Bolton Abbey's riverside walk and the Strid are 20 minutes east. Avoid trying to add York on the same day; it is an hour and a half and deserves its own trip.

Questions, answered

Do I need a car for this itinerary?

Yes. Buses link Skipton, Settle and Richmond, but Wensleydale, Swaledale and Malham are poorly served and some services run only in summer. Hire from Darlington, Northallerton, Leeds or Manchester. Book an automatic well ahead, and check whether your hotel has parking before you commit.

When should Americans visit the Yorkshire Dales?

Late May, June and September give the best balance of daylight, dry paths and manageable crowds. July and August are busiest, especially around Malham Cove and Hawes. October is quieter and still good for walking, but some cafes and attractions close mid-week from November through March.

Where should I base myself for five days?

Split it: two nights in Richmond or Leyburn, one in Reeth for Swaledale, and two in Malham or Skipton. One base means long drives both ways each day. Staying in the dales villages rather than on the A1 corridor puts the scenery outside your window and the pubs within walking distance.

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