Yorkshire Dales (Slow Travel)

Book excerpt: This new, thoroughly updated third edition of Yorkshire Dales (Slow Travel), part of Bradt’s series of distinctive ‘Slow’ travel guides to local UK regions, remains the most comprehensive guide to the area and covers the whole of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty plus nearby ‘Slow’ and historic towns and villages. The Yorkshire Dales could have been invented for modern travel. The region’s cinematic caves, valleys, waterfalls and limestone geology are famous round the world. Within a short walk are filmset-perfect traditional pubs and cafés where you are as likely to chat to shepherds as celebrities. The Dales have never been places to hurry. In the new travel world where ‘Slow’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘local’ are many people’s watchwords, this remarkable English region offers much to savour at leisure – like one of its renowned artisan cheeses or beers. Written and updated by two Yorkshire residents and outdoors enthusiasts, Bradt’s Yorkshire Dales complements well-known honeypots (Aysgarth Falls, Malham, Grassington) with off-piste gems that you’ll have to yourself, whether wild swimming spots, hidden caves, Dark Skies sites or traditional stone villages. With hundreds of square kilometres of open-access land to explore, the Dales are one of the UK’s premier hillwalking destinations, hosting much-loved routes such as the Pennine Way, Three Peaks, Dales Way and the recently upgraded Coast to Coast. The Dales have also become known as one of England’s finest places for cycling, whether for family trips, e-bikers or hardcore road racers, prompting hopes that the Tour de Yorkshire will return. Drop in to the Tan Hill Inn, Britain’s highest pub, where sheep regularly warm themselves by the roaring fire; journey into the depths of Gaping Gill, one of Britain’s largest underground chambers; visit book-loving Sedbergh, where even the bus stops have bookshelves; or take a scenic rail trip on the famous Settle–Carlisle line, crossing the country’s longest railway viaduct. History buffs will love medieval castles including Skipton and Richmond, while wildlife-watchers will enjoy the birds of sparkling rivers and limestone-pavement flora. Bradt’s Yorkshire Dales (Slow Travel) is the perfect companion for a successful trip.