Trail and Fell Running in the Yorkshire Dales

Map key

Overview map

Route summary table

Introduction

The Yorkshire Dales

History and geology

Nesting restrictions

Accommodation

Transport

Maps

Running in the Yorkshire Dales

A brief history

Tracks and trails

Three Peaks race

Running clubs

Equipment

Navigation

Safety and mountain rescue

Using this guide

The South-West Dales and Three Peaks

Route 1 Settle Loop

Route 2 Crummackdale

Route 3 Pen-y-ghent

Route 4 The Three Peaks (Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough)

Route 5 Gragareth

Route 6 Ingleborough (from the Old Hill Inn)

Route 7 Ingleborough (via Park Fell)

Route 8 Dodd Fell

Route 9 Cosh

Route 10 Great Knoutberry

Route 11 Whernside (from Ribblehead)

The North-West Dales and Howgills

Route 12 Dent to Ribblehead

Route 13 Whernside (from Dent)

Route 14 Barbondale

Route 15 Black Force (Howgills)

Route 16 Bowderdale

Route 17 Wild Boar Fell

Route 18 Cautley Spout

Route 19 Pendragon Castle to Skipton Castle Ultra Leg 1 (Pendragon Castle to Hawes)

The North-East Dales, Swaledale and Wensleydale

Route 20 Asygarth

Route 21 Thornton Rust

Route 22 Bainbridge

Route 23 Maiden Castle (Reeth)

Route 24 Gunnerside Gill

Route 25 Muker

Route 26 Great Shunner Fell

Route 27 Tan Hill (from Keld)

Route 28 Arkengarthdale

Route 29 Pendragon Castle to Skipton Castle Ultra Leg 2 (Hawes to Kettlewell)

The South-East Dales and Wharfedale

Route 30 Bolton Abbey

Route 31 Simon’s Seat

Route 32 Malham Cove and Gordale Scar

Route 33 Mastiles Lane

Route 34 Grass Wood and Conistone Dib

Route 35 Troller’s Gill

Route 36 Great Whernside (from Kettlewell)

Route 37 Fountains Fell

Route 38 Buckden Pike

Route 39 Masham Moor

Route 40 Pendragon Castle to Skipton Castle Ultra Leg 3 (Kettlewell to Skipton)

Appendix A Useful contacts

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We are always grateful to readers for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground. If you would like to send some information to us then please use our contact form. They will be published here following review by the author(s).

This is an excellent book

Last year readers will recall I reviewed a similarly titled book about Trail and Fell Running in the Lake District. Cicerone Books have now produced a second book in this series featuring 40 runs in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The book has been compiled by Pete Ellwood, an experienced fellrunner with Settle running club, winner of one of the classes in the Saunders Mountain Marathon in 2013 and a member of the mountain rescue team near to where he lives close to Ingleborough.

Of the 40 runs described in the book, 35 are circular, 2 are linear whilst the remaining 3 describe the linear route from Pendragon (near Kirkby Stephen) to Skipton, a total of 52½ miles split over three days. The distances of the runs range from 5¼ miles to 24¼ miles, the latter being the classic Yorkshire 3 Peaks starting and finishing in Horton in Ribblesdale.

The routes are graded from 1 to 5, the grade given to each run reflecting the maximum level of difficulty on that particular route, even though some parts of the route may fall into a lower category of difficulty.

Each of the routes starts with a summary comprising the start and finish points of the run (usually the same for 88% of the routes), distance, ascent, grading, estimated time to complete, type of terrain, map to be used, refreshment availability and public transport availability to the start/finish. The route is then described in detail and accompanied by a map on a 1:50,000 scale and also a number of photographs of features and views experienced during the run.

As well as the 40 runs, there are also sections at the start of the book on history & geology, nesting restrictions, accommodation, transport, maps, a brief history of running in this area, tracks and trails, the 3 Peaks Race, running clubs, equipment, navigation, safety & mountain rescue and how to use the guide itself.

The area covered by the runs is split into four sub sections – The South West Dales and Three Peaks, The North West Dales and Howgills, The North East Dales plus Swaledale and Wensleydale and finally the South East Dales and Wharfedale.

Although the book is aimed primarily at the cross country and fell running fraternity, 24 of the routes (60%) are of 10 miles or less and would be more than suitable for walkers to use. In this latter case, Pete Ellwood’s times would need to be doubled for each of the routes due to the slower pace of a walker compared with a runner.

Many of the routes in the book were well known to me from my many years of walking in the Dales but there are probably about six or seven lesser known ones that I have not walked which can be remedied over the next year to two.

For any fellrunners or seasoned walkers this is an excellent book, well written by Pete Ellwood, which should form part of their collection.

John Burland