The adventure specialists

Hiking

Experience the very best of the Yorkshire Dales and the Three Peaks

The Yorkshire Dales is home to one of the largest and finest limestone landscapes in Britain!

Since their formation nearly 350 million years ago in a shallow tropical sea near the equator, the limestones of the Yorkshire Dales have been heavily sculpted by the action of ice, water and geological faulting into a unique and dramatic ‘karst’ environment. A true masterpiece of nature!

In just one day, the intrepid walker can be summiting one of the famous Three Peaks (Ingleborough, Penyghent, Whernside), scampering across magnificent limestone pavements adorned with rare flowers, peering into the depths of the many potholes and caves, gazing up at towering crags, cliffs and gorges, ambling along quiet rivers and scenic valleys or learning about the rich mining history.

Hiking

Choose your experience:

Hiking in the Yorkshire Dales

Walks and hikes for all ages and abilities, led by our local guides and taking in the very best scenery the Dales has to offer.

Challenge events

Challenge events are a great way to enjoy the outdoors, try something new and push yourself all at the same time. We'll be there to support you and ensure you have an unforgettable experience.

The Three Peaks

A true classic, taking in the three most famous peaks in the Yorkshire Dales. At around 24miles in length with a mile of ascent this is a great challenge!

Mountain Safety Courses

It’s all about keeping safe and comfortable in the mountains, so you can be both confident in, and enjoy the wonderful experience of exploring this magical environment.

Geo Tours

Explore the wonders of the Dales with our Geo Tours! These are a particular favourite of YDG director Mike, who as well as managing Yorkshire Dales Guides alongside Steph is a part-time Geophysicist too!!

Wild Camping & Backpacking

Join us on an overnight or weekend expedition in the Lakes or Dales and learn how to wild camp safely, efficiently and responsibly. Can also be combined with navigation and mountain safety tuition.

Botany walks

The Yorkshire Dales are home to some of the most beautiful and varied, as well as some of the rarest, wildflowers in the UK, thanks to the lime-rich soils of this amazing Karst environment. Botany is a particular passion of YDG director Steph

Hiking

The Yorkshire Dales is a truly special place, and we would love to share it with you on one of our guided walks! The Yorkshire Dales National Park was very recently named 'best national park in Europe' in the TripAdvisor 'Travellers choice awards' and its not hard to see why!

So what makes the Dales so remarkable? Well, lets start with its beautiful and very unique limestone scenery. A generally light coloured rock, it literally 'lights up' the Dales on a sunny day. Being easily dissolved by slightly acidic rainwater and carved out by glaciers, the result is a wonderfully sculptured landscape adorned with caves, gorges, rivers, mountains and a wide range of other amazing features such as limestone pavements.

Throw this in with its massively diverse fauna and flora (some of the rarest wildflowers in the UK are found in the Dales!), rich mining history, heritage, and sheer number of hills and valleys - no two the same, and you have a national park WORTH exploring!!!!

At Yorkshire Dales Guides, we are extremely passionate about the area we’ve come to call home, and we’d love to share the landscape, history and some of our favourite places with you! You may have a walk in mind, or would like us to provide some bespoke routes for you and your group to choose from based on your interests and ability.

From half day to multi day walks, the Three Peaks challenge, a day of ‘spot-holing’ (i.e. going to find some of the most impressive cave entrances, like Gaping Gill), a tour of the most spectacular geological features at Malham Cove and Gordale Scar, or maybe getting off the beaten track down one of the many quiet and beautiful valleys like Littondale, Dentdale and Swaledale, we’re positive we can cater for your requirements!

A glorious summer evening ascent of Pen-y-ghent
The dramatic entrance to the 100m deep Gaping Gill pothole
Out exploring the 'Norber Erratics' above Austwick
With ITV filming on Pen-y-ghent for 'This Morning'
Off the beaten track in the wonderful Swaledale
A superb vantage on the flanks of Wild Boar Fell

Challenge events

The famous Ribblehead viaduct with Ingleborough and Park Fell behind
Posing for a group photo on Simons Seat
Summit of Ingleborough.....5miles to go :-)
Descending to Yockenthwaite on the Wharfedale Three Peaks circuit

Challenge events are a great way to enjoy the outdoors, try something new and push yourself all at the same time, on your own or with friends. We'll be there to support you and ensure you have an unforgettable experience.

One of the most popular challenge walks in the UK is the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge (discussed separately below). But there are SO, SO many options for other equally worthwhile and beautiful challenges in the Yorkshire Dales.

For instance, there's the Wharfedale Three Peaks - a fantastic 22mile circuit starting from Kettlewell and taking in Birks Fell, Buckden Pike and Great Whernside. With over 1,200m of ascent, it is a comparable challenge to the Yorkshire Three Peaks, offering stunning views down into the valleys of Littondale, Langstrothdale and Wharfedale. A truly beautiful day out!

We would be delighted to put together a bespoke challenge event for you and your group based on your wishes and requirements. Having completed several 60 mile, 80 mile and 108 mile running events, Steph and Mike know a thing or two about partaking in these events and would love to share their own route ideas with you.

We can then provide as much or as little support as you wish, with the minimum being the company of a highly experienced, first aid trained guide(s) to help you navigate the way, and the maximum being support vehicles and staff following you along your route and meeting you, your group and our guides at road checkpoints for extra food, water, and any first aid requirements you may need.

Get in touch for more info and to discuss your next challenge! :-)

The Three Peaks

Ingleborough (723m), Penyghent (694m) and Whernside (736m)…..probably the most well-known and loved of the Yorkshire Dales’ mountains, and rightly so! A walk to take in all three summits on a single day is a truly special and varied day out. At around 24 miles in length with nearly 1 mile of ascent, it is a challenging undertaking, but one which is well within the capabilities of any reasonably fit, determined and equipped walker! Steph and Mike are keen and experienced ultra-distance runners having completed such events as the 108 mile Spine Challenger Race and 82 mile Dales Way challenge, and so know a thing or two about long distance challenges and how to prepare for them.​

With our office located only 10mins drive from Horton-in-Ribblesdale, the Yorkshire Dales Guides staff are often to be found walking and running on the three peaks and so know them extremely well. It is this knowledge combined with our extensive experience of organising three peaks walks for both individuals and large groups, and our dedication to providing a highly professional service which means you can be sure of a great day out on the Yorkshire three peaks walk with us.​

Yorkshire Dales Guides Three Peaks events can be either 'supported' (i.e. a support vehicle and YDG staff member meets you, your group and our guides at road crossings to provide water, first aid, extra food etc) or 'unsupported' (i.e. you will be joined along the route by YDG guides only). In both cases, a bespoke made certificate of completion can be provided if required.

Tackling the Yorkshire three peaks in a single day is not the only option though. You may prefer to tackle each peak on separate days over a long weekend, or walk the route over a more leisurely 2 days, or even start from your accommodation, for example, in Ingleton as opposed to the traditional starting point in Horton in Ribblesdale. Whatever your desires, we’re here to make it work and a memorable experience (in a good way…..of course!).

Have already completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks walk and fancy a different challenge? Then why not try an alternative three peaks circuit taking in Birks Fell (610m), Buckden Pike (702m) and Great Whernside (704m) from the beautiful village of Kettlewell. Get in touch for more information!

Handy Tips: If you’re thinking about doing the Three Peaks, get your accommodation booked as early as you can! Even a year in advance is not too early due to the popularity of the route. Consider doing it in early May or towards the end of September when the weather can still be very good and the days reasonably long, and also consider doing the route on a mid-week day (e.g. Friday) when it is likely to be much quieter!

Ingleborough from the flanks of Pen-y-ghent
The famous Ribblehead viaduct with Ingleborough looming behind
On the final leg of the Yorkshire Three Peaks
Ingleborough from the wonderful limestone pavements of Scales Moor
About to set off on the Yorkshire Three Peaks
On the summit of Ingleborough.....5miles to go :-)

Mountain safety courses

Descending from the summit of Pen-y-ghent in winter
Ingleborough in her winter coat from Gragareth
The summit of Pen-y-ghent beckons!

If you’re someone who hasn’t ventured into the mountains before, but wants to give it a go and learn some skills, then why not come on a mountain safety course? These are so much more than just learning to navigate. It’s all about keeping safe and comfortable in the mountains, so you can be both confident in,  and enjoy the wonderful experience of exploring this magical environment.  For example, we will teach you what clothing/equipment to take, where to go, how to plan a route, how to understand the mountain weather forecast and tips for choosing your route based on this, map and compass work and what to do in the rare case that things go wrong. Get in touch for a chat and we will happily put together a single or multi-day course for you based on your wishes and requirements!

Don’t forget we do offer guided walks, and this can also be a great place to start your hiking career in the mountains too, as you’ll be guided by a highly experienced, local instructor, who can offer plenty of tips and advice during your day out on the hills!

Geo Tours

Explore the wonders of the Dales during one of our very special Geo-Tours!

Geology is very close to YDG director Mike's heart, being a part-time Senior Geophysicist! Mike's route into this career started with his explorations of the Yorkshire Dales as a kid, both 'above' and 'below' the Dales!

The Yorkshire Dales has some of the most beautiful and spectacular geological features in the UK, with well-known highlights including the awe-inspiring cliffs of Malham Cove, the glacial melt-water gorges of Trow Gill and Gordale Scar, the stunningly unique valley of Chapel-le-Dale and its vast and expansive limestone pavements and stepped horizontal limestone bedding, the unusual but fascinating 'Norber Erratics' above Austwick and the myriad of potholes and cave entrances scattered across the moors including the famous Gaping Gill and Ingleborough Cave.

Our Geo-tours aim to take you on a highly informative guided walk to some of these features, to explain their formation, and how the landscape has been shaped by geological forces to become the landscape we see today.

Please get in touch for more info and to discuss the range of geo-tours we have on offer for you and/or your group, or keep an eye on the calendar on our home page for upcoming open-group geo-tours.

The spectacular valley of High Cup Nick
The awe-inspiring Malham Cove
Peering down into Gordale Scar from above
The impressive open pothole of Hull Pot
A pictureque waterfall in Deepdale
Hardraw Force near Hawes

Wild Camping & Backpacking

A stunning camping location in the Lake District
Descending to our evening camp in the Lake District
Morning coffee with a stunning view! :-)
Waiting for the sunrise from a fine Lake District summit!
On the way to a wild camp in the Yorkshire Dales on a fine summers evening

For a truly immersive outdoors experience, nothing beats camping in the wild, whether its watching the sunset or sunrise from a Lake District summit with your brew, or relaxing beside a remote tarn, or simply pitching your tent for the night as part of a highly rewarding long-distance, multi-day trek. With no-one else around, bar your companion, and accompanied by the wonderful views and sounds of nature, the demands of work/daily life can be left well and truly behind and you can simply focus on relaxing and enjoying the experience of being out in nature!

Yorkshire Dales Guides are on hand to introduce you to the wonders of wild camping, from teaching you about the pros and cons of the various equipment you will need, to selecting and caring for your camping location and nutrition while you're on your overnight or multi-day adventure. Wild camping excursions can also be combined with navigation and mountain safety tuition, from simple route planning and map/compass work, to understanding mountain weather forecasts (and where to camp based on this) and what to do if things go wrong.

Get in touch with us for a friendly chat and we would be delighted to build an exciting, bespoke adventure and learning experience for you!

Remember the motto "Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures"

Botany walks

Beautiful Globe Flowers
Early purple orchids with Pen-y-ghent behind
Early spring bluebells :-)
Up close and personal with the bluebell
In the summer, wonderful orchids abound in the Yorkshire Dales!
Steph overjoyed to find some very special Birds-eye Primrose
In the spring, the ancient woods of Oxenber and Wharfe are transformed

The Yorkshire Dales is home to some of the most beautiful and varied, as well as some of the rarest, wildflowers in the UK, thanks to the lime-rich soils of this amazing Karst environment.

If geology is close to Mike's heart.....then botany is very much close to Steph's heart, as i'm sure you will gather from her 4-part video guides to the wildflowers of the Yorkshire Dales below.

These informal guided wildflower walks are aimed at those who’d like to get their ‘eye in’ and expand their knowledge of the wildflowers of the Yorkshire Dales and their whereabouts. Learning materials for aiding identification will be provided and shared on the day, and the emphasis will very much be on slowing down the pace and carefully exploring an area to see what we can find.

Yorkshire Dales Guides know some of the very best venues, and so during the spring and summer we're guaranteed to find some really special flowers. Walks will be advertised on our home page calendar during the spring, with a mixture of weekend (half-day) and mid-week evening sessions (2-3hrs) on offer.

Alternatively, get in touch to discuss a privately guided botany experience for you and/or your group on a day of your choosing!

New Video series: Wildflowers of the dales

Steph explains the basic skills needed to identify wildflowers, and gives a detailed insight into some of the many wildflower species found in the Yorkshire Dales area.

Our videos are dedicated to the late David Hodgson of Settle, a wonderful man who contributed so much to both the celebration and conservation of our natural world here in the Yorkshire Dales!

Part 1: The key parts of a wildflower

Steph explains the main features of a wildflower, flower arrangement, leaf shapes and arrangement. Includes an in-the-field demonstration on how to identify a wildflower

Part 2: Early Spring

A closer look at a selection of wildflowers found in the Yorkshire Dales during early spring.

Part 3: Spring

A closer look at a selection of wildflowers found in the Yorkshire Dales during spring.

Part 4: Summer

A closer look at a selection of wildflowers found in the Yorkshire Dales during summer.

This online course is part of Stories in Stone, an ambitious five-year scheme of conservation and community projects in the Ingleborough area.

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