Wharfedale

Wharfedale is often held to be the most attractive of the Yorkshire Dales. The Dales Way route cuts through the locality and takes in the very best of the picturesque riverside scenery.

The 12th century priory ruins at Bolton Abbey sit in a meadow by a bend in the River Wharfe and the estate lands cover 30,000 acres of glorious countryside. Follow the river north from the priory and you will come to the Strid, where the Wharfe narrows to just a few feet wide and flows through a chasm in the rocks.

Continuing along the riverside Dales Way you reach the 15th century hunting lodge, Barden Tower before arriving the gorgeous villages of Appletreewick and Burnsall. The 16th century Red Lion at Burnsall makes a great stopping off point and is situated next to the river by an ancient bridge, which is probably the most photographed in the Dales.