Yorkshire Dales Walking Weekend - Kettlewell

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1
Welcome to Yorkshire!

You’re welcome to arrive at our accommodation for this break at any time after 5pm. If you arrive a little earlier, we recommend enjoying a short walk around the beautiful village of Kettlewell, our atmospheric base for the weekend. Think lovely stone cottages and a sprinkling of good pubs, shops and tearooms surrounded by rolling hills crisscrossed with dry stone walls.

Once you arrive, you’ll be met by your host who’ll help you get settled. Your mission for the rest of the evening is to sit back, de-stress, and enjoy getting to know your fellow walkers for the weekend. Enjoy a glass of wine at our accommodation or head to a local pub to try a delicious real ale. We’ll serve dinner at around 7pm and tell you all about our upcoming adventures for the days ahead.

Please note - For this adventure the hostel will be providing all of the catering and so dinner / service times are a little different to our standard trips.

Day 2
Time to explore!

In change from our normal trips, the venue will be providing us all with a hearty cooked breakfast (veggie, vegan options available). After breakfast and with packed lunches collected, we make an orderly exit from the hostel with your guide leading you on a walking adventure normally direct from the door. There is just one walk on offer today and it will be rated Active.

Here’s a sample of some routes we might take:

• Buckden Pike and Wharfedale: Rising above the valley of Wharfedale, Buckden Pike is an excellent hill to take in the views over the Yorkshire Dales and with the added bonus that we can start the walk from the hostel. After a short warm-up stroll through the village the route soon begins to climb and the views open up as we gain height.  Once at the top we head along the ridge past the World War II memorial dedicated to the Polish airmen who crashed during a blizzard. From there we start to descend, eventually meeting the River Wharfe for a delightful walk back into Kettlewell.

• Littondale: Shush, Littondale is a bit of a secret so we’ll whisper this walk! We drive a short way to Arncliffe in the next valley. From there we strike out for an easier walk following ancient tracks that take usalong the side of the dramatic Cowside Beck and then back via another moorland path. There are no steep ascents during our day out but the scenery is stunning, dominated by a sweeping limestone valley and a quiet other-worldliness that makes for a rollicking good walk.

Afternoon onwards

Once back at the hostel, there’s ample time to make the most the village’s hospitality or simply head out to the garden with cushioned seating and meadow views.

In the evening we’ll relax over another lovely dinner prepared by your the venue.

Day 3

After we enjoy a relaxed Sunday morning and a well deserved cooked breakfast, its then time to pack up our belongings before we head out for today’s adventure. Here’s some idea of what we might have up our sleeve:

• Grassington: A short drive from Kettlewell is Grassington, another classic Dales village which is absolutely riddled with footpaths. For this wander we pick up one of the paths which winds its way gently into the surrounding hills before returning via the nature reserve of Grass Wood where you might see Roe Deer. From there we then follow the river bank back to the village.

• Great Whernside: For the striders there’s a chance to tackle another significant peak, Great Whernside, which stands a lofty 700m above Kettlewell. The path is steep in places and heads straight up out of the village but the views are sufficient reward to keep you going until we reach the summit.

Our aim is to finish mid afternoon with the chance to grab a final cuppa or cake in a cafe before heading home.