Walks in the Lesser Known Yorkshire Dales

Classic walks in the lesser known Yorkshire Dales can be found on this page. All content is free to download including map, GPS route and statistics.

The view of Dentdale from the path leading to Whernside

There are many interesting lesser known areas of the Yorkshire Dales which deserve exploration. Probably the best known of these smaller dales is Dentdale as the Dales Way footpath passes through the valley and Dent village is a delight on its own, but others are certainly more obscure. How many do you know and have you visited in the following list: Arkengarthdale, Barbondale, Birkdale, Bishopdale, Crummackdale, Coverdale, Garsdale, Langstrothdale, Leck Dale, Littondale, Kingsdale, Nidderdale, Rawtheydale, Raydale, Sleddale and Widdale? The walks on this page visit some of the lesser known dales.

🗺️ Interactive map of Yorkshire Dales walks

Lesser Known Dales Route Directory

Walk	Miles	Description
Skipton Castle Woods Easy	2.0	A short walk in the prettiest of woodlands which is inspiring all year round and simply stunning in springtime.
Dentdale and Hacker Gill Moderate	4.5	A short walk with an exciting clamber down the beck of Hacker Gill in resplendent Dentdale.
West Burton and Aysgarth Falls Easy	5.0	A perfect family walk. Pity when we did it we walked in the worst weather of the year!
Great Dummacks, Calders, Bram Rigg Top and the Calf Hard	5.7	A great walk in the Howgill Fells to four of the five Yorkshire 2,000's in the range.
Middleham, Low Moor, Tupgill Park, Coverham and Coverdale Easy	5.8	Walk in history exploring the childhood places of Richard III and then find a forbidden corner near Coverdale.
Low Haygarth, Cautley Spout and the Calf Hard	5.9	The most popular and most interesting walk in the Howgill Fells. Deservedly so.
Outhgill, High Seat, Gregory Chapel and Hugh Seat Hard	6.0	A ridge walk is achieved by a steep ascent that requires careful navigation.
Kettlewell, Old Cote Moor, Arncliffe, Littondale and Hawkswick Hard	6.6	Normally a moderate walk, but it was hard on this occasion due to walking in deep snow!
Austwick, Norber Erratics, Moughton Scar and Wharfe Moderate	8.2	The ultimate for those who enjoy natural Dales scenery. The walk is a geology lesson.
Bainbridge, Raydale and Semer Water Moderate	8.3	Begin by walking back in time over 2,000 years with the Romans before visiting Raydale and Semer Water.
Reeth, Fremington Edge, Langthwaite in Arkengarthdale, Calver Hill and River Swale Hard	9.3	A fascinating walk in one of the most beautiful but lesser known Yorkshire Dales.
Mallerstang, Hell Gill, Old Road, Wild Boar Fell and Swarth Fell Hard	10.0	Celebrate isolated and much underrated Mallerstang. This walk includes lovely valley views and spectacular upland paths.
Gayle, Dodd Fell Hill, Drumaldrace and Wether Fell Hard	10.3	A fantastic high-level horseshoe walk from the popular town of Hawes in Wensleydale.
Garsdale, Rawtheydale, Cautley, Low Haygarth and West Baugh Fell Hard	10.6	Do you want adventure in your walks? Then this mix of paths, tracks and off-routes is just the ticket.
Barbon, Castle Knott, Calf Top and Middleton Fell Hard	12.5	A quiet Cumbrian moorland walk in the remote south-west of the Yorkshire Dales.
Leck, Ease Gill, Crag Hill, Great Coum and Gragareth Hard	12.9	A walk which offers the walker awesome views of Lancashire, Yorkshire's Three Peaks and Lakeland too.
Litton, Halton Gill, Cosh Beck, Plover Hill and Pen-y-ghent Hard	13.0	An alternative approach to fabulous Pen-y-ghent, one of the Yorkshire Dales' finest hills.
Wild Boar Fell and Uldale Hard	13.1	A challenging fell walk to Wild Boar Fell followed by a scrambler's adventure to secluded waterfalls.
The Howgill Fells Circuit Hard	18.1	A Howgill Fells epic including visits to Winder, Arant Haw, Calders, Bram Rigg Top, The Calf, Hazelgill Knott, West Fell, Bowderdale, Randygill Top, Kensgriff and Yarlside.

Feedback and Suggestions

I am always pleased to receive feedback on the structure and content of the website. I also welcome suggestions on how I can improve the website which may include new areas to cover, new walks or route alterations to existing walks. To get in touch with feedback and/or suggestions please contact me on one of my social media links. Thank you.

(Note: Walking without proper preparation can be dangerous. Information and downloads on this website are provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check the material and use accordingly. Postscript: My walk reports are not route guides and should not be treated as such. They are written with personal reflections of my walks.)

Walks in the Lesser Known Yorkshire Dales

Lesser Known Dales Route Directory

Feedback and Suggestions

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