Hi, my 11 year old son and I are starting to plan to walk the dales way next year around easter and intend to camp, starting on saturday 29th march taking a full week and arriving in Bowness on sunday 6th april. Can anyone suggest a good itinery with decent camping stops, we do not need much in the way of facilities but the odd night not far from a pub for some food would be nice!!
Anyother advice welcomed in advance.
Thanks
JK

If you get hold of the Dales Way Handbook, this will give you all the information you need for camping, pubs, shops etc. Cost £1.50.
http://www.dalesway.org.uk/handbook.cfm

Hi JK, according to the 'dales way' handbook what ive got, there are only 2 camp sites along the way, miles from each other, sorry to say. Im going to book accomodation on that mark. Im attempting to complete it over 7 days in August. Good luck in your attempt.

Sorry if thats not useful. The book was from cicerone.co.uk.

I camped and walked the Dales Way earlier this year, but did it in six days so my itinerary may not be useful to you. I did it as follows:

Day one - early train to Ilkley - then walking to Appletreewick (12 miles?) - camped at Masons Farm campsite (£5) - it was the Thursday before a bank holiday weekend when they were fully booked, and as it had been raining, the ground was very muddy - so hate to think what it would have been like once the crowds got there. It was a bit too much of an organised campsite for me, but I did appreciate the showers - and the location was lovely. I ate at the Craven Arms - a short walk - which I remember as being good, apart from a Tory Councillor who'd just won his seat lecturing all and sundry from the bar.

Day two - Appletreewick to Buckden (14 miles?) - camped behind Redmires Farm - no other official place to camp - rang the farmhouse in advance - the people were really nice and were happy to let me camp there. Only really space for one tent though - a thin slice of flat ground on a sloping field - but the best place I camped on the Dales Way - really beautiful view across the valley to Buckden - lovely stream by the field where I washed and got water. I ate at the pub in Buckden - which was about a mile perhaps - but happily I had a lovely evening so it was OK.

Day three - Buckden to Cowgill (16 miles?) - camped in farmers field opposite Sportsman Inn (£5) - quite lumpy and bumpy and full of manure - but OK nonetheless - nice stream to wash in - and a toilet and water pipe in the farmers courtyard over the road. Basic but OK - and I would have stopped anywhere at this point, but I was knackered after quite a gruelling day - first four miles to Beckermonds OK, but then a lot of road walking right up to Swarthgill (really hurt my feet with a heavy pack on my back) - and then difficult bog walking up to Cam Houses and the Pennine Way (don't make the mistake I did of going through the little clumps of trees - despite the path still being signposted to go through them - trees have fallen down and blocked the path at the other end - go right around the tree plantation) - then more metalled paths right down to Far Gearstones - then a nice walk over the moors - but more road walking down into Cowgill. Ate in the Sportsmans Inn - which was fine, but I remember as being quite busy.

Day four - Cowgill to Sedbergh (10 miles?) - I actually B&Bed this night - partly because this was my only day of deluge - massive rain in the morning up to Dent - and then heavy rain in the evening - and partly because I don't recall any obvious place to camp here. There were places to camp further round the Lune - beautiful places by the river that I passed the next day - but no pub or anything of that nature at all nearby.

Day five - Sedburgh to Burneside (12 miles?) - camped at Burneside Hall Farm (£3) - quite spectacular place to camp - water tap by farmhouse - washed in a slightly stagnant pond - ate in the local pub - which wasn't particularly special - not the best place to camp - but adequate.

Day six - Burneside to Windermere (12 miles?) - got the train back from Windermere - went to eat at the cafe by the station - some stupid idiot complained about my rucksack - so I ended up going somewhere else because I wasn't ready for small mindedness!

Anyway - that was six days so not sure if this will be helpful to you. There would probably have been some other opportunities to camp elsewhere - particularly if you're prepared to wild camp - but not so easy to find camping spots close to pubs for evening meals.

Hi this may or may not be helpfull, but I will let you judge that. My wife and I did the Way in june this year and I have to say it was very enjoyable, we did it in six days.

Day 1
Ilkley to Appletreewick, camped at Masons farm site. It was a bit busy but showers were good also good food at the Craven Arms.

Day 2
Appletreewick to Hubberholme, we were going to camp in the farmers field at Buckden but my wife was worse for wear so we stayed at Kirkgill Manor B&B in Hubberholme. We ate that evening in the George which was very good.

Day 3
Hubberholme to Cow Dub
Camped in farmers field in Cow Dub opposite The Sportsman pub which was fortunate because the field turned out to be very popular with the local midges. Stil had a good nights sleep in the field though with a tap and loo just across the road.

Day 4
Cow Dub to Sedburgh
Stayed at the Pinfold campsite just outside Sedburgh.Very welcoming chap even found us a windbreak and some chairs to use, also good showers. Its about ten minutes walk into Sedburgh high street from the site, and there are plenty of places to eat. We had a particularly good cooked breakfast in the cafe/bakery in the high street almost opposite the public toilets.

Day 5
Sedburgh to Burneside
We opted out of camping at Burneside as my wife had had a bad day again and we were totally soaked through even though we had all the correct gear on. It was a real downpour for about the last three hours of walking. Unfortunately all the places suggested in the Dales Way guide were full, but the local pub gave us a number to ring and the b&b owner even came and picked us up. I did warn her that we were very wet and muddy but she insisted, they couldn't have been more helpful.That was Seasons b&b Kendal and we found in the morning that it was only about two miles off route.

Day 6
Kendal/Burneside to Bowness
No camping at the end for us we booked into a nice hotel in Ambleside for two nights. Something special to look out for on route is Englands sole Golden Eagle, we spotted it near Hag End, not far from Haweswater as the Eagle flies i guess!

Don't know if you are aware but Harveymaps do a nice lightweight waterproof map with the whole route on it which saves having your os maps out unles of course you really get off route.

Hope this was helpful
Baldric

JK,

Just realised my info is a bit late for you, sorry about that these forum things are all a bit new to me.
Hope you enjoyed the walk anyway. Maybe the info will help someone else.

Baldric

Attempting to do it in 4 days in September.

But what about the walk ?

oooh my sides have just split!

I had best not tell you one of my best jokes then.