What is this 5-day itinerary?
Five days is the fast way through, and it suits strong walkers who want the Dales Way in a working week. The nights move to the bigger places, Grassington and Dent, which cost two long days in the middle. You cross Cam Fell and walk down to Dent in one push, then leave the Dales for Burneside the next day.
Read the Dales Way guide for the whole trail.
Will this 5-day split work for you?
- Fit walkers with only five days who are used to 20-mile days back to back.
- Walkers who want nights in the bigger villages: Grassington and Dent, with shops and more than one pub.
- Not for a first long walk. Two days in a row are over 20 miles (32 km), one of them across the bleak top of Cam Fell.
Fitness & effort
Days run from 9.3 mi (15 km) to 20.9 mi (33.6 km), and the two longest come back to back. The ground is easy for most of it, but Cam Fell is boggy and remote, and the farm miles after Sedbergh have few places to stop. You need to be comfortable walking 20 miles, then doing it again the next morning.
Your 5-day route on the map
Toward Bowness
Ilkley to Bowness-on-Windermere in 5 days
Ilkley to Bowness-on-Windermere, the way every guide runs, up the Wharfe and over to the lake.
| Day | Stage | Distance | Overnight / destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Ilkley → Grassington | 16.1 mi (25.9 km) | Kelvin House Grassington (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 2 | Grassington → Hubberholme | 11.7 mi (18.8 km) | The George Inn (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 3 | Hubberholme → Dent | 20.2 mi (32.5 km) | Dent Stores B&B (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 4 Longest | Dent → Burneside | 20.9 mi (33.6 km) | Jolly Anglers Inn (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 5 | Burneside → Bowness-on-Windermere | 9.3 mi (15.0 km) | Dales Way Finish |
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Day 1
Ilkley to Grassington
16.1 mi (25.9 km) ↑ 350 m (1,150 ft) ↓ 220 m (700 ft)
A long first day, but the Wharfe keeps it easy. A new path takes you off the busy road between Addingham and Bolton Abbey, and the priory ruins and Strid Wood's oaks fill the morning. Burnsall's tea room suits lunch. Beyond it, at Loup Scar, the rock turns pale, and Grassington has shops, pubs and cafés for the night.
Example stay Kelvin House Grassington (opens in a new tab)
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Day 2
Grassington to Hubberholme
11.7 mi (18.8 km) ↑ 250 m (800 ft) ↓ 210 m (700 ft)
A shorter day between two long ones, so take it easy. The climb starts straight out of Grassington onto open limestone, past Conistone Pie, with sweeping views up the dale. After Kettlewell the river path is flat. Buy food in Buckden, the last shop before Dent, and expect no phone signal at the George Inn.
Example stay The George Inn (opens in a new tab)
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Day 3
Hubberholme to Dent
20.2 mi (32.5 km) ↑ 540 m (1,750 ft) ↓ 640 m (2,100 ft)
The crossing and Dentdale in one long push. The morning climbs slowly up Langstrothdale past Oughtershaw, then boggy moor and the stony Cam High Road take you over the top of Cam Fell. Nothing is for sale until Dent. After the steep drop into Dentdale, a quiet road eases you down to Dent's cobbled street and its two pubs.
Example stay Dent Stores B&B (opens in a new tab)
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Day 4 Longest
Dent to Burneside
20.9 mi (33.6 km) ↑ 560 m (1,850 ft) ↓ 640 m (2,100 ft)
The second long day, and the one where the Dales end. Dentdale's hay meadows lead to Sedbergh, the last real place to buy food. Below the town, drumlins, sheep farms and the River Lune take over. You cross the M6 and the main railway, and the hedged fields run on to Burneside, with a chip shop and the Jolly Anglers.
Example stay Jolly Anglers Inn (opens in a new tab)
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Day 5
Burneside to Bowness-on-Windermere
9.3 mi (15.0 km) ↑ 340 m (1,100 ft) ↓ 360 m (1,200 ft)
A short walk to the lake after two hard days. The River Kent leads up to Staveley, where the café makes a good last stop. Low, craggy fells follow, wilder than anything in the Dales. Then Windermere, which the Association calls England's grandest lake, opens below, and the stone bench above Bowness ends the walk.
Finish Dales Way Finish
Cross-check: Dales Way Association FAQ . The Association gives 80 miles (128 km) and about 5 to 7 days. Distances on the cards are measured along the trail. A walk off the path to a bed is extra.
Toward Ilkley
Bowness-on-Windermere to Ilkley in 5 days
The same nights, starting at Windermere. The Cam Fell crossing climbs out of Dentdale, and the last days follow the Wharfe down to Ilkley.
| Day | Stage | Distance | Overnight / destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Bowness-on-Windermere → Burneside | 9.3 mi (15.0 km) | Jolly Anglers Inn (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 2 Longest | Burneside → Dent | 20.9 mi (33.6 km) | Dent Stores B&B (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 3 | Dent → Hubberholme | 20.2 mi (32.5 km) | The George Inn (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 4 | Hubberholme → Grassington | 11.7 mi (18.8 km) | Kelvin House Grassington (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 5 | Grassington → Ilkley | 16.1 mi (25.9 km) | Ilkley |
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Day 1
Bowness-on-Windermere to Burneside
9.3 mi (15.0 km) ↑ 360 m (1,200 ft) ↓ 340 m (1,100 ft)
Take the 599 bus or walk about 1.5 miles from Windermere station to the start above Bowness. The first miles cross low, craggy fells. From Staveley the River Kent makes an easy finish to Burneside.
Example stay Jolly Anglers Inn (opens in a new tab)
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Day 2 Longest
Burneside to Dent
20.9 mi (33.6 km) ↑ 640 m (2,100 ft) ↓ 560 m (1,850 ft)
Buy food in Burneside, because there is almost nothing before Sedbergh. Rough fields and drumlins take the morning. After the Lune and Sedbergh, Dentdale's hay meadows and field barns end the day at Dent.
Example stay Dent Stores B&B (opens in a new tab)
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Day 3
Dent to Hubberholme
20.2 mi (32.5 km) ↑ 640 m (2,100 ft) ↓ 540 m (1,750 ft)
Leave Dent with food for the whole day, because there is no shop until Buckden. The quiet road up the dale ends at a steep climb onto Cam Fell. Then the moor and the Roman road lead over to Langstrothdale.
Example stay The George Inn (opens in a new tab)
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Day 4
Hubberholme to Grassington
11.7 mi (18.8 km) ↑ 210 m (700 ft) ↓ 250 m (800 ft)
A gentle morning by the young Wharfe past Buckden and Starbotton's Fox & Hounds. After Kettlewell the path climbs onto the limestone edge for the views down the dale, then drops into Grassington.
Example stay Kelvin House Grassington (opens in a new tab)
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Day 5
Grassington to Ilkley
16.1 mi (25.9 km) ↑ 220 m (700 ft) ↓ 350 m (1,150 ft)
Pale limestone gives way to green fields soon after Grassington, at Loup Scar. Burnsall and its tea room break the day, and the Wharfe carries you through Strid Wood past the priory at Bolton Abbey to Ilkley.
Finish Ilkley
5-day itinerary FAQ
Can you walk the Dales Way in 5 days?
Yes, if you are fit and used to long days. The Association says most people take 5 to 7 days. On this pace two days in a row are over 20 miles (32 km): Hubberholme to Dent over Cam Fell, then Dent to Burneside.
Why stay in Dent rather than Cowgill?
Dent is a proper village, with two pubs, cafés and a shop, where Cowgill has one inn. Going on to Dent adds about 5 miles (8 km) to the Cam Fell day but takes the same off the next one.
Can I download a GPX for the 5-day Dales Way?
Yes. Open this itinerary in the planner (free, no account). Download a full-route GPX or per-day files for Garmin, Komoot, or your phone. You can export the preset unchanged or edit overnight stops first.
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This 5-day itinerary is ready as it stands. Open it in the planner to keep these stops, or change where you sleep, then download the GPX for your watch or phone.
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