View from hotel entrance, Hawes
Walking in Wensleydale
Bolton Castle
Walking to Bolton Castle
Hotel in Hawes
Pausing in Grasmere
Walking in Great Langdale
View of the lake at Grasmere
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The Dales to the Lakes

Walking the English countryside


Trip Details

Location Yorkshire Dales and Lake District
Length 9 days
Grades Easy, Moderate
Accommodations Hotels
Group size 5-12
Dates We will be scheduling dates for this trip soon. Please check back.
Land Cost
$4,195.00
Single Supp Cost
$550.00

Hiking Trip Summary

During this 8-day hotel-based trip, we will divide our time between the two of England’s best-loved national parks, the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Lake District National Park.

Beginning in the Yorkshire Dales, we’ll be based near the market town of Hawes, in the broad gentle valley of Wensleydale. This is the Yorkshire countryside of James Herriot’s books, a landscape of green pastures checked with ancient stone walls and stalwart barns, high windswept moors, and tumbling waterfalls. Our walks will take us to the well-preserved medieval Castle Bolton, the impressively stepped Aysgarth Falls, and up to the high moorlands of Great Shunner Fell.

Nestled in the heart of the romantic and rugged Lake District, Grasmere will be our base for the second half of our trip. From this village of attractive grey-stone houses and narrow streets, once the home of the poet William Wordsworth, we’ll walk the valleys, fells, and lakes that were his inspiration. As well as visiting Wordsworth’s former residences of Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount, our walks will take us through classic Wordsworth territory as we hike over the Coffin Route between Grasmere and Rydal to the rugged and beautiful mountain lake of Easedale Tarn, by way of the falling waters of Sour Milk Gyll and to the mystical stone circle of Castlerigg.

From the tranquil countryside of the Yorkshire Dales to the brooding lakes and mountains of the Lake District, this trip holds all the essential elements of a classic English walking holiday. We hope you’ll join us.


Itinerary

Show itinerary


Additional Information

SINGLE TRAVELER

If you wish to have your own room, there is a single supplement charge. Please let us know if you would like a single at the time of registration. If you are traveling alone and would like to share a room, we will match you with a roommate. If there is no one with whom you can share, there is a forced single charge of $275

INCLUDED

  • Group transfers to and from the Manchester Airport
  • All accommodations with private baths when available
  • All breakfasts (full English)
  • All dinners
  • All group transfers on buses and vans as described in the itinerary
  • Luggage transfer
  • Guide/s
  • Great hiking and great memories

NOT INCLUDED

Airfare, lunches, optional/individual transfers between inns or individual excursions, items not on set dinner menus, beverages, insurance, tips to guides, items of a personal nature.

LUGGAGE

During this trip we will be based in two different locations. As our luggage will be transferred from location to location along with the group, you will only need to carry a day pack during our walks. We still encourage our trip members to bring only one medium-sized bag you can manage easily by yourself, keeping in mind that our hotels will have narrow hallways and no elevators. See our sample packing list.

ACCOMMODATIONS AND FACILITIES

Hotels: In Hawes we will be staying at a comfortable family-run hotel set on a gentle hillside overlooking Hawes. In Grasmere we will be staying at  a traditional-style 3-star English inn a short walk from the village center. All rooms have private facilities.

Meals: All our accommodations offer a “Full English Breakfast,” typically consisting of cereal, eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, coffee, and tea, or a choice thereof. A vegetarian option is always available.

Lunches will either be picnic style or at local tea rooms, cafes or pubs. Most days, either morning or afternoon, there will be an opportunity to shop for food and other supplies. Village markets provide a wide selection of local fare for picnic lunches. The hotels will also provide packed picnic lunches on request.

Dinners typically consist of a choice of starters, main courses, and desserts, including vegetarian options.

TRAVEL

It is easiest to fly to Manchester, England. However, there are frequent trains from London; just be sure to allow for extra travel time.

MEETING POINT

Rendezvous at Manchester Airport at 10:00 am on Day 1 for a group transfer to our hotel near Whitby.

ENDING POINT

Group transfer to the Manchester Airport, arriving about 10:30 am.

MORE INFORMATION

Please contact us for a more detailed itinerary, for more information, or to register. We're also happy to supply a list of past participants willing to share insights into this guided England, the Dales to the Lakes experience.

Reserving This Trip

A deposit of $500 along with your completed registration forms will reserve a space on your requested trip. We accept MasterCard, Visa, and American Express card as well as personal checks. To make a deposit, you may either follow one of the “Reserve a Trip” links below, give us a call at 1-888-845-5781, or include your payment information in the area provided when completing your registration forms.

The balance is due 90 days prior to departure for most of our trips. When applying less than 75 days prior to departure, full payment is due. For final payments, we accept MasterCard, Visa, and American Express, as well as personal checks.

As confirmation of receipt of your deposit, we will send you a comprehensive packet of information pertaining to your trip, an invoice for final payment and additional information including release agreement form, medical information form, travel information, and packing list. Upon receipt of final payment and no later than 30 days prior to your trip start, you will receive trip rendezvous information and a list of accommodations. Returning trip participants will receive a 5% discount on most trips.

Receipt of all forms will finalize your registration.


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Testimonials

 "The organization and thought that went into it made a weeklong family event into one of the best vacations I've ever had in my life. (Imagine a week traveling with family, and all the ways it could go wrong!!! and then think about it as the best vacation ever?) Having someone make all the difficult decisions meant that we could relax and enjoy each other. There was no stress, from planning advice on what to pack, to being picked up in Manchester, to the daily meeting about "where to tomorrow", to dinner, and even getting us all launched onto our trains at the end. If I could afford it, I would never travel any other way again."

Heike L., Omaha, NE

 

"Could someone find better hotel deals and cheaper food options? Probably? Would they have a guide who could point out sundews in a wet area, or answer questions about the history of the view, or navigate personalities to ensure that everyone was thinking "Best day ever" as they pushed back from another amazing dinner? No.”

Heike L., Omaha, NE