Dales Way - Cowgill to Burneside (★★★★★)

The Dales Way is a path I stumbled upon while doing walks near Ribblehead - and I have previous used a small part of it on a walk from Dent to Horton-in-Ribblesdale.

After finishing that walk I was inspired to look up this trail in more detail and found that it not only tracks through the southern end of the Yorkshire Dales - but also cuts across to the Lake District.

And today I plan to walk the western end of this trail - from that same starting point at Dent train station - heading across to Burneside (near Kendal) today, and then on to Windermere tomorrow. Once at Windermere I plan to continue over the lake, and then head up to Ambleside.

And so this morning I find myself heading across England, and up the Settle-Carlisle railway - heading over the Ribblehead Viaduct and on to arrive at Dent train station (which also happens to be the highest mainline station in England).

The scenery is amazing on the run up to this train station - and you get a proud feeling as you head off the train into this beautiful countryside, whilst everyone else on the train looks on in excitement about the walk you have ahead (or at least that's how it feels in my head).

And from this station, there will be a short walk down the hill before I join up the the Dales Way, as it heads along the valley below.

Heading down the hill from Dent station

Further down the hill

The view here is hard to capture in a photo, as what you mostly feel is the scale of the hills sat around you, but here I have done my best.

And here we head down from Dent train station, into the village of Cowgill, from which we will walk several miles to, well, the village of Dent (a little confusing I know).

This section of path is the same as the one I walked before - and so on this visit I am prepared for the wet foliage under foot, as I head along a fairly rough track following the River Dee.

Here I bump into a walker hiking the full trail in the opposite direction, and so we have a bit of a chat about both the trail and the local area, before heading on our respective ways.

From here the path winds on through Dent Dale to pass by Dent itself - heading across the road at Church Bridge, before then taking in the village as we walk past. And for those doing the Dales Way in one go - this is probably your best bet for an overnight stay, if you are doing the trail over four days.

Dent Village

With Dent village now behind me, the path takes on a very similar feel to my walks along the northern end of the Cumbrian Way - and the two walks feel very similar. Both make use of the flatter ground through the valleys where possible, and provide an attractive journey that isn't about ticking off every single hill in sight. And on both trails, you are free to amble along, and try to enjoy - rather than be challenged by - the hills, as they pass by.

Continuing on close by the river side, we eventually hit a point where the path pulls up towards a very minor road as we head past Combe Scar.

Combe Scar

Here the road is effectively a massive puddle, and I am pretty excited about this - because I will get the chance to test out the credentials of my new shoes, which I hope will be waterproof.

And in fact the shoes do prove to be waterproof - hurrah! And so I can just splash through the puddles rather than copy the walker in front, who has been rather unsuccessfully trying to use the equally as wet grass verge, to stay away from the puddles.

At Brackensgill, it is time of head over the river and partly up onto the ridge on the far side - with plenty more splashing to be done, as I walk up what technically is a path, but which could equally be called a mountain stream.

The view from the other side

Further up the other side

Here, though, the views are very pretty - and having made it half way up the ridge, it is time to head along it - before the onward path will head round and down into Sedbergh.

But as I reach the turning point on the ridge, ahead of my descent down into Sedbergh, I realise that this spot here is probably my best bet for a spot of lunch. And so this becomes my lunch spot - looking out over the hills.

And with much of my food already consumed, I head off, ready to drop into Sedbergh - which turns out to be a very pretty town backed by some fairly impressive hills.

Ready to descend into Sedbergh

Sedbergh is quite a large town - and again this is a possible spot to stop over for a night. The town itself is surrounded by hills - and if you are interested in doing exploration over the range of hills (the Howgill Fells) that back Sedbergh in the above picture, you are in luck - for that is where the Dales High Way heads, having gone through town.

In addition, the 'A Pennine Journey' trail passes through Sedbergh - and so if you did take the time to walk all three of these trails, you would very safe in saying that you had thoroughly explored the area around Sedbergh.

On my way through town, the houses and gardens are all very nicely done - although I fear I may have offended one householder, by over admiring his neighbors more substantial floral display on my way by. 

On the way out of Sedbergh, we find the Pepperpot - which is a recently restored summerhouse - which formerly sat within the gardens of the Akay estate - and which is a rather sweet little landmark to pass by.

Pepperpot

As is typical on this trail, we are soon back along side a river - and on the way out of Sedbergh we are now following the River Rawthey, which soon collects up the contents of the River Dee.

Re-united with the River Dee as it empties into the River Rawthey

A final look at Howgill Fells on the way out of town

But it is not long until we once again hit another point of interest, as we pass the former route of the Ingleton Branch Line - which holds a key role in the history of the Settle-Carlisle Railway.

Rawthay Bridge on the dismantled Ingleton Branch Line

In the older days of the railways there was much competition over certain routes, and one of the more sought after routes were the routes from London to Scotland.

For Midland Railway, this Ingleton branch line would allow them to create their own route to Scotland and to compete against the west coast mainline, which was then operated by London and North Western Railway.

But the London and North Western Railway were able to block access to this line - and so in the end Midland Railway had to accept defeat and give up their plans to build this line. But they did not entirely give up hopes of reaching Scotland - and instead obtained a bill to construct the Settle-Carlisle railway. 

Realising that competition was inevitable, the London and North Western Railway gave in, and did finally do a deal to allow Midland Railway access to this branch line after all. 

But by then, Midland Railway had already committed to building the Settle-Carlisle railway - and the government insisted that it be built - and so the line which brought me to these hills was built. 

In the end this branch line followed - and would often be used as an alternate line when maintenance was required on the west coast mainline. But with all three routes covering a similar territory - it was inevitable that one line would ultimately close, and it was this line that was shut down.

In some ways, that closure is a shame, because it would open up easier access to Sedbergh - and whilst it is maybe not quite up there with the Settle-Carlisle line, it is still a very pretty line - with the three viaducts on this round (and this bridge) all being Grade II listed monuments.

This line is unlikely to re-open with active train services, but it has been suggested that it might be converted into an active travel route - which also offers up interesting possibilities.

We will meet up with this line again later in the day, but for now our path cuts up towards a section along a fairly busy road (with some sort of pavement initially, then nothing, and then some sort of pavement towards the far end of this section).

From here we cut off through the fields, and then walk against the flow of the River Lune (which is itself heading down to Lancaster, and picking up the River Rawthay on the way).

Through the Fields

This section heads through the fields, before once again rejoining the dismantled railway at the rather impressive Waterside Viaduct (one of those three viaducts). 

Waterside Viaduct

And it is a shame that they aren't even re-opening this as a heritage line - because what a sight it would be to see a steam train chugging over that viaduct.

But heading northwards, and up through a series of fields - on our way to join up with both the M6 and the west coast mainline - there is perhaps on the surface not much to get exciting about - but those familiar with either route will know how pretty that section of rail and road is heading through the Lune Gorge.

I think this is Howgill Fells

Here the countryside is lovely - and I don't even mind the dual hindrance of the motorway and railway. 

Indeed, the only minor complication of this section is the need to cross over the M6 - and this is done via a bridge crossing - which upon my arrival, is blocked off by a large group of cows. But these are friendly cows, and they are not fussed at all as I head through their group, and onto the bridge.

From here there are more fields to pass through, as I head through the no-mans land that exists between the Dales and Lakes (with Borrowdale now lying to the north).

I think these are Lake District hills, although they look very similar to Dales hills

From here we cross over the west-coast mainline (don't worry there is a bridge), and wind on through the fields to Patton Bridge - after which we join up with a minor road heading west.

First sight of Kendal

Having crossed the A6, I have cleared the final section I absolutely had to hit before nightfall - and can now relax as the light starts to fade and as I start to close in on Burneside. 

This final section of the route is done mostly via footpaths (and quiet roads), and it is not long before I find myself heading down into Burneside, with a little bit of light to spare - and here I will take the train to Kendal to stop over for the night.

Total Distance: 26.0 miles (24.8 miles on the Dales Way)

Total Ascent: 1,959 feet (1,936 feet on the Dales Way)

Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

Click for the onward walk along the Dales Way from Burneside to Bowness-on-Windermere (and up to Ambleside).

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 97 and 98 OS Landranger maps - while there is also a Dales Way guidebook which includes OS mapping (links redirect to Amazon). The route is in general well way-marked.