Dales High Way - Sedbergh to Ribblehead (★★★★★)

The previous day I had walked from Alston to Appleby-in-Westmorland - and having stayed over in Carlisle I was looking for a nearby walk that wouldn't involve too much walking.

And having decided to do the Dales High Way in four separate walks, I figured that the shorter remaining section - from Sedbergh to Ribblehead would be ideal.

The main challenge whilst planning this walk, though, had been working out the best way to get to Sedbergh. 

At this point if you are only here for the lovely walking pictures, you might want to skip ahead, and so I have added some section headers to make this easy for you to do - but for those of you with a patience reserve deeper than the ocean, we can have a chat about the challenge of buses in the Yorkshire Dales.

A chat about buses (or the lack of) and about my unusual bus today

On paper it looked like it should be easy to get to Sedbergh - the town is on the A683 and A684 - and these two roads lie directly between Kendal and stops along the Carlisle-Settle railway (at Kirkby Stephen and Garsdale).

But the Yorkshire Dales is surprisingly weak when it comes to public transport (and this is despite a lot of good work being done by the folk at Dales Bus, who are actively trying to correct this). 

In some ways this is a surprise, because the Carlisle-Settle line is always very busy - but historically the Yorkshire Dales has lost a number of supporting rail lines. And there was a time when trains ran between Darlington and Kirkby Stephen, between Garsdale and Northallerton via Hawes, up through Ingleton and Sedbergh, and even up into places like Grassington.

If any these lines were restored then it is likely that usage would be fairly strong - as has been the case on the reopening of lines such as those in the Scottish Borders.

And so on paper the solution is a very easy one - stick in a load of buses along the main roads, connecting up the main towns, providing a service that is as regular as the train network, whilst being connected up to that same train network (and maybe even charging train level prices for those like me coming from further afield, who are already paying train level prices for a less convenient trip).

But it has always been a struggle to get that off the ground in the Dales - and as a result it takes quite a lot of work from the people at Dales Bus, and at Friends of the Dales Bus, just to keep a basic network going.

And the result is a bit of a skeleton service, that is heavily reliant on the work of volunteers - and which leaves behind some large missing links that you wouldn't expect to exist with proper funding or support.

As an example - if on a Saturday morning you were to get public transport for a day trip from Barnard Castle to Kirkby Stephen (a journey of 25 minutes by car), it would not only take five and a half hours, but it would require you to wait until a bit before 10am to set off - only getting you in at about three-thirty.  

And if you were to then immediately turn round and go home again, you wouldn't get in until nine-thirty in the evening (somewhat limiting your opportunity for a day trip to Kirkby Stephen by public transport).

What makes this worse is that Kirkby Stephen already has the train links to the wider area, whilst Barnard Castle already has an incredibly good (and very reliable) bus services to and from Darlington - but with an absence of connecting services, this Pennine corridor divides east and west.

Things are a little better if you try and go from Northallerton across the Yorkshire Dales to Kendal, as then the one and a half hour journey by car only becomes a four hour journey by public transport (still doing a big loop around) - and so in that case you would at least be able to enjoy Kendal for a few hours, before setting off home again.

But where there is a will there is a bit of a way - and whilst the wider problems of east-west transport remain - my bus today is the perfect example of the good work being done by the lovely people at Dales bus, and by the incredibly lovely people at Western Dales Bus.

And so today I take the train out from Carlisle and get off at Kirkby Stephen, and after a bit of a potter about to kill some time, get on the S1 services that runs from Kirkby Stephen to Kendal - and what makes this bus special is that it is run by volunteers.

Note that it is a small bus, and so there is a small risk of not getting a seat (probably not if midweek) - but fortunately there is a perfect walk from Kirkby Stephen to Garsdale that can be done instead (part of this walk).

The result of this, is that the lovely chap driving my bus today will not be getting paid for this journey - and is instead doing this out of the kindness of his heart to try and keep bus services available in this part of the world.

Here, I'm able to ease my conscience about the lack of pay for this driver by making an additional donation to the Friends of the DalesBus (there is a donation link here - external link).

But whilst it is wonderful what these people are doing, there is also a degree to which this (in my opinion) should embarrass local councils, and those in government responsible for the wider public transport network.

To me the idea that you have to drive in order to visit a National Park, goes against what you would hope a National Park stands for - and the idea that volunteers must drive buses for free because this the (ultimately fairly small sum of) money isn't available is one that bothers me a bit.

And let's be honest, if this was London or if this would be useful to member of Parliament personally, there would be connecting services.

But all the same, this trip out goes very smoothly - I have a lovely time on my lovely bus, provided by some very lovely people - and at the end of it, I hop off in Sedbergh - which is a lovely place for those who like walking.

Back to the walking bit

From Sedbergh the A Pennine Journey trail either follows the same route as the Dales Way, and then the Dales High Way on it's way to Whernside - or it follows the route of the River Rawthey (and then Grisedale Beck) to Garsdale (going in the opposite direction).

The Dales Way also heads through Sedbergh on a route that comes in from Cowgill (just outside Dent train station) via Dentdale, and on up the River Lune towards Kendal - which is a walk you can read here.

But the route we are interested in here is the Dales High Way - and whilst in the opposite direction it takes an aggressive route over Howgill Fells to Appleby-in-Westmorland, the route we are following today will head to Ribblehead via Frostrow Fells and the northern end of Whernside (not going fully over the top of Whernside).

And so - after much ado - we set off out of Sedbergh, with the Howgill Fells making a good case for us to come back and walk them too, as we head out of town.

Sedbergh - with a sufficiently pretty backdrop

Our route out of town initially heads out along a fairly busy road (the A684), which has no pavement - but we are not going very far until our turn off, where we head up a very minor road, that heads on past some houses, before turning into a footpath.

Heading up the very minor road past the houses

Once on the footpath we are making our way up into the (still fairly wet underfoot) Frostrow Fells, and here I will warn that this might not be enjoyable walking in winter - as this is marshy ground, and not a heavy duty footpath.

But there is nothing wrong with the walking at this time of year - and the views back across Sedbergh are very good from this vantage point.

Out across the fields from low down on the fells

A more complete view of Howgill Fells from higher up the ridge

Eventually - and after hopping over a few streams (or gills as they are called on the map) - our path starts to make it's way across to meet up with a wall that runs along the edge of this field - and here the hilltops of Calf Top and Crag Hill loom into view like two giants peering over at us.

And as we continue on, we also spy our third large hill on the far side of Dentdale - with this one being Whernside - whose peak is the highest point in the Yorkshire Dales.

Aye Gill pike to the left, then in the distance we have Whernside (behind) with Crag Hill in front

Before long, we turn to cut through the wall we have been following - although as I turn off I notice that the onward route over the top of Aye Gill Pike looks well walked as well - and that looks like it passes over that hill and then down to meet up with a footpath that runs between Garsdale and Cowgill.

But from here, and sticking to our intended route, we instead start to make our way towards the front of this ridge, which we then briefly follow - getting great views out across Dentdale below on the way.

View out over Dentdale (Crag Hill left and Calf Top right)

At this point I should probably warn that whilst this path is fairly easy to find and follow, there have been no Dales High Way markers that I have seen - and so using the map is essential on this walk (so no lazy finger post following today).

After a lovely stretch walking along the front of the ridge, it is eventually time to head down into Dentdale - and this is done via an old lane that leads up to some older houses, perched part way up the ridge.

Heading down the lane

View towards Calf Top

After quite a long descent, we make our way down to the road that runs through Dentdale - and we follow this round to a bridge over the River Dee.

And from here we will be following the same onward route as that of the Dales Way, until we reach our turn off on the far side of Dent village.

At first we are following a very nice stretch of footpath, as we make our way round and past the village of Dent - which has a sufficiently old look to it (aside from all the newer caravans) that you half expect to find a noble lord overseeing his subjects.

But it is a pretty town, and full of a green colour that I haven't seen much of across the country this summer.

Dent village

Once past Dent, the path gets more overgrown - and gets tougher to follow - and through this section it is worth keeping a close eye on the map at each junction, as it is easy to go astray.

But we eventually make our way round to Bridge End, where we merge onto the road - and as the Dales Way turns off to head across the fields, we stick with the road - before turning right onto an even more minor road.

We then turn off this road (to the left) - and are soon following a farm track that takes on a fairly steep slope, that marks the foot of the northern end of the broader Whernside ridge.

Looking back as we start to gain height

Looking right towards Crag Hill

We started this climb at a bit under two hundred meters - and will get up to about five hundred by the end of this first section, before eventually getting up to five hundred and fifty meters (along a stretch with a lot less climbing to be date) - and so there is nothing to be gained by rushing this section, and instead we can slowly able until we make it up this steeper bit.

And really there is no need to go quickly for we have some rather marvelous views, that span three hundred and sixty degrees around us.

The valley floor is looking a bit further away by now

As we continue to head up this hill, the steepness of the climb reduces with every step - and so it isn't too long before it is quite easy going - and eventually we are starting to see our path level out a bit.

It has leveled out quite a lot by now

Once this happens it isn't long before the A Pennine Journey trail turns off to head over Whernside - and from here it is very tempting to had on up as well - and although it is nearly another two hundred meters before you reach the top, it isn't a very steep climb from this spot.

But instead we stay focused - and instead begin a fairly long stretch, walking along this ridge line - as we start to make our way round to the far side.

And so after a fair bit of walking, our view starts to change - as Ingleborough, and then Pen-y-Ghent, start to pop into view.

Looking out towards Ingleborough

By now we are starting to drop down off this ridge - and once we start making our way down towards the base of the valley below we start seeing people again - as we start to join up with the route of the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

As is always the case, there are a few people enjoying themselves on that route, and a few people who are looking on the verge of collapse - and the ones most in trouble are almost always the ones who have paired up with someone who is simply walking too fast for them.

And for anyone doing that loop, it will always pay off to start early, and to take it nice and slow during the three big climbs.

But I manage to get through this section without giving in to my urge to offer some useful feedback - and instead make my way down to Little Dale, and start to walk beside Little Dale Beck.

Passing the train tunnel

From here all that remains is a nice easy walk round to Ribblehead, following the railway - but every time I come back here I have somehow forgotten just how lovely this stretch of path is - with it being full of bright vibrant colours today.

But in some ways it is slightly odd that the Dales HIGH Way has taken this route - as it logically would have continued to head over Whernside (being a high route) - but at the same time this is a route that is characteristic of a trail that tries it's best to pass close to all the main transport links.

And from here, it isn't too long before we come to the turn off for the onward route of this trail - as we reach a train signal, and a tunnel under the railway.

The turning point for this trail

But our path continues on, with some lovely views in front as Ingleborough keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Some lovely colours today

And again from further round

And then, as our path starts to drop away - it is soon time for us to pass by the finale of this walk - as we head past Ribblehead Viaduct, and on to the train station.

Ribblehead Viaduct

And from further round

Total Distance: 12.9 miles (11.8 miles on the Dales High Way)

Total Ascent: 2,100 feet (2,008 feet on the Dales High Way)

Enjoyment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

Click for a connecting walk along the Dales High Way from Ribblehead to Settle.

Click for a connecting walk along the Dales Way from Cowgill to Burneside.

Click for connecting walks along the Pennine Bridleway from Kirkby Stephen to Ribblehead and from Ribblehead to Settle.

Click for a composite walk from Dent train station to Horton-in-Ribblesdale (via Pen-y-Ghent).

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 98 OS Landranger map - while there is also a Dales High Way guidebook which includes OS mapping (links redirect to Amazon). The route is not well way-marked