Private Tour: The Ultimate Yorkshire Dales Scenic Tour
Overview
Cross out of the Lake District for a day and into the Yorkshire Dales, a high, open country of limestone, waterfalls and stone-walled valleys that most visitors to the Lakes never see. On this private full-day tour your own driver and guide take you over Buttertubs Pass, one of England's most dramatic roads, through Swaledale and Wensleydale to Aysgarth Falls, where Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was filmed, and past Bolton Castle, where Mary, Queen of Scots was held prisoner in 1568. You'll wander the cobbled lanes of Dent, stop for lunch in the village of Reeth and finish beneath the 24 arches of the Ribblehead Viaduct. It's just your party in the minivan, so the day runs at your pace.
This is a private tour: the minivan, driver and guide are yours alone, at one price for your whole group of up to 6. We can collect you from your hotel, linger wherever you want to linger, and set the pace to suit you.
Tour highlights
- Buttertubs Pass: one of England's great high roads, with views down both Wensleydale and Swaledale and a stop at its deep limestone potholes
- Aysgarth Falls: the River Ure tumbling over broad limestone steps, seen in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
- Bolton Castle: the 14th-century fortress where Mary, Queen of Scots was held, looking out across Wensleydale
- Dent: a tiny village of cobbled streets, whitewashed cottages and centuries of stories
- Swaledale and Muker: field barns, dry stone walls and, in early summer, hay meadows full of wildflowers
- Ribblehead Viaduct: 24 stone arches carrying the Settle–Carlisle Railway across the open moor
- Reeth: lunch in a sleepy Dales village set around its green
- Barbondale and Dentdale: remote valleys and wide moorland on the way in
What's included
- Full-day private tour for your party only, one price for up to 6 guests
- Your own driver, experienced on the steep, narrow and winding Dales roads, and a separate expert guide with commentary throughout the day
- Pickup from your hotel or one of our pickup points
- Personal radio headsets to keep you in touch with your guide when you are off the minivan (where applicable)
Not included
- Lunch (we stop in Reeth so you can buy your own)
Pickup points and times
- Your hotel in the Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Coniston, Grasmere or Keswick areasPickup about 09:00, back about 18:00
- AmblesidePickup about 09:00, back about 18:00Meeting point: Outside the library on Kelsick Road (not at the bus shelters)
- BownessPickup about 09:00, back about 18:00Meeting point: Pier 1 on the Bowness promenade, outside the Windermere Lake Cruises ticket office
- GrasmerePickup about 09:00, back about 18:00Meeting point: The Dove Cottage car park, opposite the Daffodil Hotel
- KeswickPickup about 09:00, back about 18:00Meeting point: On the corner of Bell Close, next to the Back Bar, by the car park
- Kirkby LonsdalePickup about 09:00, back about 18:00
- OxenholmePickup about 09:00, back about 18:00Meeting point: Outside the ticket office at Oxenholme Lake District station
- WindermerePickup about 09:00, back about 18:00Meeting point: Outside the ticket office at Windermere railway station
Itinerary
Stops may be visited in a different order depending on traffic, weather and opening times.
This private full day tour takes you out of the Lake District and deep into the Yorkshire Dales.
- Barbon: we climb over the moor and down the long, remote valley of Barbondale, full of spectacular scenery.
- Dent: a tiny traditional Dales village of cobbled streets, full of history and charm, then a drive through Dentdale with a stop to take in the view.
- Dent Station and Garsdale Head: we pass Dent Station, the highest mainline railway station in England, as we cross the moorland toward Garsdale Head.
- Buttertubs Pass: over this famous, steep, high pass, stopping to look for miles down both Wensleydale and Swaledale and to see the limestone potholes that give the pass its name.
- Muker: a village ringed by field barns, dry stone walls and hay meadows full of flowers in early summer, then on through lovely Swaledale.
- Gunnerside: an old lead miners' village, then up over the high moors for wide views.
- Arkengarthdale: a corner of the Dales with a name that sounds like it came straight from The Lord of the Rings.
- Reeth: your lunch stop in this sleepy Dales village, with time to explore before we cross the open landscape of Grinton Moor for another stop and more views.
- Bolton Castle: we stop outside the castle where Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned, to hear its story and look out across Wensleydale.
- Aysgarth Falls: the waterfalls that featured in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
- Hawes: no visit to the Dales is complete without a stop in this bustling market town.
- Ribblehead Viaduct: a last look at this remarkable piece of Victorian engineering carrying the railway across the moor, before we head back to the Lakes.
Good to know before you go
Weather
The Dales moors are high and exposed, and the weather can change quickly. Bring layers and a waterproof jacket, even on a bright day.
Footwear
Wear comfortable shoes with good grip for Dent's cobbles and the paths at Aysgarth Falls.
Restrooms
There are restrooms at several stops, including Reeth, Bolton Castle, Aysgarth and Hawes.
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