If you're keen to escape the hustle and bustle of life, yet want to enjoy some of the UK's finest scenery, then the Yorkshire Dales are hard to beat as a touring destination. They offer an alluring mix of olde-worlde towns seemingly untouched by modern life,
and graceful, rolling vistas.
But there's even more to this part of North Yorkshire. Skipton – often tagged 'the gateway to the Dales' – is well known for its imposing 900-year-old castle and, with its lovely little shops and quaint tea rooms, makes
a great town in which to begin your visit. There's also the Leeds and Liverpool canal to walk beside, which is lovely if you prefer strolling to shopping.
You should also visit: The Dales National Park and nearby towns such
as Hawes, which is the highest market town in England; Settle, which is famed for its railway; and the cathedral city of Ripon, with its shops, racecourse and marina.
However, it's the scenery that proves the most popular draw for the area's eight million visitors each year. Ingleborough is one of the Dales' Three Peaks (along with Whernside and Pen-y-ghent) and it's a relatively easy walk to the summit (724m). Then there's Langthwaite – setting for the BBC TV series 'All Creatures Great and Small'
– and Arkengarthdale. Here the landscape is at its most sparse, but offers panoramic views that make the drive worthwhile.
We'd recommend buying a decent map of the area so that you can see road widths and gradients – some routes are best avoided, especially if you have
a large motorhome.
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