Yorkshire Dales and Lake District

We loved Keswick which was our base last year for a week. A pretty town with mountains and lakes right there, a nice little museum in town too!

I like Wensleydale in the Dales - Leyburn and Hawes are the bigger towns and there are lots of pretty villages.

Hawes has the advantage of being a very easy drive from the Lake District, via the nice town of Sedbergh at the foot of the often overlooked Howgill Fells, between the Dales and the Lakes.

What are you looking for from the Yorkshire Dales?- even if it is All Creatures Great and Small the southern Dales may not be the obvious, as the original TV series and movie were filmed in Wensleydale- which is much more where James Herriot worked. Malham (even with a car) feels a bit limiting for several days to me.

Golden Girl's route to Hawes, at least from Keswick or the Northern Lakes, is not the most obvious one to a local. My route would either be down the M6 or A6 to Tebay then across to Ravenstonedale and through the Mallerstang Valley to Garsdale Head then Hawes.
Or across the A66 via Brougham (Castle and St Ninian's Church, Appleby and Brough Castle then through Kirkby Stephen to Ravenstonedale etc.
If taking the A6 route then you are routing via Shap and Shap Abbey (and Keld Chapel when it re-opens).

Also, if taking the A6 route south and at all interested in gardens then think about calling in to Larch Cottage Nursery at Melkinthorpe.

If you were leaving from the Southern Lakes another route (other than Sedbergh) is via Kirkby Lonsdale then Ingleton then the B6255 through Chapel le Dale and Ribblehead.

But, yes, generally, either Wensleydale or Swaledale would be very good valleys to stay in. For Swaledale either route via Hawes then the Buttertubs pass, or the A66 route as far as Kirkby Stephen then the B6270 direct to Keld and down the valley from there.

For the Lake District with a car- if wanting the Northern Lakes/Keswick- then think about staying in Threlkeld or Braithwaite/Thornthwaite a few miles either side of Keswick. The Lake District has so very many options.

Settle or Hawes would work well for the Dales and there's lots of different walks that can be done from either.

I really agree with what everyone has said here so far, just a few things to add:

-Howgill Fells, as mentioned further up this thread, are beautiful- I've spent a lot of time there and seen very few tourists compared to other parts of the Lake District
-If staying in/near Hawes there's a waterfall very nearby worth visiting called Hardraw Force- it's actually England's highest waterfall
-If staying in/near Settle you also have the option of the Settle to Carlisle railway to get around, which is very scenic, tho you need to check the timetables for September: https://settle-carlisle.co.uk/ - in case you don't feel like driving one day

Good luck with the planning!

I love this forum! Thanks to all for your great suggestions (especially the driving route ideas)! In response to isn31c, we enjoy scenic hikes/walks (not too strenuous), quaint/historic villages and drives through the classic dales countryside. While "All Creatures" is an certainly an inspiration for this trip, we aren't focused on a James Herriot-centric itinerary. We also enjoy smaller B and B style accommodations. Any recommendations on specific places to stay and eat (especially pubs) would be greatly appreciated.

By the way it is extremely disappointing to see that a body like the Settle Carlisle Railway Company knows so little about it's geography that it has a link to public transport in the Cumberland Council area (linked under the now defunct Cumbria Council). The successor council for the north end of the Settle/Carlisle area is Westmorland and Furness (except Carlisle itself which is in Cumberland).
That link will do you no good at all in terms of providing useful information

If you're a foodie and willing to splash out Cartmel in the Lake District is lovely with a Michelin and 3 Michelin star restaurant.

There are two choices to make here and there really is no right or wrong choice in either of them-

In the Lake District do you go for north (where the majority on this forum go to) or the south. Both are really as good as the other. If you did go for Keswick itself in the north (as opposed to the villages I have suggested) there are about 70 to 80 Bed and Breakfasts in the town- and probably not a bad one in them.

If you went for the south I would stay out of Windermere/Bowness if I had a car. Instead looking at the smaller villages of Staveley or Ings (in Ings the one choice, which is rather good, is the Watermill Inn and Brewery).

Or take the back road between Kendal and Windermere through Crook and Winster. It depends on your budget but there are a few nice country inns up there - like the Wild Boar at Crook or the Brown Horse at Winster.
I know there are not B and B's, but the next best thing.
Just away from the crowds but only a few minutes drive from Windermere. Or take the Windermere Car Ferry over to Hill Top (Beatrix Potter), Hawkshead, Tarn Hows and Coniston

In the Yorkshire Dales do you go for south [Settle/Grassington area] (where the majority on this forum go to) or north [Wensleydale/Swaledale] where I have sort of given you directions to. I am really split on that one because my personal history is in the Grassington area yet I personally prefer the northern dales, especially quiet Swaledale.

In the Dales Hardraw (near Hawes) has been mentioned- you could stay at the Green Dragon Inn there.

Great suggestions everyone. Special shout out to isn31c for all the specific recommendations and links! Wonderful inns!

Hi Steve -

I would second Coniston as a good alternative to Keswick. Quieter, smaller. Good walking straight out of the front door. South of the Lakes proper, about an hours drive look at Arnside and Silverdale.

In the Dales, Malham is super, but gets super busy - it appears to be where novice hikers cut their teeth being not too distant from the Leeds/Bradford conurbation. For alternatives, check out Ingleton in the south and more to the north, Askrigg.

For access to the Howgills and within striking distance of both the Lakes and the Dales try either Sedbergh or Dent.

Loads of choice - hope you get something sorted out. Given the weather cooperating it’s hard to go badly wrong!

Ian