Dales Way, Day 1

The Dales Way

Day 1 (Ilkley to Burnsall, 13 miles)

After a good night's sleep and excellent breakfast at our lovely B&B, Archway Cottage, we set off under cloudy skies. The initial section of footpath from Ilkley Old Bridge washed away in a storm, so we followed a diversion on the road for the first quarter mile. A few misty showers fell during the morning, but by early afternoon the weather was dry for the remainder of the day. We stopped at the Abbey Tea room in Bolton Bridge for lunch, then visited Bolton Priory. Part of the priory was destroyed during the dissolution of the monastaries in Henry VIII's reign, but the lovely nave was spared and the church is still in use while its ruins are quite spectacular as well. The entire day's walk, along the River Wharfe, is glorious, most notably the stretch through Strid Wood. There were thick carpets of bluebells along the way; we were told that they were especially good this year. Entire stretches of woodland were covered in bluebells and wild garlic, which made for a gorgeous display combined with the huge and varied species of trees along the riverbank. We stayed at the comfortable and friendly Manor House Hotel in Burnsall, and should have opted to eat there as other guests told us the following morning that the evening meal was excellent. (We ate at the Red Lion, which was devoid of people and life. To add to our disappointment, they no longer stocked Theakston's Old Peculier!)

Ilkley Old Bridge