Dales Way - Day 1 of 6 - Ilkley to Burnsall bridge on the river Wharfe via the amazing Bolton Abbey

The Dales Way England The Dales Way is a good introduction to multi-day walking. It is a linear walk of 82 miles from Ilkley in Yorkshire to Bowness-on-Windermere in Cumbria. It is usually walked over 5 or 6 days, staying in pubs, bed and breakfasts or campsites along the way. The only constraints being the lack of suitable accommodation and the condition of the walkers. The walk could nearly be completed at any time of the year, but we choose the end of July and just hoped for good weather. We were walking with friends who had booked it in January. However, we booked about 6 weeks before, so unfortunately we couldn't always manage to stay in the same place Monday 20th July Ilkley to Burnsall, Day 1 We were up early catching the train from our home in Manchester, arriving in Ilkley at 10.30am, excited to be commencing another trip. For a change on our walks instead of just the two of us, we were with 9 friends who had done lots of training for this trip, but only a couple of them had previously done multi-day walking. We walked through the pretty town of Ilkley to the start of the walk by the Old Bridge on the River Wharf, excited to begin. Take time to admire the old packhorse bridge built in the 1670s, before commencing the walk along the rivers' left bank. Soon there is found the first of a couple of signs about the Dales Way and a bench. The bench is labelled "for the benefit of those walking the Dales Way". It's partner bench is found over looking Windermere, in 6 days time. We met some people who were also starting the walk, but never saw them or any other walkers again. We continued following the obvious path along the river, along a road, and back beside the river. The path all the way to Burnsall follows this pattern. After a further 2 hours of walking we reached Bolton Priory stopping for our lunch at 1pm, and an ice-cream. A detour to the village of Bolton Abbey can be made at this point where facilities can be found. The Abbey or Priory was built in the 12th century, but then closed in 1539 under the Dissolution of the Monasteries Act ordered by King Henry VIII in 1539. Being school holidays the whole area was very busy. It is always lovely to see many people out enjoying the countryside. I challenge anyone here to walk across the stepping stones. The river is fairly wide at this point, the middle stone has been removed, so necessitating either a large jump across, or wading. All of our party declined either of these options. I have been informed that since our visit the stones have been repaired, so check them out. Later on up the river, more manageable stepping stones are found, which are fun. We continued through the strangely named Valley of Desolation, entering Strid Wood at 2pm. Crossing over the bridge there are cafe and toilets. Continuing along the river watch out for the heron, swifts and swallows flying overhead, rabbit holes along the river bank, also the changing nature of the river with some faster flowing stretches and slower areas. Take a moment also to watch the fly fishermen casting their lines for trout, and admire the beautiful scenery all around. We crossed the ancient packhorse bridge and at 5pm arrived at tonight's' destination-The Red Lion in Burnsall. Our bags had been delivered by Sherpa van services. We were grateful to get there after what seemed like a long day, we had a small but nice room with an en-suite bathroom, kettle and television. Fortunately as it was very busy, we had booked dinner in advance, it was a lovely evening meal. There is also a very attractive outdoor seating area beside the river. We spotted swifts feeding on insects above the river, before beginning their long journey to South Africa. Described as one prettiest villages of Yorkshire villages, Burnsall lies on a bend on the River Wharf and is surrounded by a spectacular circle of fells. The village was originally an Anglo-Viking settlement, check-out the carved stones and exhibition inside the church, if open. The beautiful grade 2 listed packhorse bridge dates from the 17th century and following a flood in the 19th century was restored. We were all very pleased with the success of finishing Day One, and really looking forward to the rest of the trip. https://redlion.co.uk/ Burnsall Distance 13.68 miles 22 km Duration of Walk Hours 6.07 Average Pace Min/km 26.50 Steps 37590 Elevation gained in feet negligible