Self-Guided James Herriot Way

• This itinerary represents one of several possibilities. Variations are possible, depending on your timeframe, level of hiking ability, and interests. Please contact us if you would like a more detailed itinerary including elevation gain, loss, distance, and additional information.

Day 1: Arrive Manchester Airport – Independent travel to Richmond
Still possessing an air of quaint antiquity, the town of Richmond is dominated by an 11th-century Norman cliff-top castle and boasts a large cobbled marketplace with the ancient church of Holy Trinity as its centerpiece. A mixture of stone and brick buildings spread down the hillside in a maze of narrow streets waiting to be wandered. You may have time to explore this lovely market town before dinner.

Day 2: Richmond to Reeth
Departing from the center of Richmond, the route leads through the outskirts of town, passing gardens and well-kept homes before entering the Yorkshire Dales National Park. From here the walk to Reeth is one of variety. The landscape of limestone escarpments, rich meadows, and “leafy becks” serve as a backdrop for the two lovely villages and priory along the way. You will end the day in Reeth, once the center of extensive mining activity and now a pleasant, thriving village.

Elevation gain: 1,525’; Elevation loss: 1,275′; Distance: 11.5 miles; Time: 5½ hours.

Day 3: Reeth to Thwaite
Today you’ll have a wonderful riverside walk along the River Swale. This is quintessential Dales landscape,  Meandering beside the river’s edge and then turning up through rich, green pastures checked with dry stone fences, the route will take you to the villages of Gunnerside and Muker before ending in the tiny hamlet of Thwaite.

Elevation gain: 970′; Elevation loss: 715′; Distance: 12 miles; Time: 5 hours. 

Day 4: Thwaite to Hawes
The route takes on a more southerly direction as it heads toward the beautiful valley of Wensleydale. Leaving Thwaite, you join another well-known, long-distance footpath, “The Pennine Way”, and begin your climb up the north side of Great Shunner Fell. After reaching the summit at 2,363 feet, you’ll have a long, gradual descent into Wensleydale. Coming into the little hamlet of Hardraw, you may want to stop for tea and scones or pop into the Green Dragon for a pint before continuing the last 20 minutes to your country hotel, once an Edwardian manor house, set amidst old English gardens with expansive views of the valley.

Elevation gain: 1,530′; Elevation loss: 1,715′; Distance: 10 miles; Time: 5 hrs. 

Day 5: Rest Day
The day can be spent exploring the nearby market town of Hawes or relaxing at the hotel. Located at the upper end of Wensleydale, Hawes is an active market town. Its attractive main street is lined with old stone buildings, cafes, pubs, and shops. The Wensleydale Creamery, famous for its cheese, is located here, as is the Dales Countryside Museum.

Day 6: Hawes to Carperby
From the hotel, you’ll head uphill to the little hamlet of Sedbusk then across fields and farmland to the village of Askrigg, passing the waterfall of Mill Force on the way. Askrigg is old Norse meaning Ash Tree (askr) Ridge (hryggr). Once a bustling market town and a hub for brewing, clock-making, and woolen industries, Askrigg has become more fondly known for serving as the filming location for Herriot’s fiction town “Darrowby” in the BBC TV series, All Creatures Great and Small.

From Askrigg, you’ll hike up through the little hamlet of Newbiggin and onto the high pastures just below Carperby Moor. Long with expansive views of the valley, you’ll see evidence of the old lead mining days as you hike under the limestone outcroppings of Ivy Scar. Your walk will end in the village of Carperby, where Alf Wight honeymooned with his wife at the Wheatsheaf Hotel in 1941.

Elevation gain: 1,1281′; Elevation loss: 1,286′; Distance: 12 miles; Time: 5½ hours.

Day 7: Carperby to Reeth to Richmond
Your day will begin with a hike down to Aysgarth Falls, a three-tiered fall along the Ure River running over the course of nearly a mile. From Aysgarth, the route takes across the fields to Bolton Castle, one of England’s best-preserved medieval castles. Mary, Queen of Scotts, was imprisoned here after the Battle of Langside. The climb continues up Black Hill, down to Apedale Beck, and up again to the crest of Greets Hills. If the weather is with you, you will lose our views of Wensleydale only to be greeted by those of Swaledale as we descend through telltale signs of the old Apedale Lead Mine and across gross hunting terrain. The familiar sight of Reeth tells you your walk is nearing its close.  Ending in back in on the village green of Reeth, you will then be transported back to your hotel in Richmond having come full circle.

Elevation gain: 1,627′; Elevation loss: 1,864′; Distance: 11 miles; Time: 5 hours. 

Day 8: Trip end – Onward travel
The trip will end following breakfast.  Independent travel back to Manchester Airport or other destinations. Please allow for travel time when making plans.