The Dales Trail is a 320km / 6,600m adventure on bridleways and greenways around the border of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The trail takes you around the perimeter of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and across large areas of uninhabited upland terrain as well as through small villages in Malhamdale to the south, Swaledale to the north, Cumbria to the west and Nidderdale to the east.

A three day self supported bikepacking event will be held on 6th - 8th September 2025.

The start line is at 3 Peaks Cycles in Settle and is kindly supported by RESTRAP.

Highlights:

Moorland singletrack through Bowderdale in the Howgill Fells

Miners tracks to Blakethwaite Smelt Mill in Swaledale

Limestone track on the slopes of Ingleborough

Quiet lanes across the Westmorland Dales

Double track to Dent’s Houses, Apedale

Cam High Road and Ribblehead Viaduct

Clapper bridge at the edge of Feizor

Drovers Lanes in Malhamdale

Podgill Viaduct, Eden Valley

Descent from Tan Hill

Fremington Edge

Skyreholme Bank

There are iconic off-road bike trails through the Yorkshire Dales for example the Pennine Bridleway going South to North and the Dales Divide going West to East and back again but the Dales Trail is happy to stay within the Yorkshire Dales National Park and experience the diverse landscapes and superb tracks that can be found around its borderlands.

By going around the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park you are likely to experience places you didn't know existed and see old favorites in a new light:

Past the largest inland quarry lake and along the longest continuous moorland singletrack in the north of England

Across Great Asby Scar which is the largest area of limestone pavement in the north and a National Nature Reserve

Along a Drovers Road that was the M1 of its day running along a high ridge from the Scottish borders to the Midlands

Over 17th Century tracks that took miners to work and exported lead to cover the roof of the Houses of Parliament

Into a Dales village with a single community pub and villages with a dozen pubs and cafes

Along the upland stages of the last wild river in Yorkshire: the Swale

Through parkland that surrounds a 12th Century Abbey

Onto Iron Hill the furthest NW part of the YDNP

The Dales Trail event on the 6th - 8th September 2025 is a fixed route, single stage, self supported bikepacking event over three days or in a ‘oner’ across 320kms (200 miles) of remote moorland, steep valley slopes, bogs, fords, streams and rock gardens then onto bothies, quiet pubs, village cafes, castles, Abbeys, Coop mini stores and a few welcome stretches of tarmac on narrow lanes.

9am group start outside 3 Peaks Cycles on Market Place in Settle, North Yorkshire (BD24 9EJ).

The field of riders will be limited to 50. Experience of navigating ‘rough stuff’ tracks is required as the route is unmarked and a few sections are across rarely visited moorland hence the tracks are very faint. The route is approximately 75% ‘off-road’. There is no mechanical back up / no rescue vehicle. There will be three Control Points.

The GPX route has been field tested and the route is 95% rideable but there are stretches of track across moorland which are, at times, difficult to navigate and some sections require the willingness to ‘hike a bike’ for example in the Howgill fells to the west and Gunnerside to the north.

The reward is a unique embroidered cloth badge made in Leeds.

At 320km and with 6,800 metres of climbing (200 miles / 22,000 feet) the Dales Trail perhaps best suits experienced bikepackers with the Calder Divide Trail weekend on 20th - 21st September an excellent opportunity for those new to bikepacking to experience the joys and hardships of multi day riding across ‘rough stuff’ tracks and lanes.