Camping in Yorkshire Dales

Camping in the Dales means camping on limestone, and that shapes the experience. Most valley-floor sites sit on well-drained riverside pasture that takes pegs easily and dries quickly after rain, but the ground can be thin over rock in places, so bring solid pegs and a mallet rather than relying on the wire ones in the bag. Sites are almost all small working-farm operations rather than large holiday parks, which means level grass, a clean shower block and not much else — no entertainment, often no shop beyond eggs and milk.

Weather is the real planning factor. The Dales sit high and open, and even in the valleys you are typically 200 metres or more above sea level, with the fells rising to over 700 metres. Rain arrives from the west without much warning and wind funnels down the dales, so pitch with the low end into the prevailing wind and guy everything out properly. Nights are cold well into June; a three-season sleeping bag is the sensible minimum, and a warm layer for evenings is not optional.

Wild camping is not a legal right in England. The open access land across the Dales fells does not carry camping rights, and pitching anywhere without the landowner's permission is trespass. In practice, discreet single-night high camps well away from walls, roads and stock are tolerated on some upland ground if you arrive late, leave early and remove every trace, but it is a courtesy rather than an entitlement. Ask at the farm if you can find one, and use a proper site otherwise.

The best months are late May through to mid-September. Easter can be superb or bitter, and many sites do not open until March or April, closing again by the end of October. July and August book out for weekends and the whole of the Three Peaks season is busy around Horton in Ribblesdale.

Glamping has spread fast here — camping pods, shepherd's huts and bell tents on the same farms — and it is worth considering in spring and autumn when a heated pod for around £70 to £90 a night beats a wet tent. Bring midge repellent for still evenings near water, a torch for unlit sites, and cash for honesty boxes.