Hotels in Yorkshire Dales

Choosing where to sleep in the Dales matters more than in most places, because the valleys do not connect easily. Getting from Wharfedale to Swaledale means a long climb over the tops or a wide detour, and what looks like 15 miles on the map can take 50 minutes of single-track driving. Pick the dale you most want to walk in and stay in it rather than trying to cover the park from one central point.

Skipton and Settle are the obvious choices for anyone travelling by train, both with stations, a decent choice of hotels and inns, and buses out into the hills. Skipton has the wider range of restaurants and the better wet-weather options; Settle is smaller, quieter and closer to the Three Peaks. Grassington, Kettlewell and Malham suit walkers who want a footpath from the door, though rooms are limited and book out months ahead for summer weekends.

Couples looking for something more indulgent tend to head for the country-house hotels on the southern fringe around Bolton Abbey and Hetton, where the cooking is the point of the trip and there is usually a spa or a good garden attached. Families do better in Wensleydale — Hawes, Askrigg and Leyburn have larger inns with family rooms, flatter walks, and attractions such as the creamery and Aysgarth Falls that work with children in tow. Self-catering cottages are widespread and often better value for a group than three hotel rooms.

On price, expect roughly £90 to £130 a night for a village inn or bed and breakfast, £140 to £220 for a good mid-range hotel, and £250 upwards for the country-house properties. Prices soften noticeably from November to March, excluding Christmas and New Year. Book early for late May and June, for August, and for any weekend near a Three Peaks charity event, when Settle and Horton in Ribblesdale sell out completely. Many smaller places have a two-night minimum at weekends, and a fair number of inns close their kitchens midweek in winter, so check before assuming you can eat where you sleep. Parking is included almost everywhere outside Skipton.