Camping in the Yorkshire Dales: outdoor stays amid stunning scenery
If you’re eying up a stay at a campsite in the Yorkshire Dales, chances are you’re after a break that includes some combination of places to walk, little villages to potter around and historic attractions to visit… plus a place to stay that makes the most of that fab scenery (oh, and maybe a country pub for a local ales or two…)
Sound good? Then you’ve certainly come to the right place – we reckon camping in the Yorkshire Dales is the best way to soak up this splendid area by day and by night, and we’ve got quite the collection of places where you can make that happen. Tents, motorhomes, caravans, glamping tents or log cabins in the Yorkshire Dales… any one of these would be a fine pick for a stay in this lovely part of the world.
Ready to dally around the Dales for a while? Read on for a few tips on how to pick the best campsites in the Yorkshire Dales for your personal preferences.
Yorkshire Dales campsites: all the options from fuss-free to fancy
Got your tent all ready? Then all you need do is pick any old Yorkshire Dales tent pitch, right? Well, not quite – there’s actually a fair old range of styles out there, from back to basics pitches (the closest you’ll get to wild camping in the Yorkshire Dales while staying legal) to those with stacks of handy facilities.
The same goes for those lucky folk travelling with their home on wheels: motorhome pitches and caravan parks in the Yorkshire Dales can be as simple as a quiet corner of a farmer’s field or something on a fully-fledged site with hookups, waste disposal, wifi and other mod cons. Finding the one that’s right for you is simply a matter of fiddling with the filters over on the left until you find the sort of thing that suits you best.
No need to miss out if you don’t fall into either category: we’ve got you covered for glamping in the Yorkshire Dales too. Experience life under canvas by bedding down in a yurt, tipi, wigwam or bell tent, or give in to those dreams of running off to a little cabin in the woods by checking out our range of cosy lodges in the Yorkshire Dales (some of them are even open all year if you’re tempted by winter wanders…)
Seeking something down towards the cheaper end of the spectrum? There are several static caravan parks in the Yorkshire Dales that’ll give you plenty of space for your money – fab for family breaks. If it’s just the two of you, or just your good self, a stripped-down camping pod might be the way to go: it’s a good-value way to get a cosy place to sling down your sleeping bag for the night.
Simple space or stacks of stuff: finding facilities for Yorkshire Dales camping
Some folk will be setting off up here aiming to find just a quiet place with a view (and maybe a loo), while others will find that their enjoyment of all that countryside is greatly enhanced by the promise of some home comforts back at base.
Both approaches are equally valid, and both are well catered for in among our collection of campsites, glampsites and caravan sites in the Yorkshire Dales. Your task is to assess where you fall on that sliding scale from ‘just a field, ta’ to ‘bring on the entertainments’.
Our detailed descriptions should tell you most of what you need to know about the style of any particular place, and you can narrow down your choices by using our tick boxes to focus in on the things that matter to you.
Fancy a bit of fishing? Reckon you’ll need a play area to occupy the kids? Want to bring a dog along? Only go hiking if there’s a hot tub at the end of it? Whatever you’re after from a campsite in the Yorkshire Dales, chances are we’ve got it sorted.
Out and about: how to spend your days on a Yorkshire Dales camping holiday
Walks, walks, walks… gentle ambles or more extensive hikes are both most rewarding around here (particularly if the chosen route happens to pass by a pub for sustenance). There are more than 2000 miles of footpaths and bridleways to tramp along through gorgeous vistas of moorland, valleys and limestone scenery.
Top tips from those in the know include the walks around Malham (to Malham Tarn, Janet’s Foss and Malham Cove), Howgill Fells and the pretty Ingleton Waterfalls Trail. Or, if you’re up for a bit more of a challenge, how about taking on the Three Peaks? Clamber up Pen-y-Ghent, Wharfedale and Ingleborough and you’ll definitely have earned yourself that pint…
Fittingly for such stunning scenery, the towns and villages are generally rather easy on the eye too: plan stops in Grassington, Richmond, Skipton and Swaledale for some of the loveliest views, or feed your tummy as well as your eyes by heading to Hawes (home of Wensleydale cheese) and Pateley Bridge (for retro treats from The Oldest Sweet Shop in the World).
Elsewhere there are historic spots to visit at the likes of Fountains Abbey and Pendragon Castle, family days at the Dales Countryside Museum, Hesketh Farm Park and the extraordinary Forbidden Corner, and classic rail journeys to be had on the Settle-Carlisle railway. And the top views even carry on underground… as you’ll see if you pay visits to White Scar Cave, Ingleborough Cave or Stump Cross Caverns.
Done the Dales? How about following up with a trip to the east of Yorkshire for seaside times at one of our campsites and holiday parks near Scarborough?
