Campers hit the Dales for fells, heathery moors, and verdant valleys home to top pitching spots.
The UK’s third-biggest national park comprises an impressive tract of protected countryside stretching all the way from Lancashire to the Scottish border. This is a place of lofty, exposed moorland distinguished by the lush and diverse dales that score it. Whether you want to hike the Yorkshire Three Peaks, walk to the waterfall at Malham Cove, hop-skip-and-jump over limestone paving slabs, or simply kick back in a good old Yorkshire pub, the Yorkshire Dales are a popular place for camping holidays. Skipton, Settle (both with train stations), and Kirkby Lonsdale on the southern edge of the park are key gateways, while hiking hotspot Malham sports a visitor centre and some striking nearby rock formations. The park’s scenery means brilliant campsite views, whether you’re planning a solo camping trip, a romantic glamping weekend, or a family holiday in a campervan. Many campsites are simple setups in farmers’ fields set close to classic walking routes like the Pennine Way and the Coast-to-Coast route.
You can’t go wrong beginning your Dales explorations at Malham, where a national park visitor centre offers regional insights. Malham impresses with its atypical Dales scenery: the sheer geological wonders of Gordale Scar, a limestone chasm, and Malham Cove, a huge curving rock wall. Hikes like the Pennine Way lead to higher fells beyond, and there is excellent birdwatching at Malham Tarn. Village campsites put campers near Gordale Scar.
The second-highest mountain in the park, Ingleborough is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, along with Whernside and Pen-y-Ghent. They’re all prime for hiking, but Ingleborough and its moorland surroundings also host an important rewilding project. Spectacular waterfalls cluster around its trailhead, while the long-distance Pennine Journey trail crosses the 2,375-foot summit. Campsites are scattered along the roads around the base of the upland—those in Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Ingleton are easiest to access.
Not technically part of the national park yet extending off the southeast corner in more of the same valley-scored moorland, the 233-square-mile Nidderdale area still has its rolling countryside protected as an AONB. Highlights for campers include iconic beauty spots such as Brimham Rocks’ wondrous rock formations and the enchanting How Stean Gorge, set near some of the best Nidderdale campsites.
Say cheese! The Yorkshire Dales’ best-known dale is famous for its homonymous crumbly cheese, produced at Hawes. Wensleydale is busier than most Yorkshire Dales, as it’s set near where the famed Bolton Castle guards the part of the dale within the national park. Magnificent waterfalls near Hawes make attractive short walks, while the Pennine Way bisects Hawes, which has some of the best campsites hereabouts.
Swaledale, the next dale north of Wensleydale, is chocolate-box pretty. The emerald-green valley bottom is a throwback to a bygone rural life, as the wildflower meadows are still managed with traditional farming methods and dotted with historic barns. A village like Muker makes an excellent camping base, from where you can access both the wildflower meadows and, via the Pennine Way, the big fells.
Among its 800 square miles, the Yorkshire Dales National Park has bustling market towns, picturesque villages, and sleepy hamlets. Choose camping near town for the convenience and access to amenities, cafes, shops, and pubs.