Cray to Hawes

*** To help you follow the route with confidence we have provided a general overview below of the Cray to Hawes walking route to keep you on track. The Ales and Dales Trail largely follows England's national walking trails and is navigationally straightforward, however, please ensure that you follow the GPS tracks in the Macs Adventure smartphone app to ensure you have a safe, enjoyable and problem-free day.  The daily maps can also be printed from the web version of the app should you wish to take paper copies with you. ***

Stage 1 (White Lion Inn to trail path you left the previous day) - 0.0 to 0.3km: For those overnighting in the White Lion Inn retrace your steps back over the stream and up to where you left the Lady Anne's Way path the previous day. (Alternatively, you can carefully walk along the B6160 road and meet up with the trail again).

Stage 2 (Trail Path to Gilbert Lane) - 0.3 to 1.8km: Continue on the Lady Anne Way's path, with the wall on your left as it comes down towards a field, that eventually leads you out onto the B Road (B6160 - also shown on the map as Park Lane). From here, turn right and there will be around a kilometre of walking uphill along the road until you reach the visible track on your left (known as Gilbert Lane and signposted as Stalling Busk). This path leads you out of the Wharfedale and over Stakes Moss to a small group of farm buildings known as Carpley Green.

Stage 3 (Gilbert Lane to Carpley Green) - 1.8 to 9.5km: The path starts to climb here but the route over Stakes Moss is easy to follow, barring a few sections that you need to make sure you are paying attention to on the Macs App so that you don't come off track accidentally at any point. At around the 4.9km of the route itself (note: NOT your own GPS walking distance!) you can see the track skews right here - it's actually at a boundary wall, make sure you go through the gate and enter the walled lane to stay on track. The other is around the 5.8km mark - ensure you take the right turn through the gate and onto Busk Lane (signed to Carpley Green).  When on Busk Lane it's another easy-to-follow path to the farm buildings of Carpley Green.

Stage 4 (Carpley Green to Worton) - 9.5 to 13.9km: A small access road leaves Carpley Green and curves around Addlebrough, walk along with it for around 1.5 kilometres until you reach a gate on your right (signed for Cubeck) - there is a point of interest marker at its location for those that want to cut through Bainbridge. For those following the standard route to Askrigg, go through the gate and follow the grassy path northeast for approximately 2.5 kilometres until you reach the hairpin bend in the road at the small hamlet of Cubeck. Follow the road left, downhill until you reach the junction at the road end in Worton.

Stage 5 (Worton to Askrigg)- 13.9 to 15.4km: At the junction, turn left and briefly walk along the main "A684" road, then take the first right and follow the road through down to the riverside. After crossing the bridge, switch onto the Herriot Way path for the first time by going through the small gate on your left. A single file stoned path will take you through the fields and into Askrigg.

Askrigg is a great spot for lunch - check the points of interest on the App here for recommendations. For the Ale connoisseurs among you, the Yorkshire Dales Brewing Company, actual Brewery site is a short walk away from the village centre - they have a nice beer garden where you can purchase their ales and craft beers directly their taproom!

Stage 6 (Askrigg to Skell Gill) - 15.4 to 18.1km: After lunch, get your bearings back by heading to church that's smack bang in the middle of Askrigg and then follow, the one-way road that shoots off to the right of it. This concrete road eventually fades away and your back onto the walking trails of the Herriot Way path. Not too far from the church is an optional out and back again detour to visit the Mill Gill Force Waterfall (cut off is signposted as Mill Gill Fall Only). just along from this signage, you take the path that goes left and carries on to another tarmac road. Turn left at this road and then turn right onto Skellgill Lane and follow it till you reach the hamlet of Skell Gill.

Stage 7 (Skell Gill to Sedbusk)- 18.1 to 23.2km: After Skell Gill you come off the road and back onto a packhorse track, from here, the terrain varies but it's an easy to follow 4-kilometre section heading west along the Herriot Way towards Sedbusk. At the outskirts of Sedbusk, (there is a waymarker on the Macs App) you can opt to can carry on the Herriot's Way path to visit Hardraw Force Waterfall (if you wish), otherwise, follow the red line on the Macs App left down the road slightly where you will see a stile on your right -  Cross this stile and cut diagonally across some fields, until you reconnect onto the Herriot Way Path again.

Stage 8 (Sedbusk to Hawes) - 23.2 to 24.2km: The path from here goes directly into Hawes town centre and finishes at the delightful White Hart Inn - the perfect place to grab a cold drink and rest your weary legs!

Post Walk Drinks recommendation in Hawes: The White Hart Inn

*** This is the end of our Cray to Hawes route, Please use your included documentation to find your overnight accommodation ***