A Dales High Way Companion

The perfect companion and illustrated guide to A Dales High Way - the new long distance walk covering 90 miles from Saltaire to Appleby-in-Westmorland. The book contains a detailed description of the route, but more importantly it explores the fascinating geology, history, culture and wildlife of the places visited along the way. It is designed to help you get the maximum enjoyment from your walk, whether it's finding rock art carved by our Stone Age ancestors, spotting an early purple orchid or visiting the best preserved medieval castle in England. This book complements the original Route Guide. As Chris describes it; "It's the book you read in the pub after a long day's walking."

THIS book covers the route of a new, long distance walk covering 90 miles from Saltaire in West Yorkshire to Appleby-in-Westmorland. It is the perfect companion for a tough trek that visits Ingleborough, the Howgills, Dentdale and the Eden Valley. There are some wonderful photographs and the book also explores the geology, history, culture and wildlife of the places visited. I cannot recommend this guide highly enough. --Mike Addison, Westmorland Gazette, Oct 2009

Since the launch and subsequent success of the Dales Way 40 years ago, there have been several more author-inspired long distance trails in the Yorkshire Dales, some of them very good routes indeed, including such classic walks as Wainwright's Coast to Coast or Sheila Gordon's Lady Anne's Way. Long distance walking is one of the purest, most sustainable ways of experiencing the countryside; the walker fully appreciates the enormous scale and subtle beauty of the landscape. Staying overnight also means contributing more to the local economy. More routes mean more choice, less erosion than if all such walks were focused on just one or two big name routes. So a warm welcome to Tony and Chris Grogan's Dales High Way, a new 90 mile route which roughly parallels the Dales Way over generally higher land to the west. It starts from Saltaire crossing Rombalds Moor to Ilkley and Skipton, passing Weets Cross above Malham, over Ingleborough and the Howgills, then heading north to Appleby. The High Way's green credentials are further enhanced by integrating the route with the Settle Carlisle Railway, with useful break points at Skipton, Settle and Ribblehead, though some of the day stages look tough especially if you need to extend them to access transport. Promoted through a superbly illustrated Companion booklet, rich in local geology, history and wildlife, with detailed OS-based maps in an excellent Route Guide, the Dales High Way is a sure-fire winner for all keen Dales' walkers. --Colin Speakman, Yorkshire Dales Review, Jan 2010

Last year 2008 "A Dales High Way" was published, a detailed description and guide to a 92 mile high level route across the Yorkshire Dales starting at Saltaire, and finishing at Appleby. Now Tony and Chris Grogan have produced "A Dales High Way Companion" to go with it. In its own words: "A Dales High Way ...is a journey through place and time. A Dales High Way Companion is the story of the journey. It includes a detailed description of the route ...and, more importantly though, it explores the fascinating geology, history, culture and wildlife of the places visited." It's a nice book and an enjoyable read. It's a succinct, erudite and readable description of the many features of interest you will encounter en route as you walk the High Way. It's very good on the geology of the Yorkshire Dales, and it's also very good on the history as the route takes in something from every major human époque starting from the flint slivers left on Ilkley Moor by our ancestors of the Middle Stone Age. Recent history is not neglected, and you can learn more about Saltaire, the Settle and Carlisle Railway, hill farming, and fell racing. The book is also good on the flora and fauna of the Dales including the fell ponies of the Howgills. The photos are plentiful and full of interest. Many people will elect to walk the High Way, and it is an enjoyable route for a week's walking holiday. Many people will never do the walk from start to finish, or even remotely contemplate it, but they still will find the book useful and enjoyable. Maybe they'll be able to incorporate bits of a Dales High Way into their own walks, and gain a heightened appreciation of what they see around them and what to look for, maybe they'll just enjoy the book for walks in the imagination. It's also a good book for anyone who wants a readable introduction to what the Yorkshire Dales are all about. If I have a quibble, it is that I would have preferred one book rather than two, and the detailed maps in the first book would have gone well beside the route descriptions in the Companion. --Keith Wadd, West Riding Rambler, Jan 2010