Best Wild Camping in the Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales are a landscape of contrasts — dramatic limestone pavements, deep valleys, open moorland, and some of England's most iconic hills. For wild camping, the Dales offer something different from the more mountainous Lake District: rolling, spacious terrain with a sense of openness that's hard to find elsewhere.

The Legal Position

As with the rest of England, wild camping in the Yorkshire Dales without landowner permission is technically trespass. There's no formal tolerance policy, but responsible camping on open moorland and fell tops has a long history here.

The Dales are working farming country. Sheep are everywhere, and relationships between campers and farmers matter. Camp responsibly and you'll be fine. Leave a mess or camp in the wrong place and you make life harder for everyone who follows.

Best Areas

The Three Peaks Area

The landscape around Ingleborough, Pen-y-ghent, and Whernside — the famous Yorkshire Three Peaks — offers good camping on the higher ground. The summits themselves are too popular for a peaceful camp, but the surrounding moorland and ridges work well.

The limestone terrain means drainage is generally good, which is a real bonus when you're looking for dry tent pitches.

Best for: Combining a wild camp with the Three Peaks walk or exploring the area at a slower pace.

Upper Swaledale

Swaledale narrows as you head west, becoming increasingly wild and remote. The upper dale beyond Keld feels genuinely isolated — stone barns, rough pasture, and open moor.

The moorland above the dale offers spacious camping with views down the valley. It's one of the quietest parts of the Dales.

Best for: Solitude seekers and those walking the Pennine Way or Coast to Coast.

The Howgill Fells

Technically at the western edge of the Dales, the Howgill Fells are smooth, grassy, and incredibly quiet. No stone walls, few paths, and rounded summits that feel more Lake District than Yorkshire.

The Howgills are perfect for wild camping — the grassy terrain provides comfortable pitches, the lack of visitors means genuine solitude, and the rolling landscape offers shelter in the hollows between hills.

Best for: Those wanting easy, grassy camping away from crowds. One of the best-kept secrets in the Dales.

Great Shunner Fell and the Pennine Ridge

The high Pennine ridge running through the western Dales includes Great Shunner Fell, one of the boggiest and most characterful hills in Yorkshire. The Pennine Way crosses it, and camping along the ridge offers vast moorland views.

Best for: Pennine Way walkers and those who don't mind peat and bog.

Malham and the Limestone Country

The area around Malham — Malham Cove, Malham Tarn, Gordale Scar — is spectacular but popular. Wild camping right at the tourist sites isn't appropriate, but the higher ground above the cove and tarn is quieter.

The limestone pavement creates unusual terrain — pockets of flat ground between rocky outcrops.

Best for: Combining geological interest with overnight camping.

Practical Tips

Weather

The Dales sit in the rain shadow of the Lake District, so they're generally drier than the western hills — but still wetter than most of England. Wind is the bigger challenge, especially on exposed moorland.

Water

Limestone country has quirky drainage — rivers disappear underground and reappear miles away. Surface water can be scarce on the limestone plateaux. On the gritstone moors, streams are plentiful but peat-stained.

Carry enough water for your camp rather than relying on finding it.

Terrain

Varies enormously. Limestone pavements are ankle-twisting territory. Gritstone moors are boggy. The Howgills are smooth grass. Choose your area based on what you're comfortable with.

Farming

The Dales are heavily farmed. Lambing runs from March to May — keep dogs on leads and avoid camping near sheep during this period. Cattle graze the higher pastures in summer.

Seasonal Advice

Spring: Lambing season — be particularly careful around livestock. Wildflowers start appearing. Can still be cold on high ground.

Summer: Warmest conditions and longest days. The Three Peaks area gets busy. Head to the Howgills or upper Swaledale for peace.

Autumn: Beautiful light, golden bracken, quieter paths. Weather becomes more unsettled but the landscape is stunning.

Winter: Exposed and cold on the high ground. Short days. The Dales in winter are quiet and atmospheric but demand proper gear.

Getting There

The Dales are accessible from the A1, M6, and A65. The Settle-Carlisle railway runs through the heart of the national park — one of England's finest rail journeys and a practical way to reach walking starting points.

Buses serve the main villages but are limited in frequency, especially in the western dales.

Recommended Gear for the Yorkshire Dales

The Dales' mix of limestone, bog, and exposed moorland calls for reliable footwear and shelter.