The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a beautiful place to visit. Driving through it feels like you have taken a step back in time. The scenery looks like it has not been touched in hundreds of years. Views like this make it the perfect place for a road trip, and we aren’t the only ones that feel this way.
Website, Cottages In Northumberland, has named this road trip that straddles two national parks as one of the six most beautiful road trips in the UK. It takes you from Ambleside heading east to Harrogate via Hawes and has some beautiful sights to visit along the way.

All in all the distance is 90.6 miles and takes three hours to drive. 73 miles of which are through national parks taking in Areas of Natural Beauty such as the Nidderdale region.
It takes in the smaller roads through the Lakes and the Dales and visits plenty of beautiful spots along the way. Next, you can move on to Kendal via the A591. The market town in Cumbria is a beautiful place to stop off and have a look around.



You should then continue east towards Garsdale and Hawes on the A684 where you’ll eventually come to the Yorkshire Dales National Park. There is beautiful towns of Sedbergh, which is known as ‘the book town’ and Hawes, which has a waterfall running through the centre of it.
Make sure you take a picnic with you and visit the beautiful Cotter Force, a secluded waterfall which you can easily walk to. Once you’ve had your fun at Aysgarth, head south towards Kettlewell and Grassington, through beautiful wilderness, and then continue round the south of Nidderdale.



The Coldstones Cut is a unique spot to take a break and admire a modern sculpture and surrounding views. It’s a stone’s throw from Pateley Bridge, which is home to the oldest sweet shop in Britain.
From here, you are 30 mins from Harrogate, your final stop! Travel through more farmland, passing Thruscross Reservoir. After that, you’ll visit arrive at the beautiful spa town of Harrogate.
Sightseeing suggestions along the way:
- Arnside & Silverdale AONB (south)
- Lake Windermere
- Stock Ghyll
- St Margaret’s Tower
- Levens Deer Park
- Edwardian Rock Garden in Aysgarth
- Ingleton Waterfalls Trust
- Dales countryside museum
- Seven Bridges Valley
- Ripley Castle
Read More: 6 Scenic Road Trips In Yorkshire You Have To Try In 2022
Feature Image Credit: cc-by-sa/2.0 – © G Laird – geograph.org.uk/p/5569622