Airedale General Hospital, Steeton (A&E)
Airedale General Hospital
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1, 2, 3
Skipton Road, Steeton, Keighley BD20 6TD
Dales Way · Checked October 2026
Dales Way emergency & health guide: hospitals, mountain rescue, 999 and 111
The nearest hospital with an emergency department (A&E) for each of the 6 stages, the Kendal urgent treatment centre, how to call fell and mountain rescue, the rules for walkers on the Dales Way, and pharmacies and shops near the trail.
In an emergency call 999 or 112 from any phone. For a lost or injured walker on the fells or moors, ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue ("Cave or Fell Rescue" in the Yorkshire Dales): the police call out the volunteer teams, the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association in Wharfedale, the Cave Rescue Organisation around Ribblehead and Upper Dentdale, and Kendal Mountain Search and Rescue Team in South Lakeland. Say which stage you are on, the nearest village, farm or bridge and, if you can, your grid reference or GPS coordinates, then stay where you are. For urgent medical help that is not life-threatening, call NHS 111.
Emergency numbers
| Number | What it is |
|---|---|
| 999 | Police, ambulance, fire and rescue, free from any phone. For a lost or injured walker ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue ("Cave or Fell Rescue" in the Dales): the police call out the volunteer teams, the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association, the Cave Rescue Organisation (Ribblehead and Upper Dentdale) and Kendal Mountain Search and Rescue Team. |
| 112 | European emergency number; it works in the UK and reaches the same centres as 999 |
| 111 | NHS 111: urgent medical help that is not life-threatening; it can book you into the Kendal urgent treatment centre or an A&E |
| 101 | Police, non-emergency (West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Cumbria) |
If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired, register for emergencySMS before you go: text "register" to 999 and follow the replies. Mobile signal is weak or missing in upper Langstrothdale, on Cam Fell and in parts of Dentdale, so carry a map and tell someone your plan.
Rules to know
- Upper Dentdale (2026): after landslips at Dent Head, the official route now leaves the Dent road near Newby Head, crosses Wold Fell on the Pennine Bridleway and descends Arten Gill to Stone House. Waymarks may still show the old road route; in low cloud or if you are tired, the Dent road (open to walkers) is still an option.
- The Strid (Bolton Abbey, stage 1): the River Wharfe rushes through a narrow, deep rock channel and lives have been lost there. Stay well back from the edge, never try to jump across, and do not swim in the Wharfe.
- Bolton Abbey Estate: dogs must be on a lead in Strid Wood and on the Priory Trail and Welly Walk, and drones are not allowed anywhere on the estate.
- There is no general right to wild camp in England, including the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District national parks. Camp only on campsites or with the landowner's permission.
- Dogs: keep them under close control and on a lead near sheep and cattle; on open access land a lead is compulsory near livestock and from 1 March to 31 July. Lambing is in spring. If cattle threaten you, let your dog go.
- No permit or fee is needed. The route uses public rights of way and some permissive paths (for example by the river to Hubberholme and near Bolton Abbey): keep to the waymarked line.
- Countryside Code: leave gates as you find them, use gates and stiles, take your litter home, and do not light fires or barbecues.
Before you go, check route changes on the Dales Way Association website and the Met Office forecast. Trains serve Ilkley, Ribblehead, Dent station, Burneside and Windermere; DalesBus services reach Burnsall, Grassington, Kettlewell and Buckden on some days only. Book rooms and baggage transfer early: small villages have only a few beds.
Nearest hospital for each stage
| # | Stage | Hospital (24/7 emergency) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ilkley → Burnsall | Airedale General Hospital, Steeton (A&E) |
| 2 | Burnsall → Buckden | Airedale General Hospital, Steeton (A&E) |
| 3 | Buckden → Cowgill | Airedale General Hospital, Steeton (A&E) |
| 4 | Cowgill → Sedbergh | Royal Lancaster Infirmary (A&E) |
| 5 | Sedbergh → Burneside | Royal Lancaster Infirmary (A&E) |
| 6 | Burneside → Bowness-on-Windermere | Royal Lancaster Infirmary (A&E) |
Hospitals
Royal Lancaster Infirmary (A&E)
Royal Lancaster Infirmary
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 3, 4, 5, 6
Ashton Road, Lancaster LA1 4RP
Urgent treatment centres
Urgent treatment centres and minor injuries units treat sprains, simple fractures, cuts and burns. Opening hours differ: the urgent treatment centre at Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal sees patients from 9am to 8pm (last appointment 10pm, with X-ray), and the minor injuries unit at Wharfedale Hospital in Otley, near Ilkley, is listed as open on weekdays only. They are not emergency departments. Call NHS 111 first: it can book you in.
Wharfedale Hospital, Otley – Minor Injuries Unit
Wharfedale General Hospital
- Not 24 h
- Stages 1
Newall Carr Road, Otley LS21 2LY
Grassington Medical Centre (GP surgery)
Grassington Medical Centre
- Not 24 h
- Stages 2
Station Road, Grassington
Westmorland General Hospital, Kendal – Urgent Treatment Centre
Westmorland General Hospital
- Not 24 h
- Stages 4, 5, 6
Burton Road, Kendal LA9 7RG
Sedbergh Medical Practice (GP surgery)
Sedbergh Medical Practice
- Not 24 h
- Stages 4, 5
Station Road, Sedbergh
Pharmacies, cash and supplies
- Pharmacies: Bowness-on-Windermere
- ATMs: Ilkley, Sedbergh, Bowness-on-Windermere
- Shops: Ilkley, Bowness-on-Windermere
- Bus stops: Ilkley, Burnsall, Buckden, Cowgill, Sedbergh, Burneside, Bowness-on-Windermere
England has no duty-pharmacy rota. Use the NHS "Find a pharmacy" service on nhs.uk to check opening hours, or call 111 if you need medicines urgently at night. There are pharmacies in Ilkley, Grassington, Sedbergh, Staveley, Kendal and Bowness/Windermere; there are none in Burnsall, Kettlewell, Buckden, Hubberholme, Cowgill, Dent or Burneside, so carry a first-aid and blister kit.
Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.
Have the nearest help on your map, offline
Outest shows these hospitals, pharmacies, ATMs and stops on the Dales Way map, offline, together with the route, water and places to sleep.