Things to do

The Yorkshire Dales National Park has created this useful leaflet of things to do and see

but below is just a brief guide to places that we know and love

An Overview of the Local Dales

Coverdale. A tranquil dale with a string of traditional villages and farms with a strong community feel.

Bishopdale. A relatively unknown farming dale but with the lovely village of West Burton at its start.

Swaledale. A stunning dale dotted with field barns, and the fascinating remains of former mining industries.

Walden. A small but beautiful farming dale.

Wensleydale. A U-shaped dale famous for its dairy farming, picturesque villages such as Askrigg, and the main market town in the national park of Hawes.

Wharfedale. Known for its limestone escarpments such as Kinsey Rocks, home to beautiful villages such as Kettlewell, Buckden and Grassington.

Raydale. A hidden valley off Wensleydale, home to the natural lake of Semerwater.

Littondale. A quieter dale with limestone escarpments, well worth a visit en route to Malham.

Local Market Towns

Near

Middleham. Our nearest very small town – home to Middleham castle and over 15 racing stables. Go to the gallops early in the morning to watch the race horses working out.
Leyburn. Our local small market town (Market day is Friday) and nearest Coop.
Skipton. Bustling southern dale town with canal and small castle.
Richmond. The County town with a large, cobbled square, castle, river walks and cinema.
Hawes. The main Dales town, home of the Wensleydale creamery.
Thirsk. Home to James Herriott museum and a sculpture garden. Entry town to the North York Moors National Park.
Ripon. A lovely cathedral town.

Further Afield

Harrogate. The Bath of the North, home to the original Betty’s Tea Room and the pump room.
Barnard Castle. Built around a medieval castle ruin and home to the Bowes Museum.

Even Further Afield

A beautiful 2-hour drive from us over the North York Moors, a visit to Whitby is always a great day out. Gothic Ruins, jet jewellery shops, piers, boat trips, amazing fish & chips, beautiful cliffs and beaches!

For somewhere slightly quieter, the nearby Sandsend is a lovely coastal village, and Staithes is a gem frozen in time.

Natural Attractions

Apart from the whole of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, there are some specific sites that we think deserve a visit.

Waterfalls:

The three sets of falls at Aysgarth, Wensleydale, Hardraw near Hawes, West Burton, Bishopdale, Janet's Foss at Malham, Ingleton Gorge & Caves.

Natural Lakes:

Semerwater in Raydale, Malham Tarn.

Escarpments:

Malham Cove, Ingleborough, Fremington Edge – Reeth, Swaledale

Further Afield

Brimham Rocks – National Trust – Crazy Rock formations (26 miles), a good stop en route to Harrogate

Local Historical Attractions

Middleham Castle. Childhood home of Richard III – English Heritage (4 miles).
Jervaulx Abbey. Ruined Cistercian abbey with tearooms and good 6 ½ mile circular walk much of it along the River Ure. The nearby Coverbridge Inn serves substantial pub grub and has a riverside beer garden (8 miles).
Bolton Castle, Gardens & Tearoom. Where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned. Great views across Wensleydale – privately owned (11 miles) Has daily falconry and wild boar feeding activities plus special events. Please check the website as it can be closed for weddings.
Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal. Ripon -Amazing Cistercian Ruins with very informative guided tours available. Beautiful parkland and water gardens- National Trust. Should be combined with a visit to Ripon, a lovely cathedral (free entrance) town with great small eateries (23 miles).
Bolton Abbey & Barden Tower on the Bolton Abbey Estate. Lower Wharfdale - privately owned (27 miles) a lovely mixture of ancient buildings, bridges, waterfalls and grounds. Good to combine with a visit to Grassington (the location for the new TV series All Creatures Great and Small) or Skipton, a lovely market town from which daily canal cruises can be taken.
Beamish, the Living Museum of the North. An award-winning, open-air museum recreating Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian streetscapes with costumed staff, buses & trams. Well worth a visit (60 miles – 1hr 25 min).
Ribblehead Viaduct. Ribblesdale– Imposing viaduct on Settle/Carlisle railway with lovely circular walk (4.2 miles) which can be extended to include Twistleton Scar. Great views of the Yorkshire three peaks, Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent. There's a lovely pub, The Station Inn nearby (30 miles).

Other Interesting Things to Do

Wensleydale Creamery. Hawes – home of the famous cheese, tours available plus a lovely restaurant and shop.

The Black Sheep Brewery Tour. Masham – very good tour with bar & restaurant and next door to the highly rated White Bear Pub.

Wensleydale Railway. Leyburn to Scruton with 1900’s heritage diesel trains and recreated historic stations.

Kilnsey Park (Wharfedale) Fishing Lake. With café - for beginners to experienced fishers.

Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park. Award-winning gardens near Grewelthorpe, Masham (18 miles).

Hackfall. Masham – wooded river gorge with winding paths and a collection of 18th-century follies. Noted for its bluebells in spring.

Things for Children

The Forbidden Corner, Coverdale. A folly garden designed for children. The Estate also contains the excellent Saddle Room & White Goose restaurants.

Adventure Playground, Carlton, Coverdale. Behind the Village Hall.

For Dogs

The Dales can be a challenging place if you want to walk your dog off lead…so much to chase!!! However, locals often walk the Middleham Gallops (park at Pinkers Pond on Coverdale main road) as there are some areas where dogs are allowed off lead.

The walk along the river Ure (park at the layby by the Bridge before Wensley) is also very popular for local walkers as apart from a potential paddle in the river, you are less likely to encounter sheep and ground nesting birds.