The Yorkshire Dales is best known for its stunning scenery and great natural features but is also home to numerous tourist attractions with things to do for all the family. Click on the links below for more ideas:
Walks from the door – many short and longer possibilities up and down the Cover and across the moors on either side
Other good places for walking – within a short drive are many of the well know peaks of Yorkshire and dales including Wharfedale, Swaledale and Wensleydale.
Pubs and Restaurants – locally we have the Thwaite Arms and the community pub the Forrester’s, and within a short drving distance are a range of pubs and restaurants catering to all tastes and budgets.
Shopping – The thriving market town of Leyburn can supply most food needs and also has a range of interesting shops and cafes
Walks from the door
These are some suggested walks from the door but all can be made longer or shorter – there are maps and guidebooks in the house to help you choose!
1-1.5 hours – down the track and over the humpback bridge – follow the River Cover down to Gammersgill – cross the stepping stones (can be impassable after very heavy rain) – over stile and up an initially steep tree covered bank to another stile – over pasture to Swineside – follow path back to Hindlethwaite (can be done anticlockwise, but difficult to find stile above stepping stones)
2-3 hours – as above, but instead of crossing stepping stones, follow the footpath that tracks the river down to the roadbridge across the river (that links Carlton to West Scrafton) – cross the bridge and take the path that climbs up to Swineside and return to Hindlethwaite (can be done either direction and also extended to The Forrester’s in Carlton for lunch – but do check it is open beforehand!)
3 – 4 hours – Little Whernside – take path to Arkleside and then steep ascent to summit – a variety of ways to return to Hindlethwatie
5-7 hours – down to Horsehouse, take the track that goes up by the old school, over Fleensop moor and down to West Burton – good pub and interesting waterfall – return via Carlton Moor, Gammersgill and back along the Cover.
Other good places for walking
Within half an hour to an hour there is a wide range of walks which can be found in guidebooks or the walks book in the house. Suggestions of some great walking areas include:
From the road to Kettlewell, Great Whernside and Buckden Pike are easily accessible (or they can be combined in one single walk that takes in Kettlewell as well).
Malham Cove has a number of short walks or slightly longer circular walks, e.g. taking in Janets Fosse, Gordale Scar, Malham Tarn and Malham cove
Not too far away are the 3 peaks of Pen Y Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside which can all be tackled individually or in a variety of combinations (can also use the railway for one way walks with a bit of planning).
Major National Trails such as The Pennine Way and The Coast to Coast walk travel nearby and sections such as Shunners Fell and Keld are well worth visiting
A bit further away, Dufton Fell with the spectacular High Cup Nick is something that takes everyone by surprise!
Pubs and Restaurants
Local
The Thwaite Arms, Horsehouse – nearest pub in local village,
about 500yards on footpath across river (take a torch if
you are coming back after dark!) Tel: 01969 640206
Foresters Arms, Carlton – Coverdale’s very own
community run pub Tel: 01969 640272
Short drive away
Blue Lion, East Witton Tel: 01969 624273
George & Dragon, Aysgarth Tel: 01969 663358
The Sandpiper, Leyburn Tel: 01969 622206
The White Swan Hotel, Middleham Tel: 01969 622093
Richard 111 Hotel, Middleham Tel: 01969 623240
Wensleydale Heiffer, West Witton Tel: 01969 622322
Shopping
Leyburn is a thriving market town with an eclectic range of locally based shops with almost everything you could possibly need.
Well worth visiting are:
Serendipity Interiors for gifts, cards, kitchenware and a whole range of interior design selections. Also a tearoom which is open all day.
www.serendipity.co.uk
The Walking Shop – everything you might need for the Yorkshire weather!
www.thewalkingshop.co.uk
Penleys Café – Coffee, speciality teas and cakes as well as breakfast and lunch menus to eat in or takeaway
www.penleys.com
Leyburn Pets – whatever your furry friend might need.
www.leyburnpets.co.uk
Leyburn market – market day is every Friday and on the fourth Saturday of every month the Farmers market comes to town with locally grown and produced foods and crafts
Supermarkets
Co-op – Leyburn 8.00am – 9.00pm……….(10.00am to 4.00pm Sunday) Tel: 01969 622140
Campbells – Leyburn 8.00am – 8.30pm (7.30pm Saturday)…..(10.30am – 4.30pm Sunday) Tel: 01969 622169
One Stop Convenience Store (open every day 7.00am to 11.00pm) Tel: 01969 623982
Tesco Catterick Garrison ( 24 hrs except Sun 10am – 4pm)
Tesco online will deliver to the house and are very reliable
And for other practical needs:
Newsagents – Towlers in the market place in Leyburn or Central Stores in Middleham.
Post Office – in the Co-op open every day except Sunday
Banks – Barclays & HSBC Market Place Leyburn (9.30am – 4.30pm Mon – Fri)
Petrol – Leyburn Filling station –open 7.00am to 9.00pm every day)
Places to visit within about 10 miles by car
The Wensleydale Railway (Leyburn or Redmire station) – A great day out in some of England’s most beautiful countryside
www.wensleydalerail.com
White Rose Candle Workshop, Wensley – See traditional dipping methods in action and choose an amazing range of candles for all sorts of occasions (Close January)
www.whiterosecandles.co.uk
Constable Burton Hall – Palladian villa and formal gardens open to the public from mid-March to mid-September
www.constableburton.com
Middleham Castle – Extensive remains of the once childhood home of Richard III
www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/middleham-castle
The Forbidden Corner – An attraction unlike anywhere that you have been before, ideal for the adventurer s and those young at heart!
www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk
Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival – for 2 weeks every August an amazing range of scarecrows liven up the village with trails and riddles for all the family to solve
www.kettlewellscarecrowfestival.co.uk
Bolton Castle – Spectacular castle in Yorkshire offering fun family days out
www.boltoncastle.co.uk
Jervaulx Abbey – Once a great Cistercian monastery, the Abbey now stands as an enchanting, charming and atmospheric ruin
www.jervaulxabbey.com
Brymor ice cream – visit the parlour and café for all the famous range of ice creams and sorbets as well as the farm shop for traditional Yorkshire cheeses.
www.brymordairy.co.uk
Leyburn Teapottery – see original and witty artisan teapots being made and browse the collection in the factory shop
www.teapottery.co.uk
Leyburn Chocolate Factory – Belgian sourced chocolates made in Yorkshire. Visit the factory to see them being handmade and sample them in the shop
www.thelittlechocolateshop.co.uk
Places a bit further away worth visiting
Malham Cove – magnificent limestone amphitheatre and pavements made famous in the Harry Potter film and home to Peregrine Falcons and Little Owls. Numerous walks take in Janet’s Fosse, Gordale Scar and Malham Tarn.
www.malhamdale.org.uk
Black Sheep Brewery, Masham – take the Brewery tour and visit the bistro and baa..r
www.blacksheepbrewery.com
..Or visit Masham’s other famous Yorkshire brewery and see the iconic Theakston’s ales being created.
www.theakstons.co.uk
Fountains Abbey –This National Trust World Heritage Site includes the evocative ruins of a Medieval monastery and the delightful water gardens of Studley Royal.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fountains-abbey-and-studley-royal-water-garden
Lightwater Valley – theme park in 175 acres of glorious North Yorkshire countryside
www.lightwatervalley.co.uk
Hawes Ropemakers – watch ropes being made in the heart of Herriot country by this traditional ropemaker founded in 1905
www.ropemakers.co.uk
Ingleborough Cave – the premier show cave in the Yorkshire Dales with an awe inspiring range of stunning cave formations
www.ingleboroughcave.co.uk
White Scar Cave – the longest show cave in Britain
www.whitescarcave.co.uk
Aysgarth Falls – see the River Ure tumble over a series of broad limestone steps – picturesque when dry and spectacular when in flood
www.yorkshire-dales.com/aysgarth-falls.html
High Force/Raby Castle – one of the most spectacular waterfalls in England in Teesdale. Combine this with a trip to nearby Raby Castle, one of the best preserved castle’s in the North East
www.highforcewaterfall.com