The Yorkshire Dales

Towns & Villages

ARNCLIFFE

Occupying a lonely position in the Dales, Arncliffe, or ‘eagle cliff’, sparked the imagination of Charles Kingsley, inspiring him to pen his famous fantasy ‘The Water Babies’.


The restored 12th century church stands by a bridge over the river Skirfare and nearby are the more remote villages of Litton and Halton Gill. The TV soap opera ‘Emmerdale’ was originally set here, taking its title from ‘Amerdale’, a previous name for Littondale.

Arncliffe - Photo: Gordon Hatton CCL

ASKRIGG

Askrigg - Photo: Gordon Hatton CCL

Just over 20 miles from Richmond in picturesque Wensleydale, the market town of Askrigg (or ash ridge) is famous as the setting for the much-loved television series ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ about a fictitious country vet, James Herriott.
 

The series was based on the novels of a real-life veterinary surgeon, Alf Wright, who worked in Thirsk.






Cringley House doubled as Herriott’s home in the BBC series.






Beyond lies internationally important bog and heathland.






A short walk leads to the waterfall of Mill Gill Force.

Gill Force Askrigg -
Photo: Chris Cox CCL

AUSTWICK

Austwick from Oxenber -
Photo: Mike Clarke CCL

Close to the village of Clapham, Austwick sits among some of the finest limestone scenery in North Yorkshire.


Huge grit boulders brought here by a glacier over 12,000 years ago now stand on stone pedestals.


Thanks to an old legend, the village is known as ‘Cuckoo Town’ and models of the bird can be seen each year at an annual outdoor market.
 

AYSGARTH

A short journey from this pretty village takes the visitor to one of the most remarkable attractions in the Dales – Aysgarth Falls on the River Ure in Wensleydale.



Three beautiful waterfalls are set within magnificent woodland, a scene immortalised for the cinema by Kevin Costner in his movie ‘Robin Hood Prince of Thieves’.

Aysgarth Upper Falls -
Photo: Edward Nicholl CCL

Bolton Castle near Aysgarth -
Photo: Steve Partridge CCL

The remains of 14th century Castle Bolton lie nearby.







Mary Queen of Scots was held captive in the castle for six months.
 

BAINBRIDGE

Steeped in history, the village of Bainbridge once stood at the heart of the immense Forest of Wensleydale and a hunting horn is still blown each evening as part of a 700-year tradition to guide travellers to safety.

River Bain Bainbridge -
Photo: Hugh Mortimer CCL

Stocks in Bainbridge -
Photo: Chris Heaton CCL

Although a set of stocks await those who might transgress such hospitality.







Nearby Brough Hill was once crowned with a Roman fort.
 

BEDALE

History abounds in this small town which has had a market since the 13th century.





The local church, which also dates back to the 13th century, is one of the finest in North Yorkshire.

St. Gregory's Church Bedale -
Photo: Bill Henderson CCL

Cross & Castle Snape Bedale -
Photo: Gordon Hatton CCL

Snape Castle has medieval origins and was once home to Catherine Parr, the last wife of Henry V111.






Nearby is Crakehall Watermill and the glorious, 85-acre Thorp Perrow Aboretum.
 

BOLTON ABBEY

The beautiful ruins of 12th century Bolton Abbey mix with waterfalls and meadows to provide an atmospheric setting, which inspired the great 19th century artist Turner to capture it on canvas.


The nave of the priory has been turned into the parish church while the grounds are part of a magnificent estate owned by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

Bolton Abbey ruins -
Photo: David Bennbennick CCL

Barden Tower Bolton Abbey -
Photo: rozinante CCL

Wordsworth based his poem ‘The White Doe of Rylstone’ (1815) on a local legend.






Two miles from the village is the ruin of 15th century Barden Tower above an old humpbacked bridge.
 

BUCKDEN

This Wharfedale village, which lies at the entrance to Langstrothdale, started life as a group of humble huts used by foresters to help them control a wildwood forest on behalf of their Norman employers.

Buck Inn Buckden -
Photo: Andy Beecroft CCL

Sheep on Buckden Out Moor -
Photo: Alex Cameron CCL

But in the 18th century it suddenly prospered thanks to lead mining.





It still looks splendid and its many natural attractions include Buckden Pike, which soars to more than 2000ft.
 

BURNSALL

Often described as the prettiest village in the whole of England, Burnsall lies on the banks of the River Wharfe beneath Barden Moor.














Nearby are cultivated terraces created over 1,000 years ago.

 

St. Wilfrid's Church Burnsall -
Photo: Stephen Craven CCL

Burnsall Bridge - Photo: John Illingworth CCL

St Wilfrid’s Church dates from the 12th century and Burnsall Bridge - restored by the philanthropist Sir William Craven in the 16th century - is one of the most beautiful bridges in the Dales.
 

CATTERICK

This delightful town with its tinkling brook and pretty church is best known for its military camp established before the First World War at the suggestion of Lord Baden-Powell.

Catterick Village - Photo: Oliver Dixon CCL

St. Annes Church Catterick -
Photo: Alison Stamp CCL

Nearby are the remains of another army camp – the Roman’s Cataractonium, proving it had previously witnessed war.






Indeed, during the 7th century a band of British warriors were decimated at the Battle of Catterick by Anglo-Saxons.
 

CLAPHAM

A picturesque stream runs amiably through this small village, adding a bygone quality to an already-charming destination.




The Old Manor House dates to 1701 but was transformed during the 19th century into a recreation centre for local people.
 

Clapham Manor House -
Photo: John Illingworth CCL

Sword of Damocles Ingleborough Cave Clapham - Photo: Val Vannet CCL

From Clapham a path leads to Ingleborough Hall and reaches Ingleborough Cave with its spectacular passageways.


A mile further on is Gaping Gill, the outlet of this cave system and North Yorkshire’s most dramatic pothole.
 

Gaping Gill Clapham - Photo: Bob Smith CCL

The area used to be part of an Iron Age kingdom known as Brigantia.
 

EMBSAY

Embsay Station -
Photo: Richard Thomson CCL

A railway station in this small village is the location of the famous Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, which was originally opened in 1888 to link Skipton and Ilkley.




Trains run on the four-and-a- half-mile track to Bolton Abbey.
 

An Augustinian priory was founded here in 1130 but the monks soon moved to Bolton Priory.





Nearby is rugged Embsay Crag and Embsay Moor.

Embsay Crag - Photo: Chris Heaton CCL

GRASSINGTON

Grassington -
Photo: Dr. Neil Clifton CCL

This is the premier village in Upper Wharfedale and one of the National Park’s tourist hotspots.














Although it was once a key centre for lead mining it has retained a bucolic charm and boasts a medieval bridge spanning the river and a cobbled market square.
 

Grassington Moor possesses fascinating reminders of the lead mining industry while Lea Green has prehistoric and medieval field systems as well as other features.






The village is also home to the Upper Wharfedale Folk Museum.

Grassington Bridge - Photo: Chris Heaton CCL

GREENHOW

Stump Cross Caverns Greenhow -
Photo: Paul Allison CCL

Visitors flock here to see one of the biggest attractions of the Dales, the 500,000-year-old Stump Cross Caverns and their wondrous collections of stalagmites and stalactites.




A visitor centre displays many remains of animals that have been found here.
 

GRINTON

With an intriguing Norman church and an old three-arched bridge, this Dales village is within walking distance of majestic views over the rolling hills of picturesque Swaledale.

Grinton The Church of St. Augustine -
Photo: Bill Henderson CCL

Marrick Priory near Grinton -
Photo: Ken Crosby CCL

During the Middle Ages the dead were brought in wicker biers to Grinton from all parts of the dale to be laid to rest at its large church known as the ‘Cathedral of the Dales’.



Nearby stands the ruin of 12th century Marrick Priory, a former house for Benedictine nuns.
 

HAWES

At 800 feet above sea level, Hawes is the highest market town in Yorkshire and Upper Wensleydale’s most important settlement.



Noted for its regular sales of sheep and cattle, the town is surrounded by dramatic limestone fells and at one time was a key centre for both lead mining and limestone quarrying.

Hawes  - Photo: Richard Slessor CCL

Hawes - Photo: Ken Walton CCL

In the 21st century it is more famous for the manufacture of crumbly Wensleydale cheese - the favourite snack of those comic northern characters Wallace and Gromitt.

Exhibitions at the Dales Countryside Museum are genuine crowd-pleasers and not far from here is the delicate Cotter Force waterfall.

 

Cotter Force Hawes -
Photo: Stephen Charles CCL

HORTON-IN-RIBBLESDALE

Horton-in-Ribblesdale Station -
Photo: Wilson Adams CCL

Although the remains of old quarry workings dot the sides of nearby fells, this village is one of the most inspiring in the Dales.
 

It lies beside the famous Settle-Carlisle railway line and is overshadowed by the so-called Three Peaks of Whernside, Pen-y Ghent and Ingleborough while huge potholes such as Hunt Pot and Hull Pot lurk menacingly beneath the landscape.



It’s no wonder that geologists are drawn here to study local rock formations.

 

Pen-y-Ghent Horton-in-Ribblesdale -
 Photo: Michael Parry CCL

Ribblehead Viaduct Horton-in-Ribblesdale - Photo: Richard Slessor CCL

One of the biggest local attractions, however, is man made - the spectacular Ribblehead Viaduct has 24 arches and rises more than 160 feet.

HUBBERHOLME

This small village with its National Trust museum nestles in Upper Wharfedale at the entrance to Langstrothdale and boasts a small church with a rare medieval rood screen.
 

St. Michael & All Angels Church Hubberholme -
 Photo: Chris Eccleston CCL

A nosey sheep near Hubberholme -
Photo: Steve Partridge CCL

Above and beyond the village are a handful of summits topping 2,000ft, including the great Buckden Pike.



Each year a local pub plays host to the ‘Hubberholme Parliament’ where the vicar auctions grazing rights for a 16-acre field as part of a tradition dating back to the 11th century.

INGLETON

A hugely popular tourist haunt, Ingleton lies close to the distinctive glacial valley known as Ingleborough Hill.





An astonishing limestone terrace sits at the summit of the Hill and just below it is Gaping Gill, a limestone cave so large it could easily accommodate York Minster.

Ingleton - Photo: Ben Gamble CCL

Gaping Gill Ingleton -
Photo: Steve Partridge CCL

Water cascades 365 feet to the floor below.





Nearby is Britain’s longest show cave, White Scar, replete with waterfalls, stalagmites and stalactites.

KELD

The highest village in Swaledale, Keld has a glorious history dating back at least to the Viking invasions.




It is surrounded by steep and mysterious fells and was an important centre for lead mining in the 19th century.

Keld - Photo: Carl Bendelow CCL

Kisdon Force near Keld -
Photo: Gordon Hatton CCL

A rambler’s paradise, Keld is where the Pennine Way crosses the Coast to Coast footpath.













Nearby are limestone cliffs and a number of waterfalls, including Kisdon Force, Wain Wrath Force and Catrake Force.

KETTLEWELL

Although this typically pretty village in Upper Wharfedale owes its name to the Anglo Saxons, its long history dates back at least to the Dark Ages.

Kettlewell - Photo: Philip Hailling CCL

Scarecrow garage Kettlewell -
Photo: M Campbell CCL

In 1997 a skeleton unearthed by workmen was found to be that of a woman who had died here 1,400 years earlier.




In more recent times the village was noted for lead mining.




To reach it visitors have to cross an old stone bridge.




Looking down on the proceedings are the peaks of Great Whernside and Buckden Pike.

KILNSEY

A pony trekking centre, a working trout farm and plenty of opportunities for rock climbing are good reasons why lots of people flock each year to this Wharfedale village which features strongly in the 2003 movie ‘Calendar Girls’, based on the true story of a group of local Women’s Institute members who star in a nude calendar for charity.

Kilnsey - Photo: Ray Woodcraft CCL

Kilnsey Crag - Photo: Lynne Glazzard CCL

Beyond the village is the famous Kilnsey Crag, a dramatic overhanging limestone cliff.

KIRKBY STEPHEN

Although this village is in Cumbria it lies at the foot of Mallerstang, partly in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.


Local people call their impressive Church of St Stephen the ‘Cathedral of the Dales’ and one of its most notable possessions is the Loki Stone, a 10th century cross shaft carved with images of a Norse God - one of only two examples of its kind in Europe.

Franks Bridge Kirkby Stephen -
Photo: Tom Pennington CCL

Pendragon Castle Kirkby Stephen -
Photo: David Medcalf CCL

Nearby Pendragon Castle dates from the 12th century, taking its name from King Arthur’s father Uther Pendragon.

LANGTHWAITE

Although it was once a thrusting lead mining centre, this fascinating village in picturesque Arkengarthdale seems to exist in a sea of calm, which is no doubt why it has featured in movies and television programmes, including the classic James Herriott series ‘All Creatures Great and Small’.














Pony trekking is an important and popular local pastime.

Langthwaite - Photo: Gordon Hatton CCL

LEYBURN

Leyburn - Photo: Colin Smith CCL

Lying at the very heart of Wensleydale, this small market town is linked to the town of Middleham over the River Ure by an iron bridge built with the aid of public subscription in the mid 19th century.

Leyburn Shawl is a terrace providing spectacular views and nearby is 14th century Bolton Castle, built by the wealthy Norman aristocrat Sir Richard Scrope as a home rather than a fortification.



Wensleydale takes on a new perspective when seen from the top of its high turrets.

Leyburn Shaw - Photo: Chris Heaton CCL

MALHAM

Malham Cove - Photo: John S Turner CCL

This superb village near Skipton lies in the midst of some of North Yorkshire’s most rugged scenery, the result of an Ice Age glacier interacting with natural limestone.

Here are the impressive cliffs of Malham Cove - a vast limestone amphitheatre - and a huge limestone ‘pavement’ caused by the eroding action of acid rain.





Nearby Malham Moor and the nature reserve of Malham Tarn are unmissable natural wonders while the twisted gorge of Gordale Scar and the pretty waterfall of Janet’s Foss must not be overlooked.

Janet's Foss near Malham -
Photo: Martin Rankin CCL

MASHAM

River Ure & Upbank Wood Masham -
Photo: Les Hull CCL

This old market town above the River Ure sits on the very edge of the Yorkshire Dales and is famed for its beer, being home since 1827 to Theakston Brewery, makers of such powerful delicacies as ‘Old Peculiar’, and of the more recent Black Sheep Brewery.

Nearby are the evocative ruins of Jervaulx Abbey, founded in 1156 by the Savigny monks, where Wensleydale cheese was originally produced.





It was eventually destroyed during the reign of Henry Vlll.

Jervaulx Abbey near Masham -
Photo: Mike Wallis CCL

MIDDLEHAM

Middleham Castle - Photo: Lisa Batty CCL

The impressive ruins of Middleham Castle boast one of the largest keeps in England.







It was the childhood home of Richard lll who turned it into his principal northern fortification.







His son Edward died in the castle in the late 15th century.

Ulshaw Bridge, built in 1674, is one of Wensleydale’s most beautiful man-made structures.

Ulshaw Bridge - Photo: Chris Heaton CCL

MUKER

Spider near Usha Gap Mucker -
Photo: Mick Garratt CCL

A one-time Viking stronghold, Muker is largely unspoiled and has flower-rich hay meadows of international importance.



A former lead-mining centre, it has pretty stone cottages and visibly celebrates the lives of two of its ‘sons’, Richard and Cherry Kearton, who became early pioneers of wildlife photography.

The local church started life as a 16th century chapel and used to receive the dead on wicker biers after they had been carried 12 miles along the so-called ‘Corpse Way’.















The humpback Ivelet Packhorse Bridge is probably the finest of all Swaledale’s river bridges.

St. Mary's Church Muker -
Photo: Bill Henderson CCL

PATELEY BRIDGE

Stean Gorge near Pateley Bridge -
Photo: Tim CCL

This Dales’ town is home to the award-winning Nidderdale Museum whose exhibits include a bygone cobbler’s shop and general store.













Nearby is the bird sanctuary of Gouthwaite Reservoir while Stean Gorge is known as ‘Little Switzerland’ thanks to its dramatic scenery.

Here is Tom Taylor’s Cave and an underground walk.















Stump Cross Caverns are a short journey away, as are the surreal rock formations known as Brimham Rocks.

Idol Rock Brimham Rocks Pateley Bridge -
Photo: Penny Mayes CCL

REETH

Former mine buildings Reeth -
Photo: Mick Garratt CCL

In the 19th century this pretty Swaledale village dominated by an unusually large, sloping green was an important centre of the lead mining industry.

Reeth Photo: John Spivey CCL

In a small shelter near the green local people meet each year to stage a special parliament where they are allowed to give vent to their opinions.






St. Andrew’s Church is one of several ecclesiastical buildings known as the ‘cathedral of the Dales’.





It was built by monks who came from Bridlington in the 12th century.

 

Reeth Congregational Church -
Photo: Bill Henderson CCL

RICHMOND

Richmond Market Place -
Photo: Phil Smith CCL

This attractive market town on the River Swale has one of the oldest theatres still in use in England but is dominated by a castle dating back to 1071.


The Scottish king William the Lion was held here after being captured at Alnwick in 1174.


Legend has it that secret tunnels lurk beneath the castle and one story even claims that King Arthur and his knights are buried here.

The artist JMW Turner painted the town several times and the writer Lewis Carroll studied at the local grammar school in the mid-19th century.



Today the town’s medieval church houses the Green Howards’ regimental museum while Richmondshire Museum has a scale model of the town’s old railway station and a set of vet James Herriott’s surgery from the TV series ‘All Creatures Great and Small’.

Richmond Castle - Photo: DS Pugh CCL

RIPON

Hornblast in Ripon -
Photo: Phil Catterall CCL

Ripon’s market square forms a hub for a series of narrow, winding streets and from a central obelisk a horn is sounded at 9pm each evening by an official hornblower known as The Wakeman.





His 13th century house contains a small museum and is one of the town’s most intriguing buildings.





Newby Hall, an 18th century mansion designed by Robert Adam, is one of the finest stately homes in the region.

Fountains Abbey is an awesome ruin and was one of the first foundations to be sold off by Henry Vlll in 1540.

Benedictine monks from York built it in the 12th century after adopting Cistercian rules and turned it into one of the richest communities in England.

The adjacent grounds of Studley Royal were the work of John Aislabe who devoted his life to this magnificent garden following the disastrous South Sea Bubble.

Fountains Abbey Ripon - Photo: Pete Burnett CCL

Ripon Cathedral -
Photo: Tom Pennington CCL

Ripon’s magnificent cathedral started life as a church built by St Wilfrid in the 7th century.





The crypt of this building can still be seen in the 13th century cathedral, which also has 500-year-old woodcarvings and wonderful stained glass windows.

SEDBERGH

The historic Norman market town of Sedbergh has a long tradition of hand-knitting and a public school that dates back as far as 1525.


It is the only village in picturesque Dentdale and lies at a point where four valleys converge.


Dominating the area is Whernside, the highest fell in the National Park, and the spectacular Howgill Fells which, unlike other rocks in the Dales, are smooth and rounded.

The Howgills Sedbergh -
Photo: Charles Rawding CCL

Brigflatts Sedbergh -
Photo: Carl Bendelow CCL

The Quaker George Fox preached in the town in 1652 and his meeting place in nearby Briggflatts is the second oldest Quaker meeting place in England.





Farfield Mill and Heritage Centre is a refurbished woollen mill housing a permanent exhibition about the woollen industry.

SETTLE

The Settle-to-Carlisle railway line takes in some of the most picturesque scenery in Britain, cutting a swathe through the northwest Pennines via Ribblesdale, Mallerstang and the Eden Valley.



Thankfully it is run by a band of dedicated train buffs and while the market town of Settle is a fine place to walk it’s an even better place to ride!

Settle Station - Photo: John Illingworth CCL

The Folly Settle - Photo: John S Turner CCL

Many ancient bones – from those of hippo to elephant – have been found here in local caves and more history can be found at The Folly, a plush residence built in 1679 by a wealthy merchant which now houses The Museum of North Craven Life.

SKIPTON

For centuries an important centre of the wool trade, Skipton was settled by sheep farmers in the 7th century and grew in prosperity once the main Leeds-Liverpool Canal reached Airedale.
 

Skipton Canal - Photo: Kenneth Allen CCL

Skipton Holy Trinity Church -
Photo: Bill Henderson CCL

Today it relies largely on visitors and has much to boast about. Skipton Castle, for example, is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Britain and rears up behind the fine, part-14th century Holy Trinity Church.

Although the castle largely dates to the 14-17th centuries, one Norman gateway has survived.




Among its treasures are a huge banqueting hall, a dungeon and a room decorated with seashells.

Skipton - Photo: John Winterbottom CCL

Parcevall Hall Gardens Skipton -
Photo: John S Turner CCL

Parcevall Hall Gardens, at nearby Skyreholme, offer 16 acres of magnificent hillside scenery as well as superb views of Wharfedale while Craven Museum gives an intimate insight into the natural and social history of the area.

WENSLEY

Once the main settlement in Wensleydale, this sleepy village of greying stone, lying a short distance from Hawes, was the first place in the area to be granted a charter in 1202.




It appears to have flourished until it was hit by the plague 350 years later.

Wensley Church - Photo: Edward Nicholl CCL

Bolton Hall near Wensley -
Photo: Edward Nicholl CCL

The delightful Church of Holy Trinity dates back, in part, to the 13th century and contains a memorial to the wealthy Scrope family who built nearby Bolton Hall in 1678.

WEST BURTON

With one of the largest village greens in England, beautiful West Burton has a sense of bygone serenity and to modern eyes even its pretty stone cottages give the impression of cosy happiness.

West Burton Village Monument -
 Photo: Arnold Price CCL

Cauldron Force West Burton -
Photo: Gordon Hatton CCL

They hide the fact that they were originally built to house the men who led unhealthy and dangerous lives in local lead mines.















A short walk takes the visitor to the village’s main attraction, the majestic Burton Force waterfall.