What to see in Wensleydale

The home of sheep, dry stone walls, barns in every field. Vast expanses of space, rough moorland and gentle valleys. Softly spoken people and grand hospitality.

HAWES: At the upper end of Wensleydale sits Hawes. A fine market town though it is really the size of a village. The market place is filled with hustle and bustle on a Tuesday as the market stalls set up shop and the farmers take their animals to the cattle market at the other end of town. Hawes is the home of the most famous and delicious Wensleydale Cheese. You can visit the creamery. There are loads of walks, warm people... call in at the Tourist Information centre when you get to Hawes - it's in the old station yard. It's a really super place, lots of interest and the people are so helpful.

St Margaret's Church

Was the old grain mill Hawes

At the other end of town near the children's' play park (donated by Kit Calvert, a well known local benefactor) is Tom Outhwaite's Rope Makers. Tom no longer makes the ropes but the tradition is still carried on. Once started in an old wooden shed beside a small beck (stream) where kids spent many a happy hour watching Tom spin his magic; the venue is in the same spot but a little more up to date. There is an excellent visitors centre near Tom's in the old station yard.

Typical Wensleydale barn at Hawes


Lane running parallel with the high street - you can see it was made with carts in mind	Friendly locals will stop you for a chat - I think these guys are glued to the bridge at Gayle!

Hawes is on the famous Pennine Way and there are some pleasant walks to be had at Hawes including one to Hardraw Force..

Hardraw Force: Hardraw Force near Hawes is one of the most well-known waterfalls cascading unbroken for more than 100 feet. Alternating strata of limestone shale and sandstone erode and weather at different rates in the Dales, resulting in the characteristic stepped landscapes which are awash with "forces" or waterfalls. On the walk to the falls is an old band stand - brass band concerts have been popular for many years in this venue and generally occur in September. Entry to the force is via the Green Dragon Pub.

Hawdraw Force

BAINBRIDGE: Once a Roman settlement, the lovely Yorkshire Dales village of Bainbridge is spread out around a wandering village green. The Roman fort of Virosidum was once located here.
The old Roman road ascends from the village in a straight line over the top of Dodd Fell
The Great Forest of Wensleydale used to cover the valley. Traces of the forest can still be seen here and there.

Bainbridge Hornblower

The tradition of the Bainbridge horn blower to guide the travellers in from the hills and woods is still continued and the horn is sounded at 10pm every night from 27 September to Shrove Tuesday. The horn hangs in the Rose & Crown which is found by the village green.

Village stocks at Bainbridge

On the centre of Bainbridge's large village green an old set of stocks date from the middle ages. Above the green an old Friends Meeting House occupies a prominent position marking the Quaker tradition in this area.

BOLTON CASTLE: A spectacular mediaeval fortress on the back road to Askrigg. It was built in 1379 for Richard le Scrope, Lord Chancellor of England (to Richard II), 1st Lord Scrope of Bolton. His descendants still own it. There is an immense wealth of history surrounding both the castle and the Scropes.

Oak beams raised more than six centuries ago still support many of the great halls and galleries, walls nine feet thick soar upwards to battlements from which Royalist guards eyed their Parliamentary besiegers during the Civil War. There is an atmosphere which hangs over Bolton Castle which you can't quite put your finger on - perhaps not helped by the people imprisoned there in the past. One of the most famous of its captors was Mary Queen of Scots. She spent six months imprisoned there during 1568/1569, not to mention the macabre - in the dungeon there is a hole carved from solid rock, in which an arm bone was found still manacled to the wall! The well in the courtyard also gives one a feeling of darkness and depth beyond its normal depth. The old loos are still in evidence - in the 14th century Garde-robes (lavatories) were constructed with such sophistication that they were still in use some 500 years later.

Bolton is open to the public daily and is available for functions too. Educational and themed tours are available to groups, but must be organised beforehand. Web

ASKRIGG:Askrigg is an ancient upper dales market town. The main street passes the church which was built in 1240 and added to in the 15th and 16th centuries, replacing an earlier chapel of ease. Outside the church in a cobbled area is the old market cross and bull ring where bulls were once tied for baiting

Askrigg

Made famous as the fictional Darrowby in the James Herriott All Creatures Great & Small television series.

At one time Askrigg was renowned for clock-making and other industries carried out there have included brewing, spinning and dyeing. Listed in the Doomesday Book. Askrigg was granted a market charter in 1587 by Queen Elizabeth I but declined in importance with the coming of the railways to Hawes which of course was sadly closed down in the early 60's.

Aysgarth Falls

Aysgarth Falls: Aysgarth Falls cover almost a one-mile stretch of the River Ure. These spectacular falls are best seen after a decent downpour. There are three different waterfalls, upper, middle and lower falls but the upper falls are a must if you haven't time for the rest

MIDDLEHAM: Noteworthy for its long history, imposing castle and the breeding of racehorses. It once occupied huge political importance being the seat of the powerful Neville family and later King Richard III of England.

Middleham's prominence began shortly after the conquest when it became a Norman stronghold. The first castle was put up by William the Conqueror's nephew Robert Fitzrandolph.

It was here that Richard fell in love and married the Kingmaker's daughter Anne Neville. After Neville was killed at the Battle of Barnet in 1471 Richard married Anne and made the castle his own seat. For information on Richard III see Web It was at Middleham that the Yorkist Kings Edward IV and his brother Richard Duke of York learned to be knights. Play battles are still held from time to time. See the Sealed Knot Web. Middleham's importance declined after the death of Richard III. The castle is generally now in ruins but its walls are still imposing.

In front of the castle in Middleham's cobbled upper market worn carvings on the much weathered Swine Cross are thought to be Richard's emblem of a white boar, once common in the area. It is believed that the cross was built to mark the town's market charter of 1479. You will also find in the Swine Market an old bull ring where bulls were tied for baiting.

On display in the Castle Visitor centre is a replica of the Middleham Jewel, an ornate 15th Century gold pendant that was found in 1985 in a field near Middleham. Sold at the time for over a million pounds the original is now at the Yorkshire Museum in York.

Middleham's Church of St Mary and St Akelda, a local 9th Century Saxon Martyr dates from the 13th Century and was granted collegiate status by Richard III. For more information on Middleham see Web

The name Middleham is synonymous with horses. It is one of the top breeding and training centres in the whole of the country.

Middleham

The breeding of horses in this area was introduced by the monks of Jervaulx Abbey.

White Scar Caves Ingleton: Spectacular colouring in these caves with good examples of stalactites/mites (the mites go up and the tights go down!). Web It's quite an interesting drive from Hawes to Ingleton past the Limestone Pavement. Ingleton has rather a lovely river with long walks beside it.

Swaledale

A very pretty ride is to go into Swaledale via Hawes. Take the Buttertubs Pass (the Buttertubs are huge holes in the ground - the odd sheep land down there and the local fire brigade has to help them out - stop for a look but don't get too close on a windy day, you might get blown in - not unless you want to see the fire brigade in action first-hand!) to Thwaite and Muker (pronounced Mewker), down through Reeth and into Richmond.

Richmond: Richmond is the capital of Swaledale, and many of its houses are from Georgian times. The town has numerous attractions including waterfalls, castle and a maze of winding streets and old buildings.The centre of town is dominated by a large cobbled market place off which runs Frenchgate, a steep and ancient street worth hauling yourself up.

Richmond Castle

Richmond Castle on the river Swale was constructed by one of William I�s most trusted supporters, Alan the Red of Brittany. One of the few Norman castles that never suffered a serious siege, it remains today in a better state of preservation that do most other castles from those times. The castle walls 109 feet high and 11 feet thick form an impressive barrier to attack along the top of the cliffs above the river.

Richmond Castle

Richmond is located about five miles from Scotch Corner, the well known staging point on the A1 in North Yorkshire. This is a very useful point to reach the Lake District on the A66, the Scottish Borders or Northumberland from Piercebridge or continue up the A1 to Northumberland.

The Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond, North Yorkshire, is a magical, Grade 1 listed, living theatre and a treasured part of Britain's national heritage. Web

Bedale

Bedale:

The little town of Bedale was granted its Market Charter by Henry III in 1251. To this day the market is still held in the town centre every Tuesday. Since Saxon times, when the track from Ripon joined the route from Northallerton to Wensleydale, Bedale was - and still is- an important meeting point.

Northallerton: Northallerton is a bustling market town with quite a major position between east and west. north and south. This was not necessarily a good thing since in 1069 the whole area was laid to waste by the armies of William the Conqueror and was still waste at the time of the Domesday Book. It later suffered at the hands of the Scots in the campaign which became the Battle of the Standard in 1138. During the Civil War of 1642 to 1649 the town gave shelter to King Charles I on two occasions whilst the army of the Duke of Cumberland rested there on its march to Scotland during the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.

Ideas for a route: This of course depends on which direction you are coming from but let's start at Ripon or Bedale . A direct drive to Hawes from Ripon or Bedale if you sort of meander will take about one and a half hours - you may meet a few sheep being driven into fields or whatever... Stopping here and there will of course add hours to your journey - only you know how long you have. If you don't have time to stop at attractions you could drive straight to Hawes, over the moors to Swaledale and then into Richmond or back to Ripon or Bedale. This could easily be done in a day.

Middleham to Leyburn to Aysgarth Falls via Wensley (pretty little village, blink and you're through). The falls could take a couple of hours if you do a walk by the river. Then onto Bolton Castle - take the Carperby road at the Falls then take the Askgrigg road. Bolton Castle is on this road. Then down to Askrigg where the film All Creatures Great & Small - a James Herriot classic, was filmed. About 3 miles down the Dale will take you to Bainbridge and a further five miles to Hawes. If it has taken you a while to get here and you feel you have hardly seen anything then you could 'wing it' - ie go to the Tourist Information in the Station Yard and book a nice local B&B to get the local flavour. Cotterdale will take a couple of hours though it's not far from Hawes - its amazing how time flies. On the way back to Hawes take a left turn about half a mile before Apperset which will take you to Hardraw Force, the unbroken 100ft waterfall. Have a lemonade at the Green Dragon then leave taking the Hawes road, after half a mile turn left and up over the moors to Swaledale past the Butter Tubs (large hotels in the ground) through Thwaite, Muker and Reeth - a very pretty ride to Richmond. Richmond is quite a good stopping point if you're heading north or looking for the A66 to take you to the Lake District.

If you're going to the Lake District after Hawes and feel you've 'done the Dales' then you could go via Ingleton and see the White Scar Caves on your way. Another good route is to take the Sedbergh road out of Hawes. The road is not particularly wide but it's fun. You'll pass the Moorcock Inn on the way where sheepdog trials are held.

If you want to do the North Yorkshire Wolds/Moors after the Dales then Northallerton is a good stopping off place.

Short of time?...........If you want to get an early start and are short of time and only want to have a 'quick stare' at the Dales then maybe you should stay at West Witton or Leyburn on the Hawes road so you're sort of at the gateway to the Dales first thing. You could go straight to Aysgarth Falls then to Bainbridge, Askrigg then Hawes (maybe having time to see Hardraw waterfall) and leave via Hawes if you're going north or north west (Lake District or Scotland) or even south if you're going through Skipton.