Yorkshire Dales Attractions

Swaledale and Arkengarthdale are truly special places supporting a rich cultural heritage. Both are located in one of the most beautiful National Parks of the UK – the Yorkshire Dales.

Holiday cottage in Swaledale?

Your cottage holiday in the Yorkshire Dales offers:

• diverse wildlife
• breathtaking scenery
• great pubs
• tearooms
• museums
• local crafts

Holiday amid the rugged beauty and grandeur of Arkengarthdale or the rolling hills and unspoilt woodlands of Swaledale.

Enjoy:

• walking
• cycling
• gentle rambling
• admire the patchwork of fields surrounding Gunnerside
• walk a section of the Pennine Way – and reward yourself with a pint at the The Tan Hill Inn – the highest inn in England
• marvel at the limestone scenery
• fall in love with charming stone-built Yorkshire dales cottages
• walk from Thwaite over Great Shunner Fell, part of the Pennine Way, and treat yourself to a pint at The Green Dragon, in Hardraw, where you can also see the magnificent Hardraw Force waterfall

Why come to Swaledale, Arkengarthdale and Wensleydale?

• Enjoy home-made scones in the charm of tiny Swaledale villages such as Muker or Gunnerside.
• Visit tiny shops selling crafts, paintings and locally-knitted woollen jumpers.
• Time holidays to take in local shows at Reeth and Muker or culture at the Swaledale Festival.
• Visit the bustling little market at Reeth or catch the mobile fish and chip van in Swaledale, both on Fridays.
• Explore the Swaledale Museum at Reeth
• Pop over the hills from Low Row to Arkengarthdale, noticing the picturesque water splash, featured in the TV series “All Creatures Great and Small”.
• Treat yourself to lunch at the CB Inn in Arkengarthdale, or the Punch Bowl at Low Row, both gastropubs, or or a drink at the characterful Red Lion Inn at Langthwaite.
• Barnard Castle, with its magnificent fortress, and Bowes Museum are within easy driving distance.
• Richmond has a magnificent Norman castle, impressive Georgian architecture and the recently refurbished Georgian Theatre Royal, built in 1788.

Attractions in Wensleydale and further afield

• There are a many inns, cafés and shops at nearby Leyburn and Hawes, also home to the famous Wensleydale Creamery and the Ropemakers.
• The Forbidden Corner, at Middleham, is fascinating to both children and adults!
• Enjoy local hospitality at the Dales Festival of Food and Drink.
• If you’re interested in how the local pint reaches your glass, visit the Black Sheep or Theakston’s Breweries at Masham.
• York has a fount of attractions, including the magnificent Minster and Jorvik Viking Museum.
• Ripon is close by, with beautiful Fountains Abbey, stately home Newby Hall and Gardens and Lightwater Valley for the children.
• Skipton has castles and canals – or slip back in time, relaxing on a steam train puffing over the towering viaduct on the Settle to Carlisle Railway.
• Explore the rest of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the Lake District, the North York Moors or even Hadrian’s Wall.

Our local Swaledale knowledge offers you plenty of scope to explore and discover this wonderful part of the UK – with the added reassurance of cosy dales cottages to retreat to at the end of a great day out.

Life in the past

Discover the ancient history of Swaledale and Arkengarthdale. Each community offers a quiet enchantment in a region settled by 10th century Vikings, leaving names like Langthwaite, Gunnerside and Askrigg.

Lead mining played an important role in the Dales – many holiday cottages in the Yorkshire Dales were originally miners’ homes. Visit Old Gang Mine and keep an eye open for thousand-year-old flint arrowheads!