To get me back into the habit of blogging, I thought I’d return to the blog’s roots (and my own roots), with a good old travel blog. This time, not quite as far flung as some of the previous locations, but somewhere equally as stunning… the beautiful Yorkshire Dales!
We spent three nights glamping at Wharfe Camp, 5 minutes outside of the quintessential Dales vilage of Kettlewell. Best known as a filming location for the Calendar Girls, it boasts picturesque stone buildings, dry stone walls, cute bridges and, of course, multiple pubs. (I can recommend the DELICIOUS pub grub at the Bluebird Inn, as well as the takeaway pizzas from the Racecourses Hotel.) I’d passed through Kettlewell when walking the Dales Way a few years ago, but didn’t spend much time there, so it was lovely to return and explore. I particularly liked the enchanting churchyard with its limestone labyrinth, the idea being that you can walk through the spiral in silence to calm the mind.
Before spiralling into silence though, we’d joined the crowds at Malham Cove en route to Kettlewell. Dubbed one of the most splendid walks in Yorkshire, the cove is a nearly 80m high curving cliff of white limestone. It’s topped with a limestone pavement, making for a fun walk across the top. Having recently immersed myself in the life and times of William Wordsworth after getting married in (one of) his Lake District houses, I learnt that he was inspired by Yorkshire too. He even penned a poem titled (can you guess?) ‘Malham Cove’, where he describes:
‘…When giants scooped from out the rocky ground,
Tier under tier, this semicirque profound?
O, had this vast theatric structure wound
With finished sweep into a perfect round…’
I could go into more detail about the cove’s formation (apparently a combination of glacial erosion and subsequent waterfall activity…) but I always get a bit lost in geology. I much prefer Wordsworth’s idea of giants scooping out the rocky ground to make a huge ampitheatre, the limestone pebbles above acting as ideal seating. It’s fun to see all the ‘scars’ in the Dales as giant-inflicted wounds, now alive with greenery popping out around the grey limestone. This impression became even stronger at Gordale Scar, our next stop and an equally (if not more) impressive gash in the landscape, this time with a double waterfall inside.
The fairy realm continued at Janet’s Foss — a waterfall tucked into the woods and surrounded by little caves. I always imagined a fairy queen living in a magical woodland would have been called Anastasia, or maybe Princess or Felicity, but here in Yorkshire it’s Good Old Janet.
The three sites combined form a great little 5-mile loop, which is very easy to navigate (in part due to its popularity and the number of fellow walkers you can follow) and took us a few hours with breaks. Malham, although small, has ample parking as a couple of farmers open their fields to cars.
The next day started with a walk over a stone scar on the hillside near Kettlewell (in Wharfedale) to Arncliff (in Littondale), taking us past limestone pasture, heather moor and riverside floodplain. Unlike the crowds at Malham Cove, we passed only a handful of people, despite the church in Arncliff — St Oswald’s, like the one we got married in — being used to film scenes in All Creatures Great and Small. It’s nestled into the slope of a hill, with a stream trickling by and a churchyard full of spring flowers. Arncliff was one of my favourite villages; built around a large village green with a timeless feel. On the return route, the steep riverbanks were alive with swallows nesting (hard to capture on camera despite our best attempts above).
While we were in the area, visiting Bolton Abbey was a must. Despite being advised to visit outside of peak times, we rocked up on Easter Sunday bang on 9am and managed to get the famous stepping stones to ourselves (it was a different story later in the day…). I’d thought that the Abbey was just ruins, so was surprised to see a fully functioning Priory Church preparing for their Easter Service.
The 10km circular walk from the Abbey, along the riverbanks to Barden Bridge and back, was beautiful. A bonus of visiting at Easter was the Easter Bunny/Easter Egg trail along the first stretch of the route up the River Wharfe. We quickly left the crowds behind once the trail ended, and spent the next couple of hours enjoying the peacefulness of Strid woods — birdsong, riverside views and calm. I remembered part of this walk from the Dales Way, so it was a treat to do it without a heavy rucksack this time. We wrapped up the walk with a stop at a tea room overlooking the Abbey’s glorious grounds.
Next up was a stop-off in Grassington, a bustling small market town I remembered loving on the Dales Way. The sun was out by then, and the place was full to the brim with tourists spilling out of roadside pubs and cafés onto the cobbled square. We didn’t spend long in the centre before heading down a walled path to see Linton Falls and the village of Linton. It was busy up to the falls, but after that we wandered through lush green meadows, quiet bridleways and past isolated barns, eventually reaching Linton itself — another village with a large green and accompanying pub. After Grassington it felt good to slip back into the stillness of the countryside again.
On our last day, we drove back via Skipton, known as the ‘Gateway to the Dales’. It’s a much bigger market town, with cobbled streets and a canal running through it. Once a famous mill town, it’s now best-known for its remarkably well-preserved medieval castle. The most striking features were the thick walls and the enchanting courtyard, dominated by a huge yew tree. A raised gangway between a beck and the old castle moat leads you to a Willow Structure that marks the start of Skipton Woods. Looking up, you see the castle perched on a rocky outcrop, much like a smaller version of Edinburgh Castle. What a walk to have on your doorstep if you live in Skipton!
That rounds up a fantastic few days in Yorkshire. Considering it’s so close to the Lakes, it is remarkably different. The landscape feels more rough around the edges and subtly beautiful, with charming villages and a timeless feel. If the Lakes is all stunning photo opportunity after stunning photo opportunity, the Dales is more about vibe and atmosphere. It’s an honest beauty that gets under your skin and leaves you wanting more. It’s also a bit less busy than the Lakes, even in the tourist hotspots, which is always a plus. We’ll definitely be returning soon!
But before you think it’s all sunshine and rainbows, this is Yorkshire after all and they like to call a spade a spade, so…
See you next time!
Laura writes... 