Things to do
Love breathtaking scenery, outdoor activities, wildlife watching, heritage and culture, fabulous food and shopping for something special, How Stean Gorge is the perfect base for exploring the Yorkshire Dales.
Natural Wonders
The Yorkshire Dales are brimming with natural wonders such as the unusual shapes of Brimham Rocks, the underground caverns of Stump Cross and the limestone formation of Malham Cove and Malham Tarn.
Fabulous Food & Drink
Pateley Bridge and Masham are traditional Yorkshire market towns strewn with highly acclaimed shops selling award winning pork pies and sausages, groceries, ice cream and wine. Pateley Bridge is also home to England’s Oldest Sweet Shop, where you can recapture childhood memories. Glass jars fill the shop selling every sweet you can imagine. Mackenzies and Bleikers Smokehouses are worth a visit if you love the flavour of smoked meat and fish. Taste real ale at Black Sheep or Theakston’s Brewery Visitor Centres in Masham. There’s more and more Farm Shop’s to see on your travels, as farmers sell their meats and produce direct to the customer!
After dark, choose from a selection of award-winning restaurants, tasty tearooms or cosy, fire lit pubs.
Heritage & Culture
Real gems are only minutes away. Admire 600 years of Ingilby family history at Ripley Castle and marvel at the National Trust’s World Heritage Site Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Gardens. Take a train on the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway or visit RHS Harlow Carr and see gardens through time. Visit the award winning Nidderdale Museum to see life in the Dales over the centuries and pop in to see glassblowers at work in the King Street Workshops.
Walking/Mountain Biking
Put on your walking boots and delve into untainted countryside or take your mountain bike and go off road! Dawdle, stroll or hike – go at your own pace. Follow old drover routes and green lanes across undulating moorland and lush green valleys. There’s miles of way marked footpaths and trails through some of the best scenery in Britain. How Stean Gorge lies next to the Nidderdale Way, a 53 mile circular route which leads you through the highlights of this spectacular landscape. Scar House, Angram and Gouthwaite Reservoirs as well as Great and Little Whernside are nearby landmarks and are a real test for ambitious walkers.
Wildlife Watching
Upper Nidderdale is home to red grouse, plovers, curlews, oyster catchers and lapwing. Raptors such as red kite may also be spotted soaring high. Gouthwaite Reservoir (SSSI) is a renowned bird sanctuary and recommended location to spot waders and wildfowl and has an excellent viewing area. The heather clad moorland is also a haven for redshank and snipe and good for spotting raptors.
Retail therapy
Typical Yorkshire market towns such as Pateley Bridge, Masham, Grassington and Skipton are full of art galleries, craft shops and antiques. The elegant spa town of Harrogate has a healthy mix of high street and individual boutique shops.
Horseriding
Local stables at Bewerley and Masham organise hacks for visitors.
Swimming
Recently opened, Nidderdale Leisure Centre has an indoor heated swimming pool. Open 7 days a week. http://www.harrogate.gov.uk/immediacy-1165
Events
From comedy and crafts to music and medieval merriment – there’s an excellent year round events programme in the Yorkshire Dales. Highlights include:
May
Dales Festival of Food and Drink
June
Ripley Castle Grand Summer Sale
Knaresborough Medieval Day
Grassington Festival of Music and Art
July
Nidderdale Festival
Clogfest, Skipton
Great Yorkshire Show
Masham Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally
Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival
August
St Wilfrid’s Procession, Ripon
Ripley Show
Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival
Gaping Gill Winch Meet
September
Nidderdale Show
Masham Sheep Fair
Black Sheep Boots and Beer Walking Festival
Richmond Walking and Book Festival
October
Countryside Live!
December
Knaresborough Christmas Fair
Grassington Dickensian Festival
Pateley Bridge Late night Shopping
Skipton Yuletide Festival
Masham Victorian Fair
Ripon Cathedral Watchnight Service
Visit www.yorkshiredalesandharrogate.com for more information.
