Richmond Castle © Si Homfray
Shows and walking events Wensleydale Show August
Wensleydale Agricultural Show is a tradiotional Dales show, located close to Leyburn in the heart of Wensleydale. there is an extensive range of competitive events for livestock plus horticultural and handicraft classes.
Muker Show
First Wednesday in September Muker is a small, friendly, traditional agriculture and horticultural show blessed with an enviable location, the meadows in Muker village with stunning views up and down the dale.
Discover the Turner Trails JMW Turner RA (1775-1851) was one of Britain's greatest landscape painters, watercolourists and printmakers. Renowned as 'the painter of light', Turner's work helped to place romantic landscape painting on a par with history painting in the 19th Century and helped plant the seeds of impressionism. Turner first visited Yorkshire in 1797 and returned here throughout his life, inspired by the spirituality he found in its glorious landscapes. He visited more than 70 places sketching and painting the views from so many angles. Many scenes in his Yorkshire works are in Richmondshire and can still be viewed today. Middleham impressed Turner more than any other site in Yorkshire, if his number of sketches is an indication. He made more than dozen in a small notebook and four more considered sketches Middleham Castle in a larger sketchbook. Turner captured many great locations in the area including Richmond Castle, The Kings Head Hotel in Richmond and Leyburn Market Place. To find out more about these sites and others in the area go to yorkshire.com/turner
Black Sheep Boots & Beer Festival September
A weekend of great walks, beautiful countryside, fantastic beer and excellent entertainment.
Reeth Show September
Includes The Great Fremington Edge Fell Race, a fixture of the national fell race runs every year.
Richmond Walking & Book Festival September
Enjoy guided walks through Swaledale and Wensleydale with knowledgable guides. The festival offers walks to suit all abilities from 5-13 miles each day. There are also themed walks, town walks and even self-guided walks plus ghost walks, woodland strolls and Walking For Health - with a variety of day and evening events when you're not on your feet! www.booksandboots.org For information about other events in the Dales visit www.eventsinthedales.org
For other events in the area and to find out more, go to yorkshire.com/events
CYCLING
Amazing Biking Experiences...
Cycling in Richmondshire is not particularly easy as there are inevitably some hills! However, if it wasn’t for the hills, we wouldn’t have the breath taking scenery. There are many fantastic classic mountain bike rides around Richmondshire, taking advantage of the big network of bridleways. Starting in Reeth you can embark on a tour of Swaledale, the highlight being the two rocky descents from Fremington Edge and then into Gunnerside Gill. If road cycling is your thing then don’t miss going over Buttertubs Pass into Swaledale or enjoy the quiet back roads from Reeth to Langthwaite, the river bridge being the introduction of All Creatures Great and Small. For more information on routes visit www.cyclethedales.org.uk and www.mtbthedales.org.uk Perfect biking bases • Dales Mountain Biking/ Dales Mountain Bike Centre, Fremington, Reeth – legendary cakes in the café, perfect after a day out on the hills, they also offer mountain bike guiding, a very high quality bunk barn, and also cycle hire. • Hit the Hills – MTB weekends in the Dales with a difference For walks, cycle ideas and travel information go to www.yorkshire.com/travel National Cycle Network routes www.sustrans.org.uk
Discover our cycling events Etape du Dales Cycle Ride May
Annual cyclosportive, regularly features in the Top 10 of UK rides. The event starts and finishes in Grassington and the route includes Buttertubs Pass and Tan Hill.
Richmond Cyclosportives May
These are challenging rides with plenty of hills. The 5 Dales version is 100 miles with 6 major ascents, including Fleet Moss and Tan Hill.
Nutcracker XC Series
Yorkshire Dales, various dates The north's very own mountain bike series including a Swaledale Round from Dales Mountain Bike Centre. Includes 'just for fun' categories as well as races for the very serious.
For more information about cycling go to www.yorkshire.com/cycle
Walking
Discover the best walking... For those who fancy stretching their legs, the options are truly breathtaking. You'll find miles and miles of charming country lanes, unspoilt villages, lush valleys, archaeological sites, and wildflower meadows. Yorkshire's varied landscape offers variety and activities for all abilities of walker. If you're not in the mood for a long distance walk, you can enjoy shorter snatches of the long distance paths at your own pace. Or, just make your own exploration wherever and whenever you feel like it. If you’re in Swaledale, take a walk along the traditional hay meadows around Muker from May to June, and Keld (on the Pennine Way too); ramble along the Old Corpse Road bridleway running between Keld and Muker or enjoy the isolation of Kisdon Fell and a trek through Upper Swaledale that can finish with the waterfalls around Keld, (Kisdon Force, East Gill Force, Catrake Force and Wain Wath Force). At three out of four corners of the fell are the quintessential Dales villages of Thwaite, Keld and Muker. Go for a gentle riverside walk in Reeth and climb up to Maiden Castle, the best preserved hill fort in Yorkshire, or walk around Gunnerside Gill for lead mining remains (or the fellside of Great Pinseat and nearby Hard Level Gill). If you like a patchwork landscape criss-crossed by dry stone walls, Lower Wensleydale is for you, offering easy walks along the River Ure or more demanding hikes along the shoulder of Leyburn Shawl, there really are routes to suit all abilities. Some of the best family routes are at Aysgarth Falls taking in a series of breathtaking waterfalls and the gem of a walk to Mill Gill Force and Whitfield Gill Force from Askrigg. If you’re after a faster pace, fell running and fell running races are popular and have a long history in the Dales.
Longer distance paths that pass through Richmondshire A Dales High Way is an exhilarating and challenging 90 miles of high level walking, beginning in the World Heritage village of Saltaire, before crossing the glorious high country of the Yorkshire Dales. The route covers some of the most beautiful and varied scenery in the Dales. There are printed short walks for Wensleydale available to purchase from Leyburn TIC.
Richmondshire
Great Outdoors Trail
Also in the area... • Wainwright’s Coast to Coast • The Inn Way to the Yorkshire Dales - top section passes through Swaledale • A Pennine Highway – the rediscovered Wainwright route travels through Swaledale Walking providers/places to visit: • Where2Walk provide walking holidays, guiding and navigation instruction plus lots of walk ideas. where2walk.co.uk • TeamWalking provide navigation courses from Reeth. www.teamwalking.co.uk • River Mountain Experience provide private instruction and guiding for Hillwalking skills, Paddle Sport and Nordic Walking. rivermountainexperience.com Look out for the Walkers are Welcome logo on route to stop off and enjoy something delicious.
/ / Day and long-distance cycle rides and walks, discovering rugged valleys, mountain streams and rolling fellside fields and much more
Produced in association with:
RICHMONDSHIRE
With miles of hills, moorland, and mountains to explore, and few modern distractions, you can walk, cycle or ride, and tour to your heart’s content. Stroll in any direction and you'll find fields of native wild flowers, waterfalls, grouse and hares, curlews and lapwings. When night draws in, head for the scenic stone villages of Reeth, Grinton, Low Row and Gunnerside or venture further up the dale to Muker, Thwaite or Keld and spend a relaxing hour in a traditional tearoom or a quiet country pub in Leyburn or Hawes.
If you fancy a round of golf, you’re spoilt for choice, with many stunning courses in this area. The courses at Richmond, Masham, Oakdale, Catterick and Romanby offer some of the most picturesque views in Yorkshire, if not the UK.
© www.lower-wensleydale.com
Get a round in
Gary Verity Chief Executive, Welcome to Yorkshire
Essential Information
Grab your tackle and take your pick from loads of freshwater options teeming with fish. The Yorkshire Dales boasts some of the finest fishing in the country across rivers, lakes reservoirs and ponds. www.yorkshire-dales-flyfishing.com
KIRKBY STEPHEN B6270
Painting
TO M6
HAWES
The Yorkshire Dales have miles and miles of fabulous bridleways. Wensleydale Trekking in Bainbridge offer trekking as well as riding holidays. www.wensleydaletrekking.co.uk If it’s a riding holiday you’re after, Ride Yorkshire can organise it for you at any location www.rideyorkshire.org
A6186
LEYBURN Leyburn
BEDALE
River Bain
Bedale
TO A1
River Cover
YORKSHIRE DALES
River Ribble Ingleton Falls
Finghall
A684
Semer Water
Leeming Bar
Black Sheep Brewery
Ribblehead Viaduct
A65
Kiplin Hall
A6108
WENSLEYDALE RAILWAY
KIRKBY LONSDALE
MASHAM
A6108
RIBBLESDALE
How Stean Gorge LITTONDALE WHARFEDALE HORTON
IN RIBBLESDALE
Upper Wharfedale Museum
GRASSINGTON
SETTLE
Visitor Information Centre Wensleydale Railway
Look for the leaf when booking your holiday. The Green Tourism Business Scheme awards are places to stay and visit that are taking action to support the local area and the wider environment.
RIPON NIDDERDALE River Nidd
Fountains Abbey
For detailed maps use Ordnance Survey Explorer maps: •O L2 Yorkshire Dales Southern and Western Area •O L30 Yorkshire Dales Northern and Central Area
Brimham Rocks
• 304 Darlington and Richmond
MALHAM
KEY:
Look for the Cyclists Welcome or Walkers Welcome logo when booking which tells you that the accommodation has extra facilities, like water points for washing bikes and lockable storage areas for cyclists and space for drying outdoor clothes and cleaning boots for walkers.
Ordnance Survey Explorer maps
INGLETON
White Scar Caves
Railway Routes
Riding
RICHMOND
Swaledale Woollens
River Ure
A683
Birdwatching Oakdale Golf Course
Richmond Castle
Redmire
A684
For your perfect break, you’ll find a great choice of places to stay to suit all budgets. From selfcatering cottages and cosy bed & breakfasts to camping spots by secluded rivers or even a wigwam, you’re certain to find everything that you need.
Swaledale Folk Mueum
WENSLEYDALE
SEDBERGH
If you’ve got your own sailing boat or windsurfer and are looking for a great day out on the water, then try Lake Semerwater, the largest glacial lake in North Yorkshire. Set amongst the high and imposing hills of the Dales, and with easy access to the lake from the large car park, it’s the perfect spot for enthusiasts.
Wensleydale is known as ‘the valley of the waterfalls’, and is a year round delight nowhere more so than Cotter Force, a secluded waterfall in a wooded setting. Look out for dippers, grey wagtails, redstarts, long tailed tits and kingfishers. The trail to it has a 490m level footpath alongside the beck suitable for wheelchairs.
N
River Swale
SWALEDALE
A653
Where better to develop your painting skills than in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park. Generations of painters have gathered here to make use of the extraordinary light and atmosphere of the Dales’ rolling countryside. You also can be captivated by some of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes in North Yorkshire.
Watersports
To book your tee off time go to yorkshire.com/golf
A perfect place for relaxation...
Fishing
Snaizeholme Red Squirrel Trail
© Arklemoor Riding Centre
A
t the northern tip of the Yorkshire Dales the unspoilt valley of Swaledale winds its way north west into the northern Pennines alongside the gentle, rolling woodland and hills of Wensleydale. Famous for its wildflower meadows, heather moors and waterfalls, the region is also home to some of Yorkshire's best walking and cycling. When it comes to peace, tranquillity and natural beauty, few locations offer more.
© www.swaledalewoollens.co.uk
A warm Yorkshire welcome...
River Wharfe Ripley Castle
HARROGATE
A65
SKIPTON
For walks, cycle ideas and travel information go to www.yorkshire.com/travel National Cycle Network routes www.sustrans.org.uk For more information on the local area go to: www.swaledale.net www.lower-wensleydale.com
A Roads
www.eventsinthedales.org
National Parks
www.richmond.org www.wensleydale.org
To plan your next break and where to stay, go to yorkshire.com/accommodation