Yorkshire Dales

Settle might be a good option.

Hi -

I suppose it depends if there’s anything specific you want to see. It’s quite a big area by U.K. standards so different towns would serve some of the area if not all, so it might be sensible to split your time between a couple of places.

In the south try Grassington and nearer towards the Lake District, Ingleton. Malham is nice but is a village as opposed to a town, so nearby Settle might be better if you are looking for more facilities such as offered by a larger ‘town’.

Towards the east Pateley Bridge covers Nidderdale and in the north look at Hawes, Askrigg, Reeth. Going north west towards the Lake District and the Howgill Hills (the latter now somewhat controversially part of the Yorkshire Dales NP) look at Sedbergh. If a village would suit your needs also consider Dent.

The Dales are best explored if you have a car, but if taking public transport, busses are your widest option as trains are scarcer. Settle has a station but that’s about it. Don’t be fooled by Dent having a station - it’s a long five or six miles from station to the village proper. Check out DalesBus and The Little White Bus Company for starters.

Let us know if you want more information and how you are travelling and if any responses here tighten your itinerary!

Ian

A lot depends on whether you have a car or are depending on public transport.... What sort of things are you wanting to do/see in the Dales? That may determine where you base yourself and also if you need to hire a car.

If you are walkers, we have spent several holidays based in Settle walking from the s/c cottage everyday and not using the car. We also managed this from Hawes, but it did need a bit more careful planning...

I stayed for over a week last September and picked several locations to stay for several nights each so I could experience different regions.

I spent several nights in Grassington and loved it. There are several walks that start in town and several where you can take the bus out to a village, then hike back to town. It’s also an hour or less to drive to many scenic sites, hikes, and villages. If you’re a fan of “All Creatures Great and Small,” the current version films there and in nearby locations. You can visit both the exterior and interior pubs for the Drover’s Arms (Devonshire and Green Dragon).

There is bus service there, but since I had a car, I’m not sure how convenient it is.

I also stayed in a rural B&B near Gisburn about 20 minutes from Skipton and enjoyed it as well.

As others have mentioned, the location can vary depending on what you really want to see and do, so I would suggest looking at places you want to visit and activities that matter to you, then decide if one base will work best, or if you might want to choose two bases.

For example, the North York Moors above Pickering offer a different landscape and there is a scenic railway in the Pickering area (North Yorkshire Moors Railway). However, it is about a 2 hour drive from Grassington, so if you are interested in several places and activities in that area, it might be worth spending a few nights in that area and a few in one the areas mentioned in other responses.

All the best,

Raymond

Many thanks for the wonderful suggestions thus far. We plan on renting a car and would like to focus on a variety of activities from short - mid length walks, to stately homes/gardens, to historical sites. My husband is a huge James Heriot fan, so that is what is drawing us to the area. He has heard about the beauty of the area (and seen it on the tv shows) for all these years and wants to experience it himself. We don’t need too many services in the town/village we stay in; however we would ideally want a good pub or two, or other eating establishment within walking distance or a short drive. I would prefer the comfort of a self-catering home, but would consider a B&B or country house. Again, many thanks for your suggestions!

I live on the Southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales, the national park is beautiful, there are some cute little villages you can potter around, but activities basically centre on walking. The park lacks any stately homes that I can think of. Fountains Abbey is right on the Western edge, it's a UNESCO world heritage site and definitely worth a visit. Nearby to Fountains Abbey are the Himalayan gardens, I enjoy these, Middleham castle to the north and Brimham rocks. Malham has lovely walks up over the cove, this is one of my favourites, and the limestone pavement is very cool. Ribblehead viaduct is further East and very pretty and has some nice walks in the vicinity. There are lots of hills like Pen-y-ghent, if you are up for a more challenging walk. I rarely head to the very top end of the national park, as it's quite a long way, but I know there are some good waterfalls up there. The North Yorkshire Moors, an entirely separate national park, which probably has more options for non-walkong activities. It has Castle Howard, privately owned stately home, which is beautiful and the Abbeys at Rievaulx and Whitby, plus a number of castles. The abbey at Whitby is on the coast and beautifully set. Lake District also not too far away, which is my favourite place ever.

Last May, we stayed in one of the cottages at Ashfield House in Grassington--right on the main street by the shops and pub used for ACG&S.
https://www.ashfieldhouse.co.uk/

Unfortunately the listed washing machine wasn't working at the time, but the lovely owner washed a load for us. The cottage was lovely. We stayed 3 nights. We enjoyed having lots of space and a stocked kitchen. The bedroom was upstairs so one must be mobile.

We had a lovely walk between Grassington and a nearby town. I'd love to return.

We stayed in Harrogate, which was a mistake since it was far away from everything. I agree with comments re Grassington provided you don't mind staying in tiny towns - that was the highlight of our trip. Burnsall and Pateley Bridge are also worth seeing. If you are driving, you may also want to check out Ripon and Knaresborough - they are outside the Dales boundary but are interesting in their own right.

Based on your interests, the Grassington area would suit you well. Some of the other suggested areas would work well, too.

You will see some of the actual filming sites in that area. Also, you’re about an hour from Thirsk which features a museum, the World of James Herriot that is located in his former home and surgery practice. It’s well done and informative and includes sets from the original “All Creatures” series. It’s a good choice for a rainy day.

All the best,

Thanks everyone for all of the helpful information! I so appreciate your thoughtful recommendations.

I’m staying in Skipton for a month in May…it’s a market town, has a canal in its midst, zone fights of its own and plenty of things to do in the surrounding area

It also has great public transportation connections