Yorkshire Dales October 2024

Hi -

If you want to stay in the most recent ‘Darrowby’ then Grassington is the place, with Skeldale House at one side of the top of the square and ‘The Drovers’ opposite, although in October it might be signed as the more usual Devonshire Arms. If you have a car you’d be able to drive up to Hardraw to the Green Dragon, where The Drovers’ interiors are filmed (well worth a visit). Helen’s farm is up at Yockenthwaite, an isolated settlement of no great size at the head of Wharfedale (if neither is included in the ACGAS tour). There are other sites, like Mrs Pumphrey’s stately pile, which is Broughton Hall near Skipton.

There’s a ton of great walking in or around Grassington - pm me if you want suggestions. Malham, not too far distant, is also full of interesting walks and up near Malham Tarm I believe is where James gets off the bus too soon in the first episode en route for his ‘interview’.

If you’re going to the coast then I’d recommend Whitby (or Staithes and Robin Hoods Bay) over Scarborough unless you have a special reason to visit the latter. I have an antipathy for Scarborough which is well documented on this very forum. In October the available daylight will be decreasing but it’s still possible to ‘do’ Whitby in a single, but long, day if you are pushed for time.

If you need more specific or detailed info, feel free to give me a shout! Hope you have a great trip. It’s Yorkshire, so I’m biased!

Ian

In May this year, we stayed 3 days at Ashfield House in Grassington. It's tucked away off the main street (drive in beside the Devonshire Arms). We stayed in "The Cottage" which had a full kitchen, living & dining room and a couple of bedrooms. In addition to being right in the midst of the village, one of the reasons I chose this particular guest house was for the listed washing machine, which was not working---I should have checked ahead. But we loved the space (more than we needed) and location. There is parking as well as a beautiful little garden area. Breakfast was not included with the Cottage, but we could have added it, which I intended but ended up not doing. The proprietress was great.

The bedrooms are up a set of stairs.

Do visit the website to see this lovely accommodation, a 17 Century, Grade II listed building with a walled garden: https://www.ashfieldhouse.co.uk/

Cheryl

We had a fantastic day out on the Dales last year with Tim Barber — wonderful choice. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks Ian, Cheryl and everyone for the ideas and suggestions!

As you have a car, Hawes or one of the other villages down Wensleydale might make a good base and its more classic Dales landscape than Settle .Don't stop in Skipton,nice enough in its way
You might want to check if the very old theatre at Richmond has anything on.
As far as I know local muscians have a session up Tan Hill every Thursday.
Same as with my fella Yorkshire posters on here,feel free to msg me.

Going to be humming the theme tune all day long now, very nostalgic

Hawes is in the middle of the Dales and I spent a week there 2 years ago. It has a great chippy and 3 pubs. Don't skip the Wensleydale Creamery - great cheese and the Wallace and Grommet connection which saved the creamery. While there are walks from there, it will be a bit of a drive to Grassington or Malham. Depends on who comfortable you are driving on the left on narrow roads.

We stayed in Grassington a few weeks ago on a hiking trip. We stayed at The Devonshire (renamed “The Drovers” on ACGAS)—very comfortable room and a good restaurant. We did a hike from Grassington all along the River Wharfe, past Burnsall and ending up at Bolton Abbey. A beautiful hike, our favorite of all the ones we did in the area. We’d definitely recommend Grassington.

Just wanted to close the loop on this and say a huge Thank You to Accidental Southerner and others who provided ideas. We thoroughly enjoyed Tim Barbers All Creatures Great and Small private tour https://realyorkshiretours.co.uk/.

It was great to sit back and take in all the breathtaking scenery while Tim skillfully drove around, taking us from place to place. He took us to so many filming spots that we would not have found on our own. Highly recommend!

I'm glad you had a great time! We are planning to do the Herriot Way walk early September 2025. It's 4 days at roughly 12 miles a day. We are busy planning and preparing, including walking at least 4.5 miles a day.

I’m so happy to hear that you had a great time! Thanks for posting back about your trip. I’m smiling, thinking again about our time in the Dales last year. What a special place.