{"id":231,"date":"2022-01-08T12:00:58","date_gmt":"2022-01-08T11:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=24995"},"modified":"2022-01-08T12:27:14","modified_gmt":"2022-01-08T11:27:14","slug":"the-best-things-to-do-and-see-in-wensleydale","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/the-best-things-to-do-and-see-in-wensleydale\/","title":{"rendered":"The best things to do and see in Wensleydale"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Emma Longstaff\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 08 January 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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F<\/span>rances Hodgson Burnett wrote in The Secret Garden<\/i> that, \u2018It is a Yorkshire habit to say what you think with blunt frankness\u2019. Famously proud of their county, Yorkshire folk will tell you plainly there\u2019s no finer place on Earth. After visiting Wensleydale \u2013 one of 20 different dales in the Yorkshire Dales National Park \u2013 you may be inclined to agree.<\/p>\n

Driving through Wensleydale, it feels so sparsely populated you wonder if more sheep live here than people. Not much seems to have changed for centuries. But with two magnificent castles, a Cistercian abbey, several spectacular waterfalls, and wind-battered crags aplenty, you won\u2019t be short of things to see and do.<\/p>\n

In Lower Wensleydale, the impressive cobbled squares of market towns Middleham and Leyburn are home to some charming shops and places to eat, while Masham boasts two breweries.<\/p>\n

\u2018Up dale\u2019, as they say here, you can sample the area\u2019s famous eponymous cheese at the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes, and if the village of Askrigg looks familiar, that\u2019s because it doubles for the fictional town of Darrowby in Channel 5\u2019s recent remaking of James Herriot\u2019s All Creatures Great and Small<\/i> (a second series has returned).<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t just come for the stunning scenery, the beer and the cheese \u2013 there is also much to tempt antiques enthusiasts.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Places to visit in Wesleydale<\/span><\/h2>\n

Jervaulx Abbey<\/span><\/h3>\n
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One of the many attractions of Jervaulx Abbey is its wildflowers.<\/span><\/figcaption> Credit: Christine Whitehead \/ Alamy Stock Photo<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Privately owned Jervaulx<\/a> is possibly the prettiest ruined abbey in England. For the last 50 years, the Burdon family has tried to maintain the site\u2019s tranquillity \u2013 over 200 species of wildflowers and plants have been recorded growing around the walls, and birds\u2019 nests in the nooks and crannies. You\u2019ll feel like an 18th-century Romantic rediscovering the magical abbey for the first time.<\/p>\n

Middleham Castle<\/span><\/h3>\n
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A view of the keep at Middleham Castle, once the childhood home of Richard III.<\/span><\/figcaption> English Heritage<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

How to choose between Wensleydale\u2019s two medieval castles? More intact Bolton Castle<\/a> near Leyburn offers historic re-enactments, tours and falconry demonstrations. Our personal favourite is the roofless Middleham Castle<\/a>, the childhood home of Richard III, where you\u2019ll have to use your imagination to conjure up its past glories, but the spectacular vistas of Wensleydale from the viewing platform will take your breath away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Places to shop <\/span>in Wesleydale<\/h2>\n

Cellar Antiques, Hawes<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Cellar Antiques in Hawes, filled with exciting finds, sits proudly on the cobbles<\/span><\/figcaption> Emma Longstaff<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Ian\u2019s superlative selection of country oak antiques ranges from early bible boxes to 20th-century Robert \u2018Mouseman\u2019 Thompson pieces. Descend into the atmospheric stone-flagged cellar<\/a> and you\u2019re greeted by a roaring fire in the huge range and, appropriately enough, a selection of kettles, coal scuttles, skillet pans, spinning wheels and fireside stick-back chairs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sturmans Antiques, Hawes<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Enjoy a browse at Sturmans Antiques<\/span><\/figcaption> Emma Longstaff<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

With five separate showrooms<\/a>, Peter sells traditional antiques in tip-top condition, including silver, clocks, lighting, art and furniture. We particularly liked the extensive display of barometers (\u00a399 and up) which line the staircase, and the friendly lesson on how to set and read them (no tapping required!)\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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