Two to Wensleydale

The first Monday in May is a national holiday for us here in the UK, making a 3-day weekend for many people as schools and work places generally close for the day. It's a lovely time of year as we are in full Springtime mode with deliciously long days and the beginnings of fresh greenery sprouting in the hedgerows and treetops. The weather doesn't always co-operate mind you, but somehow it doesn't manage to dampen the feeling of celebration.

Back in early April, I hatched a plan with my wonderful in-laws who live fairly close to us. It was a plan in which J and I would escape to the countryside for a much longed for mini break, proper exciting stuff for us I have to tell you. Now here's the thing - I absolutely love love love my role as Mum to my three Little People. But every so often it really is a great thing to hand the responsibilities of parenting over to someone else entirely and jaunt off for a short period of togetherness with the other half.

Do you know, when I sat and thought about it I realised that the last 2-nights-away we had together was a last minute jaunt to Amsterdam when I was 27 weeks preggers with baby number one. So that would have been the Summer of 2002 then, 13 years ago, holy-moly, I'd say we were really due this precious time away.

 

So with childcare arranged and consensus from the Mr, I booked us into a favourite little holiday hideaway up in Wensleydale which we had stayed in many years ago. Located in the picturesque village of Askrigg, it promised a weekend full of Good Things. A cosy nest, a comfy bed, great village pubs serving delicious fodder and the most fabulous walking country right on our doorstep. Wensleydale is extremely picturesque and also very watery - if you want to find spectacular waterfalls and rivers, this is the place to come.

Our very first walk was certainly a wet one alright. The weather was awful when we arrived in Wensleydale, with low-slung heavy cloud and a persistent light drizzle, the sort that my Mum always used to call "wet rain". But we were stupidly happy to be there, striding out in our old mismatched waterproofs, marvelling at the novelty of being able to walk and talk without the hindrance of offspring.

We walked from the gorgeous village of Hawes, across wet soggy fields to Hardraw Force which is apparently England's largest single-drop waterfall. It was very atmospheric, very noisy and extremely wet. We loved it. We perched on a wet rock and drank steaming coffee whilst admiring the watery scene and couldn't have been happier. I got to try out my new flask too, such a pretty little floral number purchased from the divine Girls Own Store in Bridport, but also to be found on Amazon {here} should you wish for some floral goodness to keep your own drinks steaming hot.

 

The beauty of the Yorkshire Dales is not diminished much by a spell of dire weather, and we had such a good time tramping up and down hills and over stiles and bridges. Everything looked lush and vibrant and the rain-soaked air and damp earth smelt wonderful.

We eventually arrived at our little cottage at 5pm, walking in to find the table laid for two with home made scones and jam and a bottle of white wine waiting in the fridge. This is Yorkshire hospitality at it's finest, and made such a lovely welcome for two wet, weary walkers.

I didn't take any photos of Gamekeepers Cottage, but you can see find a few on the website here. It's a wonderful, cosy, teeny-tiny little place perfect for couples, with one room (plus bathroom) downstairs and one large bedroom upstairs. You can sit in bed (with crochet to hand!) and look out the window onto a green field with sheep grazing. The peace and quiet of the place is incredible, it fills your ears with a comforting silence and makes you sleepy like you wouldn't believe. OK, so the local ale might have contributed to the sleepiness a little (great pubs in Askrigg, it would have been rude not to mingle with the locals).

Next morning we couldn't wait to get out into  the countryside again, but needed some fuel first.  So across the street we went to visit Askrigg Village Kitchen. What a gem of a place, we settled ourselves down in the very pretty tearoom and enjoyed some mighty fine bacon sarnies and frothy coffees before heading out for another wet walk. Yup, still raining...........

.......and still very watery around these parts! This is probably one of the most famous waterfalls in Yorkshire, Aysgarth Falls. Not just one waterfall in fact, but a whole flight of them (three I think), rushing and gushing down the valley over a series of spectacular limestone steps. The picture above is of the Upper Fall and due to all the rain, the volume of water was really huge and the noise was very noisy indeed.

The rain continued to fall steadily as we followed footpaths and admired the scenery....

....up hill and down dale and along some quiet country lanes. The Blackthorn hedges were looking very pretty...

....and even in the dripping wet they remained beautifully springlike.

The above picture was the view from our morning coffee stop, a (wet) wooden bench in the sleepy village of Castle Bolton where there is indeed a real, larger-than-life ancient castle looming up at the end of the village green.

This is Bolton Castle, an historical 14th century pile of stone. Parts of it were badly damaged in the English Civil War, but there are still some rooms intact and you can have a good old wander around in there if historic castles are your thing.

We carried on walking (and yes, it was still raining), past impossibly beautiful stone houses and productive looking farms, over fields and rushing streams.....

....this was actually described as a "small beck" in our walking book, but it was a bit more "raging torrent" on the day we crossed over it. I wish you could hear the sound of all this water, it's in my ears as I type, I can remember it so clearly. It was sooooo noisy!

Another lovely Wensleydale walk, I think our wet soggy boots walked six miles or so on that Sunday morning and it felt deliciously lovely to finally sink back into the warmth and comfort of the car. It was mid afternoon by this point, too soon to return to the cottage but our legs were also veeery tired. So we did what many others do in this part of the country and took ourselves off for a pleasure-drive. 

Driving anywhere in the Yorkshire Dales involves hills, and in some places those hills are rather enormous. In fact, we were driving so high up that we were pretty much sitting inside the clouds as you can see. We were passing over the high hills that divide Wensleydale and Swaledale....

.....and the views were absolutely breathtaking. Then suddenly - NO RAIN!!!!!!!!!! Yipppeeeeeeeeeee!!! The rain stopped and bit by bit the clouds cleared........

.....oh those hills.......can you see the little winding road that we have driven along? We stopped the car up here and ate a late lunch (don't you just love a car picnic, in dubious weather conditions they are the bees knees).

 

We drove in a large loopy loop to Reeth and then back to Askrigg, just for the pleasure of passing from Wensleydale into Swaledale and then back into Wensleydale again. To view all those views and commit it to memory, this special time just the Two Of Us.

Back to Gamekeepers Cottage, a quick change of wet clothes and footwear, then straight back out the door to the local pub. We had gotten cold after spending so much time in the rain and were delighted to find the big old range in the pub was fully stoked with a glowing fire and it was incredibly warm and cosy.

I don't often drink ale, but when I am out with J I do like to join him for a pint or two of the local brew. It slipped  down surprisingly easily as we warmed ourselves by the fire and talked about all sorts of things. We went on to enjoy a superb evening meal in another of the village pubs before wandering back to the cottage and falling tired and happy into bed.

Our last morning dawned grey and overcast but finally the rain had stopped. We had promised the Little People that we would be back in time for lunch, but figured if we got going early enough we could manage one last tramp through Wensleydale before driving back home. An early bedtime and sound nights sleep meant that we were up and eating breakfast at 6am, and out starting our walk at 7am. It was wonderfully tranquil as we walked beside the River Ure, and gradually as the early morning progressed we noticed a slight lift in the weather....

....it was still very grey and stormy in the skies, but every so often there would be a brief break in the clouds and the sun would come streaming down to illuminate the landscape. Oh that sunshine, it was sooooo good to feel it and see it!

We climbed some steep hills on this morning, striding out over a high ridge which took in the ruins of an ancient chapel....

....and gave us sweeping views over the landscape.

The light was magical and literally changed minute by minute. It was mesmerising to watch the play of sunshine and shadows across the lush green fields as we walked.

We finished our five mile walk at 9.30am, and true to our promise we landed back amongst our happy Little Peeps in good time for us all to eat lunch together. Turns out they had enjoyed rather a good time staying with their doting grandparents, and I can guess that they were more than a little bit spoilt. As for J and I, well we enjoyed rather a good time too, I came home with aching legs and a happy glow.

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EDIT TO ADD :: for those who have asked, the walking book we've used for 20+ years is this one :: Pathfinder Yorkshire Dales (Pathfinder Guides). It has circular walks with great descriptions and full Ordnance Survey Maps for each walk too. The walks range from short 2-3 mile strolls to 10 mile hikes. We've used it LOADS, J loves the maps! :)

 

Comments

[vina]

Sounds like you both had a lovely time, well deserved. Lovely pictures. Take care Davina xx

[sue godfrey]

My favourite place is the Yorkshire Dales. We used to have a static caravan in Settle and have spent many happy hours, days tramping round the Dales with our boys when they were small. Sometimes reluctant walkers, they could be tempted by the promise of a Star Wars shop waiting at the top of the hill !! X

[Susan]

So glad you two were able to get off on your own for a holiday. It looks as if you had a lovely time, in spite of the rain.

[Lynne]

Sounds idyllic. My favourite place is The Lakes, but my husbands heart resides firmly in The Dales. Both beautiful places despite the rain, which it often does of course.
Enjoyed reading about your trip and viewing the beautiful photos, thank you.

[Martina]

We will be in Yorkshire in September, I can't wait! We love,love,love Yorkshire! Might see you at the yarndale, Lucy 😉 thank you for the fab pictures

[Joan]

You live in a postcard! Oh the shades of green! So beautiful. Thank you for your fine photos and for sharing your jaunts about the countryside.

[Sylvia]

I so much enjoy your writing and your beautiful photography. Really brightens the day. Thank you.

[Ali Dufty]

Isn't the light fantastic at this time of year !!??? You've caught the wonderful contrasts so well .Verrryyy atmospheric :) Thanks , as always, for sharing .
Lovely that you could organise some 'time out' from the hectic day-to-day stuff . I'm sure all benefited :))

[Lila Rostenberg]

Love this Lucy! My maiden name was Thaxton, ancestors from in Yorkshire.
I must come there one day!

[Éva Géczi]

Thank you Lucy. England is amazing and so is your style! I have always loved reading your blog. I live on the Continent, in Hungary, Budapest. Luckily enough I've had opportunities to visit Great Britain and once I was in Ireland. I've always been fascinated by the scenery of the countryside. Now as a retired teacher I'm longing for visiting your marvellous country again. I love your works, too. Best regards: Éva

[Ali Whale]

I love the Yorkshire Dales. I went to Reeth with friends for my *whisper it* 50th birthday and had a similar weather experience, despite it being November. We had a bit more fog though, which once it cleared allowed us the most amazing views. One of my favourite drives is over Buttertubs to Hawes. And you can't beat the local ale. It's no good, I need to go back again and very soon!

[Ana Paula]

Thanks a lot to make my day too much better.
You're so special to me...
I have a dream, meet you personally, same if it's impossible.
What is not impossible is to love you while I live!
.
Your brazilian friend: Ana <3

[Lucy Brazendale]

How funny I was in just outside Hawes the same weekend. We went to Hadraw falls the next day and it was transformed into a raging torrent about three times as wide. Wish I could send you a picture. Glad you had a good weekend. Very restorative to take a break every now and again. Lucy B

[Brenda]

What beautiful, beautiful photos Lucy. Thank you for sharing them with us. Love from an Aussie on the other side of the world that has family heritage in gods own county. XxBrenda

[Patricia]

Oh Lucy, you are the best tourist guide! Thank you for the pictures and for showing us around that beautiful corner of England.

[ahappystitcher]

Thank you for sharing. I absolutely love Wensleydale and Swaledale and also one other Little Dale near by (route left out out of top of Hawes, and then a drop down to the Right ( I shall say no more as it is a secret place best without many tourists)

Your pictures were mostly like mine the last time we went. But it is still green and lush, with that peculiar smell, so reminiscent of wet earth, grass and wet sheep - I love it.

Thanks so much for sharing your weekend with us. Our children are in Y14 and Y10 at college/school so we cannot get away until after Y11 exams.... it's 4-5 hrs away for us <3

[Claire]

So important and precious to spend time together without the children. We used to wangle a weekend once a year (!!!) for a good few years but haven't had one for a long while now - and I miss it!

It's just one weekend but it feel like months worth of 'couple therapy' and holds you together for a long time when you're tossed back into the whirlwind of family life!

[Gemma]

Just beautiful!

[GINNY]

beautiful, thank you

[marthese Vella]

Thanks Lucy for sharing these lovely pictures, I really would like to visit the Yorkshire Dales.

[reSIRIkulert]

♥

[Mama Bear]

Oh my, there are some beeeeyoootiful photographs here! I especially love the last one, the colours and composition make it seem very "painterly" (is that a word? I mean, like a watercolour painting)! I am glad you enjoyed your break despite the weather. Very rejuvenating. Coincidentally my hubby and I also did a mini break over the bank holiday weekend, we went to stay with my brother in law and his family on their smallholding in the Scottish Borders. Oh how I miss my hills! There are lots of nice walks there too of course but I have bad arthritis so I can't walk far. It was just lovely to be there and I love seeing our family and their horses and the other animals.
I was pleased to see a new post as always today, but I also had a special reason for dropping by - to say that I've FINALLY finished my Cosy Blanket! Yippeee! It looks beautiful and my daughter has already adopted it for her bedroom where it looks very fine. It was a joy to create and I am itching to get on with another project! That is my other exciting news, as I was so lost and sad without any crochet to do, that Hubby has treated me to two new packs from Wool Warehouse - the original Granny, and the lovely rainbow bag kit too! I can't wait for them to arrive! While I wait I have been making lots of teeny flowers to create into hair slides. They're fun to do and I can get six done and the leaves during one episode of "Murder She Wrote"! Now that is what I call multitasking!
Finding your blog and learning to love crochet as much as you do has been such a blessing to me, Lucy. It lifts my heart and makes me smile, even when I am having a bad day with lots of pain. Happy wishes to you all at Attic 24. Love, Rubekah xxxx

[Janice]

Beautiful photos - thank you! I look forward to seeing you do a YORKSHIRE blanket some day with a pattern combining the cosy and the ripple to capture all the waviness of hills, fields, dykes, streams and outcrops. What a rich colour palette that would be in spring! And a double whammy; the Yorkshire tourist board could sponsor you selling your Yorkshire blanket pack as would all the lovely places you link to.

[Kokopelli]

Looks like you had a wonderful weekend out. A much needed one. :)

[Penny Rongo]

I am So happy you were able to have some special time with your other half. Sharing that time and pictures too is the icing on the cake for everyone else. Thank you. To me The Dales are heaven on earth.