Inspiration & ideas
Stories of the Past
Calming spaces - Quaker meeting rooms
Did you know there are historic houses through-out the Yorkshire Dales you can freely wander into, sit down and just enjoy the peace and tranquil feeling? Where you are welcome to just retreat from the world for a little while? You'll find them in Airton near Malham, Settle, Sedbergh, Countersett and Bainbridge. They are Friends Meeting Houses, part of the Quaker movement, open and welcome to all.
You don't need to be a Quaker to enter and enjoy t…
Strange place names
Which place names make you smile? Whenever we’re heading over to Settle, my very tolerant husband has to put up with me gleefully snickering as I repeat the name Giggleswick; wriggling in the passenger seat as we pass Wigglesworth and then clapping as we reach Clapham…v tiresome!
But it does make you wonder how these places ended up with amusing-sounding names so without more ado here are some of the finest in the Yorkshire Dales:
- Wiggl…
Sleeping elephants, books, fine foods & wool
Sleeping elephants, books, fine food & wool: snuggled beneath the Howgills, straddling Cumbria and Yorkshire lies Sedbergh. Its address is Cumbria but we happily claim it as 'ours' since it's now within the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Driving towards Sedbergh, it's hard not to get distracted by the incredible views. Wainwright said the Howgill fells look like a 'herd of sleeping elephants' and I'd agree, although when we were young we used to say '…
6000 years of sheep: influencing our language and law
Records show that wool was bought and sold in Babylon as early as 4000 BC. Babylon actually means “land of wool”. The Bible includes many references to sheep, and they feature in ancient legends such as the Golden Fleece.Wild sheep were used for food and clothing. The Britons were already farming sheep when the Romans invaded, bringing with them larger sheep with finer, whiter wool.
The Vikings brought their own breeds of black-faced sheep with horns. These wer…
Mysteries of the Knights Templar
Heard of the powerful & mysterious Knights Templar? Between Swinithwaite & Aysgarth on the A684 is a little known site, which once was the setting for the Preceptory of the Knights Templars. It's now almost a thousand years since the order was founded and yet we're still fascinated by these early medieval knights.
I had to look up the meaning of a preceptory - it's a monastery of the Order of the Knights of the Temple of Jerusalem. If you take the footpath up to this little …
Nine Standards Rigg
Your theories on this curious landmark? It's Nine Standards Rigg, an odd and distinctive landmark overlooking Kirkby Stephen on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, a welcome sight for walkers on Wainwright's Coast to Coast route.
The drystone cairns stand in a row, 2 – 4 metres tall. They’re very much part of the landscape but do seem to vary over time – some say they can find only 7 of these tall ‘standards’, others claim to find 11! Their height varies with the weather and effo…
The drystone cairns stand in a row, 2 – 4 metres tall. They’re very much part of the landscape but do seem to vary over time – some say they can find only 7 of these tall ‘standards’, others claim to find 11! Their height varies with the weather and effo…
Signs of Nidderdale's past - former lead mines
With names like Prosperous and Providence, the former mines near Pateley Bridge in Nidderdale National Landscape sound as though they belong to the Wild West.
More than 200 years ago though the peace of the valley alongside Ashfoldside Beck would have been shattered by the noise, dirt and smells of the two lead mines, as the rich seams of ore in the millstone grit were exploited.
Raw ore, known locally as bouse, would have been washed, crushed and dressed before it …
Which Masham treasures have you discovered?
How many of these Masham treasures do you recognise? I've given a few clues to help you find them!
1. The venue for sheep racing in September - in the field behind the church. See MashamSheepFair.com for details of this fun event at the end of September. In the same field, look out for the Mill sculpture as part of the Leaves Trail
2. An unusual pub where locals love going 'early doors', which closes at 4.30 pm, and where you can see one of last coopers in England - this is the…
A perfect day in Reeth
How to spend (at least) 1 perfect day in Reeth: where Swaledale & Arkengarthdale meet.
With a large village green at its heart, Reeth is surrounded by wonderful walks, hay meadows, the curling River Swale and Arkle Beck. I now start every trip there at Two Dales Bakery before they sell out of my favourite pastries, before setting out to enjoy the swing bridge walk but you could also walk in the other direction towards Arkle Beck.
Around the corner, the Silver Street studio…
Cracking the code of place names in the Yorkshire Dales
Ever tried to unlock the 'code' of different place names in the Yorkshire Dales, or worked out why we say 'Massam' not "mash-em'?
With thousands of years of history and Roman, Celts, Saxon, Viking, Norman and other settlers, it’s no surprise that place names give us an insight into how they've evolved.
I still remember my history teacher, Mr. Milner telling me this over forty years ago, and thinking he'd just given us the key to a secret code! You don't need to know that ma…