Stories of the Past

Can you say 'Appletreewick' like a local? It sounds like it belongs in a children’s picture book, the sort of place that magically appears and disappears, depending on who is trying to visit. It’s a bit like that in real life. You could very easily drive along the little lane joining the two pubs with Masons Campsite and think that was it. It sort of is, and yet there’s so much more besides.

It’s almost as if Appletreewick has entered a village competition that no one else even knows about – ho…

You may already know Malham Tarn, but what about the Yorkshire Dales' other naturally formed small lake? Hidden in tiny Raydale close to Wensleydale, Semerwater is much loved by walkers and water sports enthusiasts. There's a circular footpath from the lake foreshore, or you could follow the footpath along one of England's shortest named rivers - River Bain which meanders over a couple of miles to Bainbridge. By the time it arrives there, it's powerful enough to turn an Archimedes Screw and prod…

Why do we say, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it"?

With over 50 dales, and at least that number of rivers and streams, there are plenty of bridges and river-crossings in the Yorkshire Dales. ​Some are not just useful, they're beautiful and historic. Many settlements grew up close to rivers, with important bridges or other crossings nearby.

The expression 'we'll cross that bridge when we come to it' probably came from the fact that rivers can be dangerous and changeable so crossings w…

Many people whizz down Whipperdale Bank (one of the best named roads in the Dales?) on their way to Reet, without stopping to admire the stunning Swaledale scenery or pausing in Grinton. Yet Grinton was once an important destination: at the end of the Corpse Way.

​Until 1580, St. Andrews Church, Grinton in Swaledale was one of only a few consecrated burial grounds so people had to carry their dead up to 16 miles. This route became known as the Corpse Way.

Bodies were carried in wicker coffins and …

When I say 'village green', does a children's fairy story picture-book image pop into your head? Perhaps you have a favourite village green somewhere, and a photo you can share? For many they represent a quintessential English scene. The houses and buildings around village greens may vary, but the feel is essentially the same.

There is usually a cluster of houses facing the green and behind them, their gardens or fields, wandering into the surrounding hills. Most have some kind of religious build…

How do you feel about ghosts and shadows of the past? Have you heard of witches' marks or apotropaic marks? We didn't realise it when we bought our house, but in theory our house is protected by one of them...

I'm not sure I entirely believe in ghosts or witches, but a few experiences have shown me how the past can echo down the years. Many years ago we stayed near the Bolton Abbey Estate, in Beamsley Hospital, a beautiful 16th/17th century Landmark Trust property, once home to impoverished gentl…

Ingredients for a perfect trip? I think Askrigg has them all: lovely location; great walks to Aysgarth and Worton; James Herriot connections; excellent pubs and The Bake-well cafe (fab cakes); and quirky historical features.

You might find that Askrigg already looks familiar: probably thanks to its fame as a key location for the BBC's James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small, using one of the houses as Skeldale House and the King's Arms as the Drovers'. You can see photos from the filming in…

Ever noticed random humpty-dumpty little hills in the Yorkshire Dales or the remains of curious stone buildings scattered in remote areas?

Wandering through the peaceful Yorkshire Dales, it's hard to imagine that the area was once a much more industrial landscape, with extensive lead mines. There are lead ore deposits between Nidderdale and Wharfedale and in Arkengarthdale, Swaledale and Wensleydale.

Moulded blocks of lead have been found in the Yorkshire Dales dating back as far as Roman times, w…

You may recognise this place? It's a tiny hamlet packed with interest, right in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales. Perhaps you've seen it on TV, or walked through it?

It's Yockenthwaite, which features as Helen Alderson's family home in the TV series of James Herriot's All Creatures Great & Small. It's by the river Wharfe in lovely Langstrothdale.

There are some beautiful walks through Yockenthwaite, including the Dales Way, and other shorter routes towards Cray or onwards to the historic and very…

Ever wondered about the original of pub names? Go to a pub and you're continuing a tradition that probably started in Roman times, when they developed a network of sort-of-inns to offer refreshment for workers and travellers. The King of Wessex apparently established legal ale houses in the 7th century but the main contributors to the English pub were monks.

The Romans were the first to paint signs outside buildings to indicate the profession of the inhabitants. The large illiterate population de…