Stories of the Past

What links wet feet, The Cure, Wordsworth, Scottish Raiders and the Yorkshire Dales? Have you been to this place and stayed dry?

Is it possible to cross the 60 stepping stones across the River Wharfe without smiling and then cheering as you arrive (possibly) dry-footed at the other side?

Those who choose the less risky route on the nearby foot bridge can't help but look down and smile at the stepping stone crossers, usually with a wry 'they're mad' shake of the head.

It's incredible to realise the …

Bones in the market place, an odd name, plenty of beer, sheep and creative people - where? Masham - it’s ‘peculier’…

The ‘peculier’ bit doesn’t relate to its folk (although…) but to medieval times when the Archbishop of York couldn’t be bothered to travel to Masham to oversee its affairs. So Masham was designated a ‘peculier’ with its own court and government. It’s now better known as the home of Black Sheep Brewery and Theakston Brewery, which created Old Peculier beer.

Masham’s other claim to fa…

The lovely hamlet of Arncliffe feels like it's tucked away in its own special time zone, safely distanced from the troubles of the world. The houses around the green mainly date from the 17th and 18th century, some of them quite grand. There are over 20 listed buildings in the village, with some lovely details such as a 1677 date stone or tiny carved hearts on a n otherwise simple barn door.

The village pump still stands on the green. As you wander around, peek through into pretty gardens throug…

There was a time when you might have been very relieved to come across the distinctive AA telephone box that stands sentry on the A684 between Leyburn and Hawes near the West Burton turn-off. Such boxes were built in the 1950s and phased out in 2002. 

The Automobile Association started to install their network of sentry boxes across the UK in 1912. This was when driving was in its infancy and the newly invented motor car broke down quite frequently. The first AA boxes did not include telephones b…

Imagine digging Britain’s longest canal by hand. At 127.25 miles long, the Leeds Liverpool Canal took thousands of navvies 46 years to build, starting in 1770, using just picks and shovels.

It became an important trading route connecting the industrial towns to the port of Liverpool and the through-route for goods from America. So while it was primarily used to transport coal and limestone, the barges also carried everything from beans and brandy through to calico, clog soles and gunpowder.

No won…

Are you worth your salt? A ‘salt of the earth’ character or do you ‘take things with a pinch of salt’? Read on to find out why we use those expressions…

Salt has had a huge impact on our diets, language and even the landscape. The Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors are both criss-crossed by ancient paths and pannier-ways, once used to transport salt from the Yorkshire and Cumbrian coast.

Salt’s been used for thousands of years. A 6000 year-old Neolithic saltworks was recently found near Whitby.…

Has anyone ever made a 'laughing stock' of you? I love noticing small details, bits of history that have been around for ever, half-forgotten. Village stocks are surprisingly prevalent still. A law was passed in 1350 called the Stature of Labourers to order that every village and town in England should have village stocks. The last recorded use was in Rugby in 1865. ​

They were used for minor miscreants, such as vagabonds who'd drunk too much. Victims were kept in the stocks for at least a few ho…

Have you heard of the 'Terrible Knitters of Dent'? Nowadays Dent is a tiny, quiet little hill village near Sedbergh in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, instantly recognisable for its whitewashed cottages. Until the 19th century, Dent would have resounded with the clickety clack of hundreds of knitting needles! In those days knitting wasn't an activity associated with women or hobbies - it was something done by men, women and children and was an essential way to supplement meagre incomes.

Whethe…

If you venture into the woods near Ilton & Masham, you're sure of a big surprise... a Stonehenge-like structure known as Druids' Temple. It's a curious folly in a somewhat hidden location, much loved by children in search of an adventure.

The stones aren't as huge as those at Stonehenge but they are more accessible and intact. The 'main ring' has an impressive entrance which leads to a double circle of large stones, many over 8 feet tall, and at the back there's a dark gloomy 'Tomb of Transformat…

This is Lady Hill - it has an interesting story attached to it and is a much loved Wensleydale landmark, less familiar from this vantage point. If you've ever driven from Aysgarth to Hawes, you'll have seen Lady Hill on the right hand side going towards Hawes.

The distinctive round hill with a crown of trees rises from the River Ure flood plain below. The hill is really a drumlin, a perfect half-buried egg shape formed by a moving glacier. The Scots pine trees which top the hill were planted to c…