Inspiration & ideas

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…

You've heard of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks but what about the Dales 30? Love to walk and tick places off your list? Jonathan Smith at Where2Walk is keen to show the beauty of the Dales' Hewitts: The Dales 30. They're all hills of at least 2000 feet, with a drop of 100 feet on all sides so you're certain of amazing vistas. Many are lesser-known routes so you'll have a wonderful 'King of the Castle' feeling when you reach the top. Here's the list - which do you already know?

1. Whernside

2. Ingleborough

3…

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…

You would think that in an area known as the 'Yorkshire Dales', where the dales themselves are the main attraction, that some one would be able to tell you exactly how many dales there are? It's not quite so simple...

The word 'dale' is old English, probably originating from the German word Tal or Nordic Dal, and essentially means a valley. Most of the Yorkshire Dales are named after their river e.g. River Swale = Swaledale. There are a few exceptions such as Wensleydale named after Wensley, once…

If you had to choose Seven Wonders of the Yorkshire Dales, what would they be?

My suggestions change all the time. At the moment they’re:

1. The Swaledale hay meadows

2. Gordale Scar and the limestone pavements

3. Settle to Carlisle Railway and Ribblehead Viaduct

4. The miles and miles of dry stone walls and field barns - can't decide on my favourite location but Littondale, Arkengarthdale and Wensleydale all come close

5. Jervaulx Abbey

6. The Middleham to Kettlewell road, and countless spots along …

Have you travelled along the Dales route described as "scenic but scarey!" and "England’s only truly spectacular road*”?

The Buttertubs Pass is one of the Yorkshire Dales' most iconic roads: twisting, turning, rising and suddenly dipping for just over 5 miles between Hawes and Thwaite. It's not a long journey but is one you want take slowly, so you can enjoy the views, and of course avoid ending up in one of the steep valleys below.

The lure of the Buttertubs Pass is so strong, that you may well …

You can tell a lot about the history of places in the Yorkshire Dales from their name. Ham, ley, ton, pen, foss... all give clues to the past.

First came the Celtic tribe of Brigantes, who gave us places with 'pen' in the name, meaning ‘hill’. For example, Penhill, (so good they named it twice?!) and Pen-y-ghent.

Anglo Saxons were the next influence. Look out for names ending in ham or ton (eventually leading to town) which meant a farmstead. The name before –ton or –ham was often either the name…