Wharfedale

Wharfedale stretches from Cray in the north to just south of the National Park boundary. The dale is criss-crossed with miles of drystone walls running up to the limestone hills above with picturesque villages along its length.

Buckden, in the upper part of the valley, is a great starting point for walks along the valley bottom or up into the beautiful hills.

Kettlewell, now famous as a location for the hit movie ‘Calendar Girls’, was a popular attraction long before this recent fame. The pretty village is also home to the wellloved annual Scarecrow Festival, and the 2,310 ft peak of Great Whernside is close by.

Further down the dale the spectacular crag at Kilnsey watches over the annual show held in the fields below.

Grassington is the main centre in Wharfedale and still retains its old world village charm whilst providing the facilities of a small town. The Dickensian festivities in December are a highlight of the year and it hosts a regular farmers’ market. Linton Falls near Grassington is the largest waterfall on the River Wharfe, cascading over limestone bedrock, a feature of the Craven Fault.

The southern part of the dale offers riverside scenery and walking experiences like no other. Burnsall is a popular starting place, as is Bolton Abbey, its romantic ruins on the riverside making it the perfect location for walking and fishing. The rocky outcrop of Simon’s Seat looks over the picturesque village of Appletreewick. The grandstand view over much of the southern area of the Yorkshire Dales is worth the climb.