wrenwood

Which are some of the best markets in the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, and which days of the week or month are they? We would like to plan some of our sightseeing days knowing if there is a market going on in one of the towns/villages.

Looking for real local flavor, not cheap clothes and scarves from China

Morgana

Do you have a particular area of the Dales in mind? It's a large area and many of the towns and larger villages have a small market.
My local market is at Masham two days a week but is very small indeed. However, there's a much better Farmer's Market - details here
http://www.visitmasham.com/events/ev...armers-market/

flanneruk

There aren't that many meeting your criteria. Neither the Dales nor the Lake District are awash with local production of anything, and much of what is made in the area is simply sold to national chains.

Probably the best regular source for locally-produced food around the Lake District is actually Tebay Services on the M6, which is open seven days a week. Possibly the best-known regular street market in the area - Skipton - is dominated by stalls selling precisely what you say you don't want - because odd widgets for hoses, and a wide range of brushes, are precisely the kind of thing the people of Yorkshire want to buy, and their supermarket chains are perfectly capable of selling decent food.

One of the closest approximations to your criteria is Cartmel's monthly market (http://www.cartmelvillage.com/foodmarket.html). Personally, I can't see the appeal of stalls crammed with sticky toffee pudding, when the local shops sell Morecambe Bay shrimps and black pudding year round. But it does command a following, and if that's what it takes to get you to see the town's excellent priory (pity about its prejudice against dogs) some of the stuff on sale's OK.

wrenwood

Morgana, we're staying in Middleham, but not really looking for convenience, using the Markets more as stopovers when touring. It looks like the Masham Farmer’s Market is every Sunday, starting at 8:30? If so, that might be a day for stopping at Jervaulx Abbey, Newby Hall and Gardens, or Thorp Perrow Arboretum…. or….other suggestions? And a good place for Sunday Roast!

We don't do a lot of cooking when self catering, but love to have bread and cheese on hand (to go with the wine or beer) and fruit for breakfast, snacks when traveling. We also just love seeing all the produce, crafts (local/quality) etc.

My favorite Market we went to in the UK was at Wells.

flanneruk, Cartmel Village looked fun, but we won't be in the Dales 3rd Friday of the month

Morgana

Masham has an excellent little bakery just off the main square. It also has two cheese shops which are also very good indeed and sell lots of the local Wensleydale cheese. Masham also has a superb and very friendly butchers called Rogers, a couple of doors down from the bakery. Personally I go to these shops for my produce rather than the markets.
Jervaulx and Newby Hall are great days out. However we only go to Thorp Perrow for the autumn leaf colours.
The Wensleydale Heifer at West Witton does an excellent Sunday lunch.

annhig

perhaps Farmers' Markets are more popular [and dare I say better?] in the south-west. Certainly there are some great ones in Cornwall, and Devon has its pannier markets where you get a mix of market -base traders selling things like tea-towels and tea-cosies, and widgets, and famers bringing in their eggs, veg, cream etc.

however that does't help with the Lakes, but this might:

http://www.discoverthelakes.co.uk/fa...kets-c127.html

Flanner will be disappointed to see that the blurb mentions the dreaded STP but as it was a lakes invention [Sharrow Bay I believe] I think they should be allowed their indulgences, don't you?