LakesideChick

We unexpectedly have a whole day to explore the Yorkshire Dales area THIS MONDAY!!! we have accomodation in Hawes on Sunday night and will be heading South towards the Cotswolds. I am interested in visiting Thirsk (big James Herriot fan) but would love to know of any suggested itineraries for the day. we are interested in photography, short scenic walks, cute towns and pretty scenery. we know a day will only provide us a glimpse into this lovely area, but it is all the time we have,
Any last minute help appreciated.... (Morgana... are you about?)

Cheers

Cathy

taconictraveler

If you can go thru Burnsall in the lower western part, in Wharfedale, then stop at the Inn at Whitewell for lunch. can't remember the road numbers!

sofarsogood

visit Aysgarth Falls http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aysgarth_Falls

Middleham and its castle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middleham

then Bettys in Northallerton for afternoon tea http://www.bettys.co.uk/branchlanding.aspx

Morgana

Hi Cathy
I'll try and help!
The Inn at Whitewell isn't remotely near Burnsall or the Dales (see previous post) so don't follow that one up! Wrong county altogether!
Northallerton and Thirsk aren't in the Yorkshire Dales so I'd only go to Thirsk if you plan to visit the Herriot museum. I confess that although I live pretty near Thirsk I've not been to the museum so can't say if it's worth it.
However assuming you are heading to Thirsk you can make a pretty scenic day of it - would agree Aysgarth and Middleham (which is also famous for its racehorses and you may seem some around the town or up on the gallops.
A slight detour would take you to Bolton Castle at Castle Bolton (you can visit the castle and there's a good tearoom there too).
http://www.boltoncastle.co.uk
An absolute must see is Jervaulx Abbey (very photogenic) - free to get in, pretty much unrestored, never busy. In winter we are usually the only visitors. Again a good tearoom across the road where you'll park your car.
http://www.jervaulxabbey.com/home.php
Masham is worth a look too mainly for the magnificent market square, one of the biggest in the country I think. Masham is famous for its locally brewed beer and you can visit the Brewery for a tour.
http://www.blacksheepbrewery.com/
You'll also pass one of the best pubs/restaurants in the area called The Wensleydale Heifer in West Witton - we go back there again and again and it does superb beer battered fish and chips. Recommended for lunch or dinner - it's famous for fish.
http://www.wensleydaleheifer.co.uk/
As you drive along I'm sure you'll stop to take pictures or go off your route a little to explore. Wensleydale is a beautiful area.
Hope this helps - I'm in (very) rural France at the moment on holiday and don't have a good internet connection. Have heard that the weather is supposed to be nice in the Dales on Monday though - so enjoy!

bilboburgler

Monday should be sunny all day and 25C according to BBC, there is a weird place to eat Crab and Lobster near Thirsk.

If you visit Masham (which is very fine though avoid the Crown Inn which seems to be away with the fairys) you can drop into Fountains abbey or Ripon Minster both of which are worth a walk through. The Minster stalls hold pew carvings that lead to many of the pictures in the Alice books. If you decide to continue from Masham on back roads you can also go to Bolton Abbey which has a more rugged stting than Fountains and a fine walk (either for an hour or 3 hours up the valley

Morgana, as usual, has all the other key points.

Kandace_York

Monday is also Market Day, I believe -- and if you're a James Herriot fan (as my family is), that holds special appeal.

We're planning a couple/few days there next month so I'm appreciative of these tips as well.

Thank you!

opus

I am also a Herriot fan so have been to the museum and enjoyed it very much. Re parking you have to have a disc available at local stores. Have just accompanied a Dales pony home to USA from Yorkshire so keep an eye out for these remarkable hairy creatures!

Kandace_York

Opus, as a fellow equestrian, I am envious. From everything I've heard, Dales ponies are clever, tough, remarkable athletes. All honor to the little horses.

Kandace

opus

Thanks Kandace. We flew home with tall, svelte Olympians, 100G racehorses and international endurance competitors---he felt he could take on any of them. At 15.1 he is not officially a pony but a gorgeous and competent representative of an ancient, endangered breed. He's a pretty nice souvenir from a north country jaunt!

Kandace_York

My apologies on the pony-size assumption -- sounds like an amazing experience, and yes, I'm sure he felt he could take on any of them. I do worry that in this era of warmbloods and fragile TBs, we overlook some breeds that certainly deserve our attention and appreciation.

Cathy/LakeSideChick, please do post your experiences from your day in the Yorkshire Dales (sorry to hijack your thread -- turning it back over to you).

Kandace

taconictraveler

Morgana: Sorry if I gave the wrong impression, I was just suggesting what we actually did one day in June, when we were driving back from Burnsall to Cheshire (we stopped at the Inn in Whitewell for lunch, having left Burnsall in the morning.

I guess I am not really as aware as I should be of the county lines, but it IS possible, esp if one is en route to the Cotswolds, I was sort of thinking one would drive down the "West side" of the Manchester area.

Thanks for lots of good info for our next trip, which I hope will not be so long in coming.

Morgana

Ah, I can now see why the Inn at Whitwell was mentioned. It's a nice place but in the Trough of Bowland, Lancashire and a good 2 hour trip (probably more) from Thirsk - and also in the wrong direction!
However, the 'Thirsk' scheme may have gone out of the window despite the Herriot interest. Hope LakesideChick comes back to us and tells us about her Monday and what she ended up doing.
I'm abroad but I hear from my family back in Wensleydale that it's been a glorious day - really glad for the poster as we've had some shocking weather recently.

LakesideChick

Hi everyone! Just a quick note to say a massive thank you for all of your ideas.... we loved the Dales so much we stayed 2 days and re arranged our holiday.... we visited Bolton Castle, the falls, and took many many photos. We also visited lots of 'Herriot' landmarks including the museum in Thirsk (which is very good if you are a fan of the show). Also found falls in Burton which were beautiful. We had an beautiful 2 days so thank you all very much. Cathy xx