rickandpat

Hi:
You've talked me into the Yorkshire Dales (I love hiking and scenery more than any other kind of vacation, it's my 15-year-old changling daughter who prefers cities) the first week of April. We'll be driving from York (unless there's a closer car hire in a train station), stopping at Fountains Abbey on the way, then spending two nights somewhere. Jess in particular liked the looks of Ripley Castle and the White Scar Caves, in addition to a hike to see a waterfall or gorge. But, we are open to suggestions on what to see, and we know we won't make it everything we want to do with little more than a day and a half.

We will have seen the Castle Howard during our time in York, as well as the usual York Minster, etc., and before that Windsor Castle.

Last question: I'll need to return the rental car our last day and train to London. Is there a better place than York to do this? Thanks!

Morgana

Good news!
Swift reply I'm afraid, as I should be elsewhere!
Ripley Castle - well.........this is just up the road from where I
live. Nice enough place, but not in the Dales, and not really where I would have chosen for you to be honest.
Your post immediately reminded me of the area around Malham Cove(now there's a gorge for you!), and maybe Hardraw Force for a waterfall. Or Jess might like the scramble up Gordale Scar (I've managed it, and it's nowhere as diffcuult as it looks). If she wants a castle then Bolton Castle is like one out of a fairy story. Middleham Castle is impressive too.
If Jess likes reading, maybe she would enjoy the James Herriott books? Then when she visits the area it will all mean so much more to her.
Pls come back with any more questions.
M

Xenos

Morgana

As I was reading the original post, I was desperately trying to remember the name of the beautiful place we stopped for a picnic on our way home from York many years ago and you got it in one - Malham Cove! I would definitely second making a visit there a must-do.

fuzzylogic

Yorkshire dales - lovely - Yorkshire moors - spectacular. It's a while since I've been there so wouldn't dream of recommending particular places, although I do have a soft spot for Malham, Stainforth and around Hawes. You might like to get hold of an Ordnance Survey map for the area. Hours of fun planning where to drive/go based on contours, other natural features, and small villages in the middle of nowhere where there's a "PH" (pub) for lunch.

A quick google also turned up this great website - www.daleswalks.co.uk

Enjoy!

Maria_H

I agree that Malham Cove and Goredale Scar are well worth seeing. Here are a couple of other ideas for short walks:

How Stean Gorge in Nidderdale:

http://www.nidderdale.co.uk/howstean/

The Waterfalls walk at Ingleton - lovely 4 and a half mile walk up one river full of waterfalls and down another:

http://www.ingletonwaterfallswalk.co.uk/

TaniaP

Hello -

Congratulations on your upcoming trip to the Dales - my very favourite part of England!

When you're driving from York to Fountains, you'll be passing close to the small villages of Roecliffe and Bishop Monkton - both are idyllic with not a tour bus in sight. Roecliffe has a perfect village green, and Bishop Monkton has a lovely little stream with ducks on it. Have a drink in the Crown in Roecliffe and poke your head into the church. My ancestors are all buried there.

If you do get into the James Herriot books, I know that his vet surgery in Thirsk has been made into a museum. I haven't been there yet, but there is a website. It looks good. The house that was used in the TV series is in Askrigg, in the Dales proper. If you go to Thirsk, don't miss the views from Sutton Bank.

In the Dales, the drive along Wensleydale to Aysgarth, Askrigg, etc. is a classic. I love Swaledale too. Try to take a detour up to the Tan Hill Inn, which I think is the highest pub in England. Two hiking paths cross here, the Pennine Way and the Coast to Coast. It's pretty high up - we were there in July once and it was freezing; but there was a blazing fire and it was wonderful! Stop in the woolen shop in Muker and buy a lovely big Swaledale sweater; I've had mine for years and I still love it.

By the way, when you're in York, Rievaulx Abbey is worth a visit; it's on the Moors near Helmsley, which is also a lovely village.

Now can I piggy-back here and ask Morgana a question? I will be back in my beloved Yorkshire for a few days in late Dec/early Jan. What has the weather been like in the Dales in the last few years at that time of the year? Has there been much snow? Thanks!

One more thing... see if you can get hold of a book called James Herriot's Yorkshire; the photos are stunning and will give you a taste of what to expect.

Good luck,

Tania

rickandpat

Thanks all of you for your ideas, (more always welcome!), I'll be making a long list and seeing which ones fit in as we're driving along. As it happens I read all the James Herriot books as a teen and planned to get my daughter onto them at the Christmas break. After Morgana got me thinking about the Dales I discovered at my tiny public library the James Herriot's Yorkshire book Tania mentioned. It is indeed an inspiration.

TaniaP

I should have mentioned (in answer to your last question) that you should, indeed, turn your rent car in at York. York to Kings Cross is only two hours and there are plenty of trains each day.

Glad you found the James Herriot's Yorkshire book!

Tania

Marsha

If you have not yet found a place to stay near the Dales and Thirsk, I would recommend Garth House B & B in the village of Dalton, just south of Thirsk. It is very convenient to the A-1, the Dales, the North Yorkshire Moors, and York. It is a working farm and I think you and your daughter would love the animals (dogs, cats, cattle, chickens) and the Ramshay family. Our family (mom, dad, almost-daughter and 7 year old son) stayed there last summer and had a wonderful, family-type stay. Barbara Ramshay's breakfasts are incredible! You can find more information on the B & B at www.smoothhound.com. Barbara's e-mail is [email protected].

Marsha

There is a mistake in my previous post - it is supposed to be "almost-teen" daughter.

Morgana

Tania
There haven't been any really bad winters for a few years now. Also the time it is most likely to snow is February/March - which probably explains why we get so few white Christmas's.
RickandPat
Didn't mean to sound dismissive about Ripley Castle, especially if your daughter is set on going there. Ripley is a nice village and it has a great Bistro in it www.boarsheadripley.co.uk
Glad you have discovered the Herriott books. Have you seen the film Calendar Girls, set in the Dales (mainly Wharfedale and the area around Bolton Abbey)?
I've just spent the weekend in Swaledale (near Reeth) and it really looked beautiful. All the trees were turning gold and the countryside looked stunning.
Let me know if you have any further questions. Also once you have decided on your 'must see's' I could hopefully draw up a driving route for you? (no narrow roads if possible!!).
M

janisj

There is a nice 8-page article about Ripley Castle in the Oct/Nov issue of <i>In Britain</i>. It is written by the owner - Sir Thomas Ingilby - and includes 12 or 13 lovely full color photos. Well not actually written by him - one of those &quot;as told to . . &quot; articles - but still in first-person.

alan64

If there's no extra charge for car drop-off in another city, is it really best for rickandpat to drive back to York to drop the car and catch a train? Couldn't they drop it off in Skipton (much closer to the Dales than York) and take the train to London (via Leeds)?

BTW, I also loved Malhem and the surrounding villages.

Morgana

It always amazes me that the Ingilby family have lived there for over 700 years - imagine being able to trace your family back that far, and have lived on the same site all those centuries!

Mathieu

What an interesting and informative thread this is. Thanks for asking it, Rickandpat, and 'thank you' to everyone who responded with a bounty of useful info. Its been book marked !

I read all the Herriot books as a teen in the late 70s and since then have looked forward to a visit to the Dales that the books and TV series portrayed, but my English aunts and uncles tell me that it isn't quite the same nowadays. In recent years, I've enjoyed visiting many other wonderful parts of England but have been saving the best for last, so this is very useful.

I too have been told that the Malham area has lots to see and do.

Morgana

Hello Mathieu
On Saturday I went walking in the Dales and started off at the very bridge that features at opening scenes of All Creatures........apart from some cars parked close by I don't think the little village can have changed much in appearance. I was talking to the lady in the Swaledale Folk Museum in Reeth and she was saying how difficult it is to get permission for a sign pointing people to the Museum - it has to be 'approved' by so many people, in case it spoils the look of the place. What has changed is the amount of tourists doing the 'Herriott' trail - but if you pick your time of year carefully and are prepared to do some walking, it still has that timeless, magical beauty of decades ago, and you can stil leave the crowds behind.
M

Mathieu

Thanks Morgana.

Ah, that bridge! Are the farms still anything like that too ? and the stone walls ? (I actually built a long but low one in my garden 2 summers ago). Its great to know that somethings haven't changed in the name of tourism and modernisation.

My late mum, who was a very young bride during the war, could never understand the interest that I, a Herriot-reading adolescent in the 70s/80s had with that seemingly innocent period. However, spared as I was from the hardships of that era, I imagine that it invoked different feelings for me than it did for her. She wasn't keen on me becoming a vet either !

Now in my late 30s and living the rat race of city life, such pastoral times are a yearning, if one can find them.

I had heard that Thirsk was overrun with tourists and large buses in the summer, but I'm all for visiting such places in the offseason. Thats how we explored the Cotswolds (2001) and the Brecon Beacons in Wales (2004) and we are thinking of doing a Pennine walk soon, and just stopping along the way whenever and for however long we wish, to get a sense of place.

Thanks for your kind info Morgana.

Cheers,

M.

Morgana

Hi
I think the Herriott books do inspire nostalgia for an England and way of life that has largely disappeared. Also the long running TV series was just soooo good - perfect casting, gorgeous scenery etc.
However, I am convinced you can still easily slip the crowds and find the magic. There are 'hot spots' of course, especially on summer weekends (Thirsk, Grassington etc) but you only need to pull on some boots and walk out of these places to find peace and solitude within a very few minutes..
A well kept secret is Nidderdale - one of the lesser known Dales, but in my opinion one of the most beautiful (and the nearest to my house!!). For some reason, when the map of the National Park was drawn up years ago, Nidderdale was not put within its boundries. Not sure if this is the reason why it remains so quiet and unspoilt, but it is. Pateley Bridge is a lovely village in the middle of Nidderdale, very quiet most of the time and surrounded by perfect walking country.
M

Maria_H

Just thought of another fascinating place, if you go near Pately Bridge. Call at Brimham Rocks, a fascinating area to walk round, with wierd weather worn rock formations.

http://www.brimhamrocks.co.uk/location.htm

rickandpat

After showing my daughter this thread, here's what we think might happen:
Tues. am rent car in York, spend morning and perhaps early afternoon at Castle Howard, continue on north to Thrisk to see Herriot museum. Then on to Pateley Bridge or Grassington area to spend the night. The next day head to Fountains Abbey (and possibly Ripley Castle, she didn't budge on that). We could go back to P.B.and have two nights in the same b&amp;b, or go on further west, because the next day we'd like to visit White Scar cave and the Ingleton waterfalls walk. On these days we have time to stop by other places such as Roecliffe, whatever we feel like doing at the time. And we have one more day to head to Malham (if I can figure out a way to get there besides the post bus - I don't think the schedule works unless you stay overnight, which we could do!), or up to Aysgarth or Hawes.

I'd like to try just winging it, going to Information centers to book lodging each night, as the whim takes us. Being mid-week in April, things shouldn't be so busy that won't work, will they?

Thanks, Pat