About Swaledale and the Area
Such wonderful picturesque places in Swaledale you just wouldn’t want to miss!
Swaledale - renowned for its beauty, traditions, magnificent views, old lead mines and smelt mills.
The village of Keld is at the top of the dale, the place where the Coast-to-Coast walk crosses the Pennine Way and is noted for its waterfalls, gorges and panoramic views. A very popular destination for walkers and ramblers.
The next village travelling down the dale is Thwaite, known for the Keaton brothers, being naturalists were the first one’s in England to film wild life, hence the guesthouse in Thwaite was named Kearton.
Just a short trip down the road from Thwaite make a right turn and the road takes you up and over the Butter Tub Pass, which leads over the moors and down into the valley of Wensleydale.
Continue down from Thwaite to…
Muker: famous for its Swaledale Woollens (just the thing for those cold winter days).
A short walk from the village centre in the months of June and July, will take you through the beautiful meadows to Rampshome Bridge, bursting with magnificent wild flowers, the experience is absolutely unforgettable, and the image will remain with you long after your visit has ended.
Between Muker and Gunnerside you will find Ivelet Bridge. Just over the bridge at the north end and to the right you will see the famous corpse stone. The historic and factual story told by many local people is of times when mourners would have to carry the coffins of those who had died at the top of Swaledale, pausing to rest them on the corpse stone on their long journey to St Andrews Church, in Grinton, known as the 'Cathedral of the Dale', this walk is called, The Corpse Way.
Continue down the dale to…
Gunnerside: over the years this village has had many visitors to explore its gills with wonderful names like Winterings Scar. Blakethwaite Smelt Mill, Blakethwaite Gill and Barbara Well - the fascination goes on with people returning time and time again to explore this memorable landscape which still evokes a sense of what life was like in past times and just how important lead mining was for the local community and economy.
And further down the road are the villages of Low Row and Healaugh, in May and June you will see the hedgerows bursting with blackthorn blossom - a beautiful sight to see. North west of Healaugh at Surrender Bridge, you will find the remains of past lead mines, again a poignant reminder of a tradition and way of life long lost. My husband, Bob, has done work in the past consolidating some of the remains to help preserve the memory for future generations, and is ‘Swaledale born and bred’, a local historian if ever there was one!
And onto Reeth, the next village well worth visiting also played its part in the T.V. series 'All Creatures Great and Small' and also plays host to important events such as the Swaledale Festival held in May, the Swaledale Marathon in June, and our annual village show in late August, at this time you will see the beautiful heather with fantastic fragrant flowers. A short walk takes you to the centre of Reeth where you will find various tearooms, as well as three hostelries, and two hotels, several craft shops, a folk museum, and post office with village store and information centre surround the village green with fantastic views all round.
Reeth is also an ideal starting point for the motorist, rambler and off road cyclist. There are numerous circular routes of various lengths to explore.
Grinton is where you will find the 'Cathedral of the Dale' and it is here where the coffins would eventually find their final resting place, at the end of the Corpse Way. St Andrew’s church has stood here for over 900 years.
The historic market towns of Richmond and Barnard Castle are a twenty-minute drive away.
You can visit Langthwaite and then head on to Tan Hill (the highest pub in England). A few miles away in Wensleydale you will find Bolton Castle - where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned, Middleham Castle - where Richard the III was crowned over 500 years ago, and in Hawes - the famous Wensleydale dairy.
Or you may simply want to relax, take in the panoramic views from a seat on Reeth village green, eating a delicious ice-cream from the Brymor parlour.
In Swaledale the choice really is yours!
Denise Guy