24 hours in… the Yorkshire Dales

Well choose we did, and headed off to Upper Wharfedale. One of the most southerly dales in the national park, we settled on Kettlewell as our base for our stay.

The village is small but well equipped for visitors – it’s a key stop on the 80-mile long-distance walking trail, the Dales Way, and has the hospitality in place to accommodate this.

Two pubs, two café/ tea rooms, an ice cream shop, and a mobile meat and veg trailer meant that you didn’t have to worry about where to find refreshments, and a large National Trust car park and over-spill parking on neighbouring fields meant that a busy spring Saturday was easily accommodated.

We’d planned a leisurely 9-mile walk, so after enhancing our picnic with homemade cake from &then Tasting Deli, we headed off on what turned out to be a rather gruelling route into the heart of Wharfedale.

Giving new meaning to the phrase “over hill and down dale”, we quickly realised that I hadn’t given the contours on the OS map much thought, and as a result, had sent us off wildly up a rather steep hill only to come straight down and back over another one.

We’d chosen a circular route taking us around another two local villages – Arncliffe and Starbotton – both typical Dales villages with beautiful cottages, gentle riverside walks and of course, cracking village pubs.

Our steep climb afforded us far reaching views across the valley, and a leg burner that would last well into the following week. The peaks of the Dales surround you in all directions, with Buckden Pike, Great Whernside and onwards to Nidderdale on the horizon.

A welcome drop down into the picturesque village of Arncliffe treats you to a historic church the sloping hills up from the valley base, and a welcome drink and pitstop at the Falcon Inn if you fancy. We marched on, climbing back up and across moorland under a canopy of paragliders enjoying one of the first bright days of spring.

Heading down through a small wood and crossing the river back to more level ground, the village of Starbotton greets you. This time we did stop for refreshments. My favourite kind of pub can be found in these parts – dark bars, open fires and usually some kind of brass implements decorating the walls. A good pint and a bag of crisps after a walk takes a lot of beating in my view. And you get that in abundance in the Dales.

As tempting as bunking down for the day felt at this point, we packed back up and took the following couple of miles on foot back to the village gently. This riverside ramble back to Kettlewell is part of the Dales Way, sitting at around the halfway point of the trail.

It’s easy to see why the village is a natural base; it’s accessible, the riverside section of the route provides some respite from the hill climbs, and the abundance of places to rest, eat, drink and sleep make it a haven for hikers.

After a catnap and a brew back at The Racehorses Hotel, our bed for the night, we headed over the road to The Bluebell Inn – the oldest pub in the village and known for it’s traditional pub grub, cooked to the highest of standards.

The atmosphere was brilliant from arrival, until we took our tired, full legs back over the road to bed. We’d unknowingly booked our visit during National Pie Week, and they’d marked the occasion with a couple of classics. We didn’t hesitate to indulge.

Their signature Bluebell pie is a staple menu choice, they’d also added locally shot game pie, three cheese and baby onion pie, AND chicken, ham and mushroom to the specials board. A pie lovers dream.

Reminiscing about my Grandma’s game pie, Chris opted for this. I went for their self-titled steak and ale. It wasn’t an easy choice to make and I could have easily gone for half the menu and left happy.

The menu was written on a huge wall mounted chalkboard which was a welcoming touch; it gives you reason to move through the pub and take in the atmosphere from the various small sections off the bar, feel the warmth of the fire and have a chat with the friendly bar staff.

The pies were huge, with delicious hand cooked chips and then we managed to squeeze in a dessert, an individual lemon posset for me and a huge bowl of STP for Chris (sticky toffee pudding for the uninitiated). It was a vibrant but incredibly homely space, coupling the warmth and relaxed feel of the best of Dales pubs with the culinary excellence that this area is becoming very well known for. It’s fancy, but you can still wear your trainers. Perfect.

The next morning we weaved our way back through the Dales, making a stop off in nearby Grassington for a stroll and a mooch round the shops. Always a pleasant place to spend an hour, small towns like Grassington are in good number across the area and whether you’re looking for a fleece, a painting, a book or just a brew – I’d recommend teaming your walking weekend with a stop off somewhere new on your way home. You’ll likely leave with more than you planned… most likely the location of your next weekend away.

If that’s whetted your appetite, then why wait? With National Walking Month starting in a few days, where better to wander than this most unique of landscapes?

Watch this space for our next ‘24 hours in’ feature!

By Amy Blackburn

Image credits Amy Blackburn & Dreamstime