Stoney End Cottage, Wensleydale

12/09/2024

A slow walk to Bainbridge today and an unplanned taste test at the newly opened Wensleydale Bakery & Tearoom. Sun, rain and hail!

11/09/2024

Sneaky visit to Inspired Chocolate this afternoon. Obviously, for research purposes!

Lots of delicious gifts and treats to buy in their shop and gorgeous hot chocolate in their cafe (sampled for research purposes).

Picture of some mouth-watering canolis, yes also purchased and taste tested for research purposes. We purchased 6!!!

06/09/2024

Cottage changeover days are hard.

04/09/2024

Another show day! Muker Show

Well worth a half day holiday and the weather stayed nice 😎 Purchased myself a Swaledale Woollens hoodie, in green!what a surprise!

31/08/2024

Not all dog walks lead to the pub but on a day like this it does!

26/08/2024

Having a tootle around Reeth Show. First tea and cake stop Swale Veterinary Surgery, fab cakes and tea served by lovely ladies, all for charity too!

24/08/2024

Enjoying a fab day at Wensleydale Show 2024

18/08/2024

So exhausted after a fab day at the annual Settle Plant Pot Festival yesterday that I did not have the energy to post last night. We only took a few photos as we had not charged our phones either! However we did seem to eat rather a lot of cake!

There were 3 trails to choose from, each take approx 2 hours, lots of clues for the kids, although we didn't have any kids with us, just us 4 rather overgrown kids.

We also visited the Settle Railway Station to see the Fat Controller (plant pot), so took the opportunity to pull some levers in the Grade II signal box which is open to visitors!

Finished the day with a walk around the Ribblehead Viaduct on our way back home.

10/08/2024

Having a lovely afternoon out. Definitely worth a visit, lots of talented local artists, exhibitions and if you check in advance, maybe a workshop!

09/08/2024

Ever seen the curious creatures at Kettlewell? They've appeared in mid-August every year now for 30 years... You can now find scarecrow festivals across the country but I think KKettlewell Scarecrow Festival was one of the first (and best, naturally), starting in 1994.

As with many Yorkshire Dales activities, it was a fundraising event organised by a band of enthusiastic volunteers who wanted to raise funds for the local primary school.

In 1994 local residents were encouraged to make scarecrows that showed their profession. I, and many others, still remember the first time we saw the electrician scarecrow precariously balanced on his ladder, with sparks coming out of the fuse box.

Unsurprisingly the event was a great success, and has taken place every year since. The Scarecrow Festival has raised tens of thousands of pounds for community projects, the school, church and village hall.

There are now around 100 carefully made scarecrows, often with humorous, sometimes risqué touches. It's clear that there's some competition between villagers and a lot of pride in the making of the figures. One year the vicar created a Ziggy Stardust set, which even had a sound system rigged up next to it.

A trail clue sheet costs just £1 so visiting the Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival is amazing value for money as well as something the whole family can do together. It will also encourage you to find some of Kettlewell's more hidden corners - it really is a stunning Dales village in a fantastic setting.

Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival runs from 10th to 18th August.

Photo: Rebecca Ward Dooley

09/08/2024

Cottage changeover days are tough!

09/08/2024

09/08/2024

Ahead of the weekend we're asking anyone planning to spend time here to please:

🤝 Respect the life and work of people who live here.
🌊 Take care around rivers, waterfalls and lakes.
🚮 Take all your litter home.
😎 Have a great time!

Thank you 🙏

📸 Sheila Ward |

03/08/2024

Flat pack furniture time with the little helper, who thinks we're lying in the sunshine together. Not a bad idea 😎

31/07/2024

Tues July 30th, Wed 31st & Thurs 1st Aug

Join Lady Scrope as she welcomes the captive Mary Queen of Scots to her home. Enjoy a family day with entertainment for everyone, various performance times throughout the three days in the castle and gardens.

Performance times:

-Tuesday 30th at 2.15pm.
-Wednesday 31st at 11am and 2.15pm
-Thursday 1st Aug at 11am and 2.15pm.

Included in admission price.

31/07/2024

Our Dry stone walling demos take place today from 11am - 3pm. Pop in and watch our Dales volunteers and learn some fun and interesting facts about this traditional wall building skill.
Included in museum admission.

29/07/2024

To celebrate 70 years of the we've prepared, with the support of local partners, 70 Essentials - walks, locations, stories, experiences, ways to connect with nature - for anyone who lives or visits here.

There are many more, of course, but we think these are a great start!

Go to our website and download a handy copy or grab a copy from our National Park Visitor Centres at , , or 👇

https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/be-inspired/70-yorkshire-dales-essentials/

29/07/2024

Noisy sheep neighbours tonight! Don't forget, this is your evening hot tub view.

20/07/2024

Short walk to The Bake-Well, Market Place for a well earned cuppa and sweet treat. It's a hard life living here!

Doggy paddle in the comments 🐕🐾

19/07/2024

Fruit picking Friday, ready for next year's jam😋
Redcurrants should be ready next week.

18/07/2024

Waiting for a cheeky Thursday pub tea. Indie had her tea before we left home, so now trying to enjoy her carb coma.

26/06/2024

Like the idea of a mini-safari, a short walk in a peaceful area? Red squirrels were once much more common but their population declined from the early 1900s due to habitat loss and competition and disease from the grey squirrel, introduced from North America. They can still be seen in three Red Squirrel refuge area in the Yokshire Dales - Widdale, Upper Wharfedale and Garsdale and Mallerstang.

The easiest place to spot them is in Snaizeholme, just outside Hawes, where there's a view point and feeder in a woodland clearing. To see them, it's best to book the Little White Bus in advance for the ten minute journey from the Dales Countryside Museum to the start of the Red Squirrel Trail. The walk to the red squirrel viewpoint takes about ten minutes and then there's a 2.5 mile circular walk (wear decent shoes, uneven and steep in places)

Image by Simon Philpotts

26/06/2024

21/06/2024

With a view like this, why would you stay anywhere else! Plenty of things to see and do.

21/06/2024

Afternoon refreshment

17/06/2024

Peaceful evening walk in the setting sun behind Askrigg.

06/06/2024

Definitely worth a visit!

18/05/2024

A sun worshipping dog will lie anywhere.

Note: she had just been in the shade for 30 mins, but just like her Mam she can't resist a Vit D3 top up. She'll be told to lie in the shade again in a bit.

18/05/2024

Peaceful start to the day. Indie is sunbathing 😎 on the terrace while we enjoy a cup of tea before a busy day at the allotment 🌱