Yorkshire's Best Guides

02/03/2025

This small lake lies in tiny Raydale, by one of England's shortest named rivers. Semerwater is much loved by walkers and water sports enthusiasts. There's a circular footpath from the lake foreshore, or you could follow the footpath along one of England's shortest named rivers - River Bain which meanders over a couple of miles to Bainbridge. By the time it arrives there, it's powerful enough to turn an Archimedes Screw and produce enough power for many of the houses in the village.

Semerwater attracts countless photographers and artists, including Turner who visited and painted here in 1816. Folk singers and poets have seized on some of the legends associated with the lake. Sir William Watson penned the Ballad of Semerwater.

The story goes that a beggar visited a thriving city and asked for food and shelter but was rejected. He was finally given both at a small nearby cottage but in the morning he put a curse on the city: “Semerwater rise, Semerwater sink and bury the town all save the house where they gave me meat and drink.” It's hard to think which city this might have been for it's quite remote, but it is said that a village lays on the bottom of the lake and occasionally you may hear the sounds of bells ringing from its ancient church. The cottage in the story is reputedly at Low Blean. There are other stories of giants fighting the devil across the lake, throwing stones at each other - including the large Carlow Stone (also known as the Devil's Stone) you'll see on the foreshore.

In 1937 when the water level was very low, excavations uncovered an iron-age settlement on what is now the bed of the lake. A late Bronze Age Spear head was also found on the shore of the Lake.

01/03/2025

The crocuses in Deans Park, York 🤩 💜🧡🤍

📸 by John Wellock

01/03/2025

Part of Britain's longest canal flows through the Yorkshire Dales to Skipton and Gargrave: it's an incredible feat of engineering. It took over 40 years to build the 127 mile-long Leeds & Liverpool Canal, with thousands of navvies using picks and shovels to create a trading route connecting Yorkshire's industrial towns to the port of Liverpool. For a short time the barges on the canal were loaded with coal, limestone, and textiles.

The section near Skipton was one of the first sections to open, influencing Skipton's growth. The coming of the railways led to the decline of the canals for industrial transportation. Now we're valuing these important waterways for their wildlife.

Walk along the towpath for a different view and you may spot herons or kingfishers. Take a trip along the waterway with Skipton Boat Trips for a diffrent view of the surrounding countryside - they're celebrating 35 years of running this family business. Newton Grange, a rural retreat has cottages close to the canal, and owner Rachael will happily suggest local walks and vantage points nearby to enjoy the canal, see the locks and spot wildlife.
Photo: Guy Carpenter

28/02/2025

28/02/2025

Masham is special: not just because it's a lovely place - it's also a 'peculier'. Much of the land around Masham was owned by Roger de Mowbray who fought in the Crusades. He was captured and held to ransom until being freed by the Knights of the Templar. He was obviously grateful for this so he donated the the living of Masham church to the church of St. Peter in York.

This was in the 12th century when the road between York and Masham was even more pot-holed than it is now and the Archbishop thought the journey to the 'wilderness' of Wensleydale was not worth the effort. He established the Peculier Court of Masham, giving it the right to deal with certain offences that would otherwise be dealt with in York.

Historical documents outline some of the offences that were dealt with in the peculier court. These ranged from not going to church often enough, to hiding Roman Catholic priests, to "carrying a dead man’s skull out of the churchyard and laying it under the head of a person to charm them to sleep"... Nowadays locals just use the beer...

You may have already heard of 'Old Peculier', but thought it was "just" beer? One of Theakston Brewery in Masham's best known beers is "Old Peculier", which is now sold all over the world. It takes its name from the seal of old peculier court, licensed by the church.

28/02/2025

MAKING CONNECTIONS AT THORNBOROUGH HENGES
Christine Clarke, Community Lead Volunteer

The unique Neolithic triple henges at Thornborough are considered a sacred site set in a wider sacred landscape. Thanks in part to the Pagan community who campaigned for their protection, English Heritage gained Thornborough’s central and south henges in January 2023. The community then strongly pushed for English Heritage to buy their sacred north henge, with the three henges being reunited in January 2024. The Pagan community continues to hold their Beltane and Mabon celebrations there, with some of their members now part of the Thornborough volunteer team. This lecture discusses how the Pagan community and English Heritage work together, and how the sacred is celebrated at the henges today.

Christine Clarke is the Community Lead Volunteer for Thornborough Henges, with long standing connections to Thornborough and part of the Pagan community.

Originally aired 26 February 2025The unique Neolithic triple henges at Thornborough are considered a sacred site set in a wider sacred landscape. Thanks in p...

28/02/2025

Known for once being the ‘wool capital of the world’, its UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saltaire, and its literary connections to the Brontë sisters, Bradford in West Yorkshire has a fascinating history.

Discover the history of Bradford's buildings including Cartwright Hall, Lister Mills, UNESCO site Saltaire, Bradford Cathedral and Brontë Parsonage Museum.

27/02/2025

Like to cycle in a style that's more Famous Five style than Olympics, preferably without the exertion of steep hills? There are some gentler options in the Yorkshire Dales.

The Swale Trail – you need a mountain or gravel bike for this 12 mile route (24 miles there and back) which follows the valley bottom between Reeth and Keld, three quarters off-road. It’s a superb route, although not without some short steeper sections and there’s one longer climb, albeit on a quiet road as you get nearer to Keld. It’s all relative though as the trail does flatten out much of Swaledale’s hillier challenges and the views are just as good.

There’s plenty of interest along the way, whether it’s knowing that the 1st stretch from Reeth follows the ancient Co**se Way, where families would carry coffins along the valley to Grinton Church; or passing long abandoned lead mining settlements. There are plenty of options for re-fuelling at cafes and pubs along the way including the Dales Bike Centre’s very lovely cakery at Fremington once you’ve completed the return journey.

Malham Tarn – gravel and grassy tracks, with only one bit of quiet road to ride on, makes this a great little journey. It might only be a 4.5-mile circular but with a nature reserve, an old smelt mill chimney, an historic house where the likes of Charles Darwin and John Ruskin once stayed, and the panoramic views of the tarn itself, it packs a punch in the interest stakes. Plus you can start the route at the Malham Moor car park rather than having to struggle up the roads that lead in and out of Malham itself.

Lower Wharfedale loop – take the quiet back road between Bolton Abbey and Grassington and snake your way up following the River Wharfe. It’s not without a few climbs but they are short and (whisper) easy enough to walk up before hopping back on at the top. Take your time and saunter through villages like

Appletreewick and Burnsall before reaching Grassington where
there are plenty of welcoming places for a refuelling. I prefer to return the same way but you can loop back on the, albeit busier road back to Bolton Abbey.

It’s worth looking at the websites Cycle the Dales, the Dales Bike Centre and Stage 1 Cycles for more inspiration.
Thanks to Amanda Brown for the words and photo

26/02/2025

Here's the first of our blogs for 2025.
It's the year of Bradford 2025 and , so we are going to feature these events, starting with the railway anniversary.
York became a major hub for the railways thanks to George Hudson, the 'Railway King'. His decline and fall, however, means that when it comes to statues and street names York seems to have honoured the wrong George!
Yorkshire Blue Badge Guide Rosemary Barnes tells all - just click on the picture.
Find a guide at https://yorkshiresbestguides.co.uk/directory-of-members/

George Hudson and George Leeman's role in the birth of the modern railways. Railway 200: Celebrating 200 years of the modern railway in 2025.

25/02/2025

What are orthostats, cripple holes, smoots and stoops?Yorkshire’s dry stone walls are full of character, with a rich historic legacy and language of their own.

Take the walls around Dacre parish in Nidderdale National Landscape which were surveyed extensively in 1997. Back in the 13th century when cattle rearing and dairying had grown in importance for the holdings owned by the monks of Fountains Abbey, there were references to early walled enclosures, usually when there was a dispute over land ownership.

These early walls often used large, immovable boulders known as orthostats at their base and a more haphazard arrangement of stones around them compared with the more uniform modern day construction!

Some older walls are lower than others and according to Dacre Parish’s research this could be due to the fact that while monks were allowed to build enclosures they couldn’t interfere with hunting rights. The lower profile walls could still be jumped by a wild animal while higher ones signified the boundary of the hunting ground.

It’s worth looking at the stone gateposts too. The older ones were known as stoops. If you find one with a series of notches carved into it, it might well be a Stang Stoop which would have once held retractable wooden rails before hinged gates were introduced.

Cripple holes, also known as creep or hogg holes are low rectangular openings in a wall which enable sheep to pass through. The opening is designed to be easily blocked by a flagstone. The size of the cripple hole gives a clue to its age as the smaller ones reflect the stature of sheep back then, before centuries of breeding increased their height.

Smoot or pop holes are even smaller openings in the base of a wall to allow wildlife such as rabbits and hares to pass through without having to burrow down and damaging the structure. Apparently in some of the older walls, the waller would purposely make smoot holes with a trap on the far side to catch their next dinner!

Words by Amanda Brown

24/02/2025

Attention All Creatures Great And Small fans 📣 Exciting news – the cast and crew have officially kicked off filming for Season 6 in beautiful Yorkshire today! We can’t wait to return to Darrowby with all of you soon 🐕 🏡 ❤️

📺 All Creatures Great and Small. Stream the Full 5 Series Now on My5

23/02/2025

Oreos in the Yorkshire Dales? That's the way some people describe Belted Galloways. You might have noticed more of them lately, especially around Malhamdale? 'Belties; are fine looking and instantly recognisable with their thick white belt around their midriff, contrasting with their (usually) black bodies.

Handsome as they are, this isn't really why they're so prized. Their contribution to biodiversity is celebrated. They can thrive on lower quality upland pastures, adapting to whatever is available. As they graze they break up the sward, which in turn creates a habitat for many species. One farmer told me their cowpats alone can support over two hundred different species of insect!

Their rugged constitution means Belties can lead a good natural outdoor life, grazing on the hills all year round. They have a lovely thick curly coat, perfect to protect them from any harsh Dales weather, keeping them warm and deflecting moisture. I love that the long hair around their ears is said to prevent frostbite! They mature slowly, can live longer than many other breeds, make good mothers and have a good immune system.

They are naturally 'polled' so don't have any horns and have a docile nature, making them easier to handle. It's said that when cattle were driven long distances to markets, using the old drovers' routes, the Scottish drovers liked to have at least one Belted Galloway in their herd so they could see where their cattle were in the dark!

21/02/2025

Riggs Moor, located in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, is the most remote place in England located 2.4 miles away from the nearest access road.

The Yorkshire Dales region of Upper Nidderdale region is home to the most remote spot in England offering stunning views.

21/02/2025

York has been crowned the UK’s most walkable city by LateRooms.com! 🚶‍♂️🏆

With its charming cobbled streets, stunning historic landmarks, and compact layout, there’s no better place to explore on foot.

Come and see why York is the perfect city for a stroll: visityork.org

📸 MattLightfoot82