Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Park
HISTORIC SITE Founded
on the banks of the Silver Skell by Cistercian monks in 1132, the dramatic ruins of
Fountains Abbey now form the breathtaking focal point of the Georgian water gar-
dens of Studeley Royal, created around the ruins in the 18th century and dotted with
neoclassical statuary and follies. Together they're designated a
UNESCO World
Heritage site. The site also comprises a Cistercian corn mill—the last to stand in the
U.K.—a medieval deer park populated by three breeds of wild deer, an exhibition on
the abbey's history, and a play area and holiday activities for kids.
Ripon.
&
01765/608888.
www.fountainsabbey.org.uk. Admission £9 adults, £4.85 children 5-16.
Abbey and water gardens daily Apr-Sept 10am-5pm, rest of year (except Fri Nov-Jan) 10am-5pm;
deer park daily during daylight.
RHS Garden Harlow Carr
GARDEN This Royal Horticultural Society
garden was created to complement the Yorkshire landscape of which it is a part, with
the emphasis on water, stone, and woodland. Seasonal trails, a log maze, woodland
dens, and observation beehives make it an unexpectedly fun place to bring kids.
There's a branch of Bettys Café Tea Rooms (p. 650) on site.
Crag Lane, Harrogate.
&
01423/565418.
www.rhs.org.uk. Admission £8.25 adults, £3.30 children 6-16.
Apr-Oct daily 9:30am-6pm (until 5pm in winter).
YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK
This National Park occupying the western half of North Yorkshire consists of some
700 sq. miles of hills and water-carved valleys filled with dramatic white-limestone
crags, fields bordered by dry-stone walls, fast-flowing rivers, isolated sheep farms, and
clusters of sandstone cottages. The main Dales are, in the south,
Ribblesdale,
Mal-
hamdale, Airedale,
Wharfedale,
and
Nidderdale,
and in the north,
Wensley-
dale,
Swaledale,
and
Teesdale.
Harrogate can make for a good base for exploring
the park, as can
Grassington,
26 miles northwest of Harrogate. This pretty stone-
built village with its cobbled marketplace is ideal for those who wish to tour
Upper
Wharfedale,
one of the most scenic parts of the Dales—the
Dales Way
footpath
actually passes through the heart of the village. The
Grassington National Park
Centre,
Hebden Road (
&
01756/751690;
www.yorkshiredales.org.uk), has infor-
mation and maps. Just south,
Bolton Abbey
(
&
01756/718009;
www.boltonabbey.
com) is worth a detour, with the ruined priory set in beautiful grounds with riverside,
woodland, and moorland paths.
There are more National Park centers in the north near Richmond, at
Aysgarth
Falls
(another scenic highlight of the Dales, with a series of waterfalls) and at
Reeth,
and then also at Malham and Hawes.
Malham,
12 miles west of Grassington, is good
for summer hiking amid some of Britain's most remarkable limestone formations.
(
Insider tip:
avoid busy Jun-Aug in favor of May or Sept.) Malhamdale's scenery was
extolled by no less an authority than Wordsworth, and rendered in paint by Turner.
Its best walk is a circular 8-mile trail taking in scenic
Malham Cove
(a large rock
amphitheatre),
Malham Tarn
(Britain's highest lake, which inspired Charles Kings-
ley's
The Water Babies
),
and
Gordale Scar
(a deep chasm between overhanging
limestone cliffs).
If that's too strenuous, at least walk the
1 mile north of the village
to the cove. The
Park Centre
(
&
01969/652-380
) has maps and advice.
About 25 miles north of Malham, on the
Pennine Way National Trail
(p. 535),
Hawes
is capital of Wensleydale (of the famed cheese) and England's highest market
town. In addition to a
Park Centre
(
&
01969/666210;
www.yorkshiredales.org.
uk), its old train station houses the
Dales Countryside Museum,
with displays on
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