THINGS TO SEE AND DO
Inspiration for your trip
Walking and rambling
Head out of the garden and down the hill to the Nidd and a short stroll along the river will bring you to Pateley Bridge (head left) or to the Sportsman's Arms (head right).
Further afield, a short drive away is Appletreewick and the lovely Craven Arms pub. You can walk up the Wharfe to Bolton Abbey.
The Nidderdale Way runs up the valley and then back the other side and is a great route with really varied views - you can follow it from the house and up one side of the nearest reservoir, Gouthwaite - this is a bird reserve, so bring binoculars if you like a twitch!
Eating and drinking (and eating again)
There's no shortage of delicious food and drink nearby!
We love the Sportsman's Arms pub/restaurant in Wath and Olly's Pizzeria but there's plenty more options to choose from in the area.
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In Pateley Bridge itself, there are lots of shops including award-winning butchers, bakers and a fishmonger, plus the 'Oldest Sweet Shop in England'.
Time-travelling
At Brimham Rocks you can wander through (or climb over) giant, unusually-shaped rock formations created by an immense river 100 million years before dinosaurs walked the earth.
Or head underground at Stump Cross Caverns to see the stalagmites and stalactites of the limestone caves (discovered in the 1860s by local lead miners).​
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A trip to Fountain's Abbey offers both the ruins of the extraordinary Cistercian monastery as well as the sumptuous Georgian water gardens of Studley Royal.
Or how about Ripley Castle, home to the Ingleby family for nigh on 700 years and full of thrilling, turbulent history!
Star-gazing
When the sun goes down, the cottage offers a rare ‘Dark Sky Discovery’ site.
Minimal light pollution allows opportunities for some of best stargazing in UK.
We’ve watched meteor showers and seen Saturn’s moons and rings.
Bird-watching
Nidderdale is great for Birders, and you needn’t leave the garden, where Curlews and Cuckoos can be heard calling with Red kites and Kestrels hovering. If you walk the river below the house in the evening you’ll often sea Barn Owls and King Fishers by day.
Nearby Gouthwaite reservoir, an SSSI for migratory waders and others, has several viewing points. Oyster Catchers, Willow Warblers, Black Caps and spotted Flycatchers are common. Green woodpeckers live on the north bank of the Reservoir. Geese and other waterfowl are common with regular winter visits from goosanders, tufted duck, and whooper swans. Marsh harriers, merlin, osprey and very occasionally Golden Eagles are sighted on passage.
Photo: “Cuckoo Thursley Common 2nd June 2017" by Alan Shearman is licensed under CC BY 2.0.