There’s a reason people call the Yorkshire Dales “God’s own country” without a trace of irony. The landscape earns it. Limestone cliffs rising out of green valleys, waterfalls tucked into woodland, drystone walls tracing lines across hillsides that haven’t changed in centuries. Villages where the pub, the church and the post office are still the three most important buildings. It’s England at its most unselfconsciously beautiful.
The Dales also happen to be one of the most accessible national parks in the country from Givendale Cottages. The nearest edges of the Dales are barely 30 minutes from the front door, and even the further-flung corners, the high peaks, the remote upper valleys, are within comfortable day-trip range. If you’re looking for a base that puts the Yorkshire Dales within reach without committing you to a single remote valley, Givendale Cottages is hard to beat.
And just so it happens, each cottage also enjoys uninterrupted views across the unspoiled Yorkshire Dales countryside, giving guests a peaceful setting to fully switch off and enjoy the landscape.
How Far Are the Yorkshire Dales from Givendale?
The answer depends on which bit of the Dales you’re aiming for. Nidderdale (often called the “secret dale” for its relative quietness) begins about 30 minutes west of Givendale Cottages. Pateley Bridge, the main town in Nidderdale, is an easy drive through lovely countryside. The heart of the national park, places like Grassington, Malham and Aysgarth, is around 45 minutes to an hour. Hawes, up in Wensleydale, takes about an hour and a quarter.
The drive into the Dales from Ripon is a pleasure in itself. The B6265 through Pateley Bridge to Grassington is one of Yorkshire’s best driving routes, passing Brimham Rocks, Stump Cross Caverns and increasingly spectacular views as you climb into the national park.
The Best Places to Visit in the Yorkshire Dales
Malham
If you only have time for one Dales destination, make it Malham. The village itself is tiny, just a scattering of inns, a cafe and a farm shop. But the landscape surrounding it is extraordinary. A 5-mile circular walk from the village takes in Janet’s Foss (a woodland waterfall named, according to legend, after the queen of the local fairies), the raw geological drama of Gordale Scar, and Malham Cove, a 70-metre-high curved limestone cliff that looks like a natural amphitheatre. The limestone pavement on top of the Cove featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which may or may not enhance the experience depending on your feelings about wizards. The walk is moderately challenging in places (Gordale Scar involves a short scramble) but manageable for most reasonably fit walkers.
Grassington
The largest village in Wharfedale and, for many visitors, the prettiest in the entire Dales. Cobbled streets wind between old stone houses, independent shops and a good selection of tea rooms and pubs. Grassington works as both a destination and a base for walks: trails along the River Wharfe connect to neighbouring villages, and the surrounding countryside is classic Dales, green hillsides, wildflower meadows and those ubiquitous drystone walls. The village hosts a music and arts festival each June and a Dickensian Christmas Festival in December that transforms the centre into something out of a Victorian greeting card.
Aysgarth Falls
A triple flight of waterfalls on the River Ure in Wensleydale, spreading across almost a mile of riverbed. The Upper, Middle and Lower Falls are all accessible on foot from the car park, with well-maintained paths through the surrounding woodland. The Upper Falls tend to be busiest, particularly in summer, but the Lower Falls are arguably the most impressive, especially after rain when the volume of water pouring over the broad limestone steps is properly dramatic. There’s a good visitor centre and cafe. Aysgarth is about an hour from Givendale.
Hawes & Wensleydale
The market town of Hawes sits at the head of Wensleydale and is probably best known as the home of the Wensleydale Creamery, where Wallace and Gromit’s favourite cheese has been made since 1897. The creamery offers tours and tastings, and the town itself has a good collection of independent shops, cafes and the excellent Dales Countryside Museum. From Hawes, the Hardraw Force circular walk (about 6 miles) takes you to England’s largest single-drop waterfall, a 30-metre cascade that you can walk behind. Tuesday is market day, when the whole town feels livelier.
Bolton Abbey
A 12th-century monastic estate on a bend of the River Wharfe, about 45 minutes south of Givendale Cottages. The priory ruins are photogenic in any weather, and the estate offers over 80 miles of walking trails through woodland and along the river. The stepping stones across the Wharfe are a favourite with families (and a favourite for getting wet feet). Bolton Abbey is one of the Dales’ most accessible attractions and works well for a half-day visit combined with lunch at one of the nearby pubs.
Swaledale
The furthest north of the main dales, and for many people the most beautiful. Swaledale is quieter, wilder and less visited than Wharfedale or Wensleydale, with a distinct character shaped by its history of lead mining and sheep farming. The village of Reeth, sitting around a broad green with views up and down the dale, is a good starting point, with walks along the River Swale in both directions. The drive into Swaledale via Buttertubs Pass from Hawes is one of Yorkshire’s great roads: high, twisting, with views that made it a feature of the 2014 Tour de France. About an hour and a quarter from Givendale Cottages.
The Yorkshire Three Peaks
Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough are the three highest peaks in the Dales, and the 24-mile circular route linking all three is one of England’s classic challenge walks. Most people attempt it in under 12 hours, starting and finishing in the village of Horton-in-Ribblesdale. You don’t have to do all three in a day. Each peak is a rewarding walk in its own right, with well-marked paths and views that justify every step. Ingleborough, the most popular of the three, can be climbed from the village of Ingleton, which is also the starting point for the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, a lovely 4.5-mile circuit visiting six falls.
Settle & the Ribblehead Viaduct
The market town of Settle is a charming base at the southern edge of the Dales, with good shops, cafes and a regular market. The town sits on the famous Settle-Carlisle Railway, one of the most scenic rail journeys in England, which crosses the Ribblehead Viaduct a few miles north of Settle. The viaduct’s 24 arches striding across the moorland is one of those views that works in any weather, though there’s something especially atmospheric about it under a grey sky with the wind picking up.
Ingleton & White Scar Cave
Just west of the Three Peaks, Ingleton is a village built around adventure. The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail is one of the most popular walks in the Dales, visiting six waterfalls on a 4.5-mile loop. Nearby, White Scar Cave is the longest show cave in Britain, with guided tours through a subterranean world of stalactites, stalagmites and underground waterfalls. Good for rainy days, and genuinely impressive even if caves aren’t normally your thing.
Walking in the Dales: Picking Your Level
The Dales cater to everything from pushchair-friendly riverside strolls to serious fell walks. For a gentle introduction, the paths around Bolton Abbey or along the river at Grassington are hard to fault. Mid-range, the Malham circular and the Aysgarth Falls walks both offer spectacular scenery without requiring any mountaineering. For the ambitious, the Three Peaks challenge or the Dales Way long-distance route (80 miles from Ilkley to Bowness-on-Windermere) provide something to properly train for.
One thing to be aware of: the Dales can be wet. Waterproofs and decent walking boots are non-negotiable for anything beyond a village stroll, and even in summer the hilltops are exposed. Check the weather, but don’t let a forecast of showers put you off entirely. Some of the Dales’ best moments happen in changeable weather, when the light shifts across the valleys and waterfalls are at their most powerful.
What to Eat and Drink
The Dales’ food and drink scene is better than you might expect from a rural national park. Wensleydale cheese is the obvious local speciality (the Hawes Creamery is worth the stop), but there’s more to it than that. The brewery town of Masham, about 20 minutes from Givendale Cottages, is home to both Theakston and Black Sheep breweries, both offering tours and tastings. Dales pubs tend to be proper pubs, the kind where dogs are welcome, fires are lit, and the pies are made by someone who cares. Look out for Yorkshire curd tart, parkin (a ginger cake with oats and treacle), and local ice cream that’s genuinely exceptional.
Back at base, there’s a full guide to places to eat and drink near Givendale Cottages covering everything from riverside pubs to restaurant recommendations in Ripon and Harrogate.
Combining the Dales with Other Days Out
Staying at Givendale Cottages means you’re not limited to the Dales. On days when you want something closer, you can walk the Newby Hall Estate grounds directly from the cottage gate, visit Fountains Abbey (10 minutes by car), explore Ripon or Harrogate, or take the longer trip to York. The North York Moors are also within day-trip range, about 45 minutes to Helmsley on the western edge.
For groups and families, this flexibility matters. Not everyone wants to walk 10 miles across a national park every day. The two-cottage setup at Givendale Cottages means some of the group can head to the Dales while others take a gentler day. If dogs are part of the equation, Givendale’s dog-friendly accommodation and the enclosed gardens make it easy.
When to Visit the Dales
Spring is wildflower season. The meadows fill with colour, lambs appear on every hillside, and the waterfalls are at their best after winter rain. Malham Cove is also home to nesting peregrine falcons during spring and summer.
Summer means long evenings and the best weather for the higher walks. The Dales get busy in school holidays, particularly around Malham, Grassington and Bolton Abbey, but there’s always a quieter valley to find.
Autumn turns the Dales gold. The woods around Bolton Abbey and Aysgarth are spectacular, and the walking is excellent as the crowds thin. September and early October are arguably the best weeks for combining good weather with fewer visitors.
Winter strips the Dales back to their essentials. Bare trees, frost on the fields, snow on the Three Peaks. The pubs become even more welcoming, and the shorter days make for atmospheric walks. Givendale Cottages is currently offering 10% off Autumn 2026 and Winter 2026/27 bookings, which makes a winter Dales break particularly good value.
Practical Information
Capacity: Up to 9 guests across both cottages (5 bedrooms total), or book Moat Cottage (sleeps 4) or Chantry Cottage (sleeps 5) individually.
Location: Great Givendale Cottages, Newby Hall, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 5AD. 30 minutes to Nidderdale, 45 minutes to Grassington, 1 hour to Hawes.
Dogs: Up to 2 per cottage (£20 pet charge).
What’s included: Welcome pack, free bike hire, 25% Newby Hall discount, Wi-Fi, log burners, fully equipped kitchens.
Hot tub: Available as an add-on when both cottages are booked. Enquire with Shanie.
Ready to Plan Your Dales Holiday?
The Yorkshire Dales have been millions of years in the making, and they’re not going anywhere. But a week at Givendale Cottages, with the Dales on one side, the Moors on the other, and a pair of beautifully restored cottages to come home to, is the kind of holiday that people come back from and immediately start planning the next one.
Check availability and book your stay here →
Great Givendale Cottages, Newby Hall, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 5AD
