The Cotswold, the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District in Focus, 21-28+ days
The Cotswold, the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District in Focus, 21-28+ days
This trip is designed to explore rural villages and market towns in the Yorkshire Dales and ending in the Lake District of the Romantic poets. Your airports will likely be Heathrow or Manchester.
God’s image of Eden at the time of creation, I suspect, was the Yorkshire Dales. Today in the sheltered dales are found the ancient limestone villages, and the surrounding stone farmhouses and stone barns that dot the countryside and emit an ageless rustic look. The mystical dales are nourished by the fast-moving streams that wildly flow from the treeless fells (hills) to nourish the valleys.
Centuries old dry-stone walls are a defining feature of the area and defy description. The mesmerizing stone walls enclose the fields and line the walls and the footpaths that lead you on your way. The stone walls must be seen and touched to be understood and even then one doubts the historical significance and the cost of the human labor involved in building what the 21st century tourist leisurely strolls along after tea.
Artists like Turner and Constable, and writers like the Bronte sisters drew Romantic inspiration from the dark limestone medieval estates that still cast a shadow over the fickle and moody weather that sweeps across the dales.
The moors of the North York Moors National Park provide another distinct feature of the region. The moors, whether dry and covered in purple heather or wet and boggy, are places to find Heathcliff or the hounds of the Baskervilles.
A short drive to the west of the dales you seamlessly arrive in the Lake District. Before leaving home there is some work to do in preparation for this magical part of England. The English lakes were popularized and became famous during the late 19th century by the artists and poets of the Romantic movement.
The Romantics rejected the cold reasoned and flawed objective era of the Enlightenment. The Romantics wanted to balance reason with intuition and emotion. The Romantics reintroduced subjective emotions into the decision-making process that elevated feeling and sentiment. It is here in the Lakes that we are reintroduced to the magic of Beatrice Potter and her friends Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck.
Your mission, if you choose to accept the task is to review some of the following. William Wordsworth, John Ruskin, Robert Southey, Samuel Coleridge, John Constable, J.M.W. Turner.
But first, off to the dales --- and the fells --- and the moors --- and a bit of the sea.
Major points of interest in the Dales include:
Places to stay in the Yorkshire Dales for extended stays 5-10 nights include but not limited to Grassington, Hawes, Helmsley, Kettlewell, Middleham, Burnsall, Thornton-le-Dale, Malham, Robin Hood’s Bay, and towns with train stations Skipton, Settle, and Harrogate. Please check these and others on the internet.
TIP! We have rented for 10-13 nights cottages in each of the following: Burnsall, Kettlewell, Helmsley, and Grassington. The last two had a COOP The stays were not too long, in fact, we wanted to stay longer. Any two for a week would be wonderful.
Places to visit and things to do:
Biking
Ramblings in the Yorkshire area are here, there, and everywhere. All trails are found on the internet with QR code directions. The footpath signs in each village are clearly marked and easy to follow. It takes an extreme effort to get lost, so relax and enjoy your ramble.
The Best drives in the Dales are not worth writing about. They are everywhere but you need to know about the lay-bys: On the left side of the street, which is the side you are driving on, is a muddied lay-by for you to use to enable an oncoming car to pass. If the lay-by was on the opposite side the on-coming driver would use the lay-by. In reality the driver with the easiest access to a lay-by would use it. Seldom will there be a driver who is impolite. They live all their lives on narrow winding roads, so the standard is let’s work together. See Tip on driving videos.
Out and about for the day:
Clothing in both Yorkshire and the Lake District is casual but not cheap. The English take their weather seriously and dress accordingly. Ramblers do not shop at Dollar General nor should you. This trip will throw different weather at you every 15 minutes and there is no reason not to be prepared. Having said that, most days will have lots of sun or a mixture of sun and clouds.
In Rome or Vienna, I carry a backpack --- Deed does not. On this trip Deed never leaves the cottage without her backpack loaded to meet the day. By the way, earlier I wrote about pickpockets and money belts and life in the big cities. On this trip we go sans money belt around the waist and have everything in the backpack. The last pickpocket in the Dales was a 9th century Viking named Thor --- so there is no need to be looking over your shoulder.
Estimated Driving Times and Distances
From Heathrow to Skipton, Yorkshire Dales 260 miles, 4 ½ hours.
From Manchester International Airport to Skipton, 65 miles, 1 ½ hours.
TIP! If you can access Manchester airport it is not only closer to your destination in the Dales, but the airport is user friendly, (i.e. smaller, with less traffic). If your airport is Heathrow not to worry. It simply means that your first day’s drive will have you on your way but not in the Dales.
Arriving at Heathrow I recommend your first night’s rest be in the Cotswold at Bourton-on-the-Water, The Slaughters, Stow-on the Wold, or Chipping Campden. These Cotswold villages are the very definition of an English village and could very well be the area to spend a number of days.
We offer an itinerary built around the exploration of the golden villages of the Cotswold. Check it out.
As a point of reference, it is about a 2-hour relaxing drive from Grassington in the Dales to Keswick in the Lake District. We have used Keswick situated on Derwentwater, a market town with a population of around 5,000 as our base for exploring the region. If you are in Keswick you are there to ramble and the town shops cater to the rambler in search of the right gear.
In the Lakes we travel, as much as we can, by lazy steam lake boats from town to town and to the trails. Having said that, the area offers some of the best driving you may ever experience.
If you like country drives try these scenic adventures:
Kirkstone Pass
Honister Pass
White Haven to Silloth (26 miles)
Deed has a love affair with the Yorkshire Dales, and it is all I can do to get us packed and on our way. As we leave I don’t want to say that Deed is grumpy or anything like that, but I’ll be darned if I can find a more suitable way to put it. I’ll let you decide. What do you think of a person who, knowing we will be driving in a small car, gorged herself the night before departure on onions and garlic. I rest my case.
Try this on for size:
Deed and I live in a middling size county (1102 sq. miles) similar in size to those found in most states that aren’t named Rhode Island and Delaware. It is similar to all the bordering counties, and those are similar to all in the counties in the state. The architecture is the same, the stores are the same, as are the schools. In other words, we live in a world of sameness.
On your trip through England, you will experience three visually distinct “counties”, each much smaller than the one we live in. In the Cotswold the homes are uniformly built of a locally quarried limestone. The limestone is easily split into blocks that have weathered over centuries to a pale golden hue that artists have captured in thousands of paintings.
“Let’s tear that down and build something new.” I have lived with that mentality most of my life. On this trip it is likely you may rent a cottage that is five hundred years old or visit a church that is a thousand years old --- and that would not be unique. Now, one must admit that Henry VIII had a “tear down” attitude but he had lots of issues.
In general, the English do not “tear down” but rather restore, remodel, rejuvenate, refine, and reconvert. The English embrace their history and the architecture that symbolizes that history. On our rambles I often wonder what the man’s life was like who built the wall, or who cut the stone.
In England I don’t feel old at all.
Final Itinerary for Cotswold, Yorkshire Dales, and the Lake District
Suggestions: Windsor, Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow on the Wold, Chipping Campden.
The above places are for short stays: 1-3 nights from and to the airport. Each one is an excellent choice to begin or end the trip, but this is your trip, so I need to confess we have stayed a week or longer in these places. Your decision.
Suggestions for longer stays in the Yorkshire Dales include, 4-9 nights: Grassington, Hawes, Helmsley, Kettlewell, Burnsall, Malham, Appletreewick, Horton-in- Ribblesdale, and Dent. The larger towns of Settle, and Skipton have their own local rail connections to enable you to explore more distant areas.
Suggestions for longer stays in the Lake district include, 4-9 nights: Keswick, Hawkshead, Grasmere, Coniston, Ambleside, Windemere, Pooley Bridge, and the Victorian seaside town of Grange-over-Sands.
Last word about this trip. Remember Deed is watching. I don’t know how, but she is. I think it has something to do with drones.
So:
Do well what you do.
Don’t try to do everything.
You bring it, you ---- --
Slow pace means less stress
Save at home and spend on the trip
Think leisure, gentle, comfort
Review our “We’re Glad You’re Here” entry, as well as Deed’s Guidepost and Essentials for detailed guidance on:
Counting Days and Budget
Packing
The Aging Process
Perspective and Pacing
Stress and Endurance
Car Rental in helping you prepare for your trip
Plan well, travel well, and savor the experience.