Welcome to Wensleydale...

Community Newsletter...

For crafts, antiques and fine foods...

Hawes, where this Business Association has its office, is at the head of the Dale. Hawes has a Tuesday indoor and street market on the same day as the Auction Mart. There is the long established Wensleydale Cheese Factory that Wallace and Gromit have helped make famous and the award winning Dales Countryside Museum. It is a thriving town in a beautiful dale where high bare moorland contrasts with the brilliant green of the lower slopes and sheep are dotted everywhere.

For lovers of walking, birdwatching and history...

We have waterfalls, always most spectacular in wet weather, history in stone villages, old churches and the astonishing pattern made by the miles of dry stone walls. The countryside is easily accessible for walking of all types and there is always a village pub at the end of the route with good food as well as drinks. It is quiet for the birdwatcher, peaceful for the weary, stimulating for those looking for a different type of holiday.

For a wide choice of accommodation - all year round...

There is a great choice of accommodation to suit your needs and your pocket at every season of the year. Summer is gorgeous: try the winter - it's very special! There are Bed and Breakfasts out in the countryside and in the villages, country house hotels and pubs; well-serviced camping and caravan sites (none too big) and beautiful holiday cottages of all sizes.

A sense of pride in caring for visitors and offering good value for money are important to local business people.

Upper Wensleydale provides an enviable quality of life for its rural population. The strong character of people and place is reflected in the up-to-date working society with a deep sense of heritage. Dialect can still be heard and many families can be traced back for centuries. Modern businesses, including tourism, shops and services, have grown up alongside farming. The creative output of artists and craftspeople, inspired by the spectacular surroundings, is of exceptionally high quality.

There is a long tradition of welcoming visitors and new residents. Enjoy being part of the Upper Wensleydale community. Your first visit will probably be just that - the first of many.