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Welcome to the Yorkshire Dales
area of Swaledale and Arkengarthdale.
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Featuring the villages of Grinton, Fremmington,
Low Row, Healaugh and Langthwaite in Swaledale
and Arkengarthdale.
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The Yorkshire Dales National Park |
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The Yorkshire Dales National Park
lies between the Lake District in
the west and the North York Moors in
the east. it was designated as a
National Park in 1954. Covering an
area of approximately 1,769 km/683
square miles, the Yorkshire Dales
National Park boasts some of the
finest scenery in the North of
England. The name 'Dales' comes from
the Scandinavian 'Thal' and refers
to valleys in the area made boggy by
rivers flowing down from the Pennine
Hills. |
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The distinctive natural features of
the Yorkshire Dales were shaped by
the melting of glacier ice, eroding
the limestone and sandstone rocks
some 300 million years ago. This
created crags, hills, caves and
expanses of fissured rock pavements,
valleys and waterfalls. Lead mining
began in Roman times and continued
into the 19th century. Quarrying for
the high quality limestone, the
clearing of woodland and building of
villages, farmsteads and low stone
walls so distinctive of the area,
are the man made features of the
Dales. The Yorkshire Dales
National Park offers visitors
opportunities for many outdoor
pursuits including walking,
climbing, horse riding, bird
watching and caving. For
archaeologists there are many
fascinating discoveries to be made,
as this area has been inhabited
since Roman times. Naturalists will
find the area rich in bird and
wildlife, flora and fauna. The
Yorkshire Dales is an area of
beautiful scenery, interesting towns
and villages and many historic
attractions to visit. |
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View
Reeth in a larger map |
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The Two Dales area |
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Grinton
&
Fremington |
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The village of Grinton is 1 mile
south east of Reeth where the green
fertile land of the lower dale
starts to change to the more rugged
upper dale. The name Grinton means
'the green pasture' in Old English.
The first known reference to Grinton
is in 1086. |
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The church, dedicated to St. Andrew,
is a very ancient structure, and has
lately undergone many repairs; the
windows, which are much corroded by
time, are beautifully ornamented
with stained glass. The living is a
vicarage, in the patronage of the
King. There were fairs formerly held
here, but owing to its decreasing
population they were transferred to
Reeth.
The Bridge at Grinton crosses the
River Swale and is a popular launch
for river expeditions by canoe and
kayak. The river is also popular for
fishing. Historically, it was at the
first place above Richmond where the
river could usually be forded. This
crossing place was vital for the
transport of lead by pony from the
many mines & mills in Swaledale.
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Grinton Lodge Youth Hostel overlooks
Grinton and is the
Impressive former shooting lodge.
Set in its own grounds with
magnificent views of Swaledale it is
an ideal location for groups looking
to explore the Two Dales area.
The Bridge Inn in Grinton serves
good food and beer and is across the
road from a fine old house and the
medieval church, which unlike the
pub doesn't have a sheep on the
roof! |
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Fremington is the
next village through Grinton, almost
joined to Reeth and Grinton. It is
split into Low Fremington which is
built along the B6270 and High
Fremington which is a scattering of
houses running up towards Fremington
Edge. Take a walk through the field
between Grinton Bridge and Reeth and
you will come across the old village
cornmill, driven by the Arkle Beck.
On investigation you will find a
very impressive wooden wheel still
complete in it's housing which is
now used as a barn. |
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Healaugh
and Low Row |
Healaugh (pronounced
"hee-law")
is a small
village just through
Reeth on your way up
Swaledale and lies
about 1 mile west of
Reeth.
The
name Healaugh is
derived from a Saxon
word (Heah)
meaning a high-level
forest clearing.
The
village is small,
with no amenities
except a stone
trough fed by a
hillside stream, and
the village
telephone box. The
latter is unusually
well endowed, with a
carpet, waste paper
bin, ash tray,
directories and
fresh flowers.
Visitors may leave a
donation.
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Low Row is your
next stop up the Dale towards
Gunnerside and Muker. The Coast
to Coast long distance walk
passes close to the village but,
For the less adventurous, there
are many walks in the area, from
a gentle stroll to something
more challenging.
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Hazel Brow Organic
Farm and Visitor Centre in Low Row
is open from the end of March to the
end of September each year (closed
Mondays and Fridays except Bank
Holidays). Their completely organic
café (the first in the county?)
offers home-made cakes and scones,
as well as a good selection of hot
and cold food and drinks. They also
have supervised animal handling
sessions (very popular with
children), craft activities, walks,
seasonal demonstrations and more.
Well worth a visit!
Oh yes, slow down
through the village and watch out
for the Cows! |
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The village does have
a pub, The Punch Bowl, has been
re-developed and offers superb food,
excellent ale and great hospitality. |
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Langthwaite |
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Langthwaite is a
small village in Arkengarthdale -
famous as being seen in the opening
title shots of the popular BBC TV
series "All Creatures Great and
Small", based around the books of
the famous Yorkshire vet James
Herriot. |
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The Red Lion Free House in the
centre of the village referred to as
the 'capital' of Arkengarthdale, and
which has featured in numerous films
and television series over the
years, with abundant photos inside
the pub. The pub doubles up as a
tourist information centre and shop.
A bit of a honey pot in the tourist
season but worth a visit. Bar meals
and Black Sheep Beers available.
A little further up the Dale and the
scenery changes above the tree line
to one of open heather bound
moorland. The impressive Stang
Forest can be found on the road to
Barnard Castle with excellent
opportunities to explore. The CB Inn
and world famous Tan Hill Inn,
Gt.Britain's highest, can also be
found on your travels up
Arkengarthdale. |
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2010 Reeth.org. All site content protected
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