Much Moor Yorkshire: Dales Cottages You’ll Love

The Yorkshire Dales National Park has taken countless centuries to reach its current beautiful form. The wind, rain, and occasional ice age has created a rugged landscape that 20,000 people call home, and thousands more visit every year. And if you’re planning to be one of those visitors, below are some great places for you to stay.

As everybody knows, location is the most important thing when choosing where to stay. Lanshaw House is in the very enviable position of being on the northern edge of the Forest of Bowland AONB with the Yorkshire Dales National Park just five miles away and the west coast also in reach. It’s a converted farmhouse so the cottage is surrounded by open fields, giving you wonderful views over the surrounding countryside. Inside the features include a gas-fired Aga, open fireplace, plus an unusual Japanese plunge pool.

The Nunnery in West Burton is a cosy Dales Cottage for two people. It’s on the edge of West Burton, deep in the Wensleydale countryside, and you’ll get some very pleasant views over the surrounding countryside. Large grounds surround the property and the river Bain flows nearby, an excellent spot for you to fish or sit and watch the world go by. If you’re a walker then you’ll be delighted with the number of routes that radiate from the village.

Chapel Farmhouse is near Whaw in the northern part of the Dales. A traditional stone built cottage, exposed wooden beams cross the ceiling and many other original features remain. Outside, Arkle Beck burbles merrily along a few metres from your front door and beyond it is a sweeping panorama of the nearby hills. It’s in prime walking territory, and should you wish to switch National Parks, the Lake District is within easy reach.

Just three miles from the market town of Leyburn is Field Cottage, one of two Dales cottages set high up on a hill that overlooks vast swathes of Coverdale. This converted farm building retains a great many of the original features and the distinctive stone walls, flagging and fireplace add to the rustic feel.

Bridge House is a large Dales cottage in the Upper Wharfedale village of Starbotton. Spacious and well decorated, you get some amazing views up and across the valley from most of the rooms. A shallow stream runs alongside Bridge House, ideal for private fishing, or if you want to go walking then there are many routes and trails you can take from this unspoilt village.

Woodlands is one of the lucky Dales cottages that is on the piece of land that lies between the Forest of Bowland and the Dales National Park. A short distance from the village of Wigglesworth, walkers and cyclists will spoilt for choice about which beautiful area to explore first. Probably the best thing about Woodlands is that it sits on a small rise in the Dales countryside. This elevated position gives you 360 degree unobstructed views of the surrounding Yorkshire landscape for miles and miles.

One of the larger towns in the area, Skipton is home to Bobbin Cottage, a cosy cottage that is ideally located for access to the town’s attractions and amenities. You can visit the town’s 900 year old castle, cruise along the Leeds and Liverpool canal in a hire boat, and see Shakespeare’s First Folio at the Craven Museum. And when you head further afield, well, Skipton’s not known as the Gateway to the Dales for nothing.