Is Masham the Yorkshire Dales' most creative community? I think so.

Before we start, let's get the name right. It's  pronounced "Massam" (meaning: Massa's ham as in saxon chieftain's farmstead), not Mash-em! Masham is a small market town with an incredible concentration of artistic and cultural activities and people. It sits on the fringes of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty so an inspiring landscape is a given.
 
At this time of year when mist so often cloaks the countryside and the fields seem to appear in layers of muted colour, we often comment 'it looks just like an ​​Ian Scott Massie painting! Scott captures the Dales landscape in atmospheric watercolours, screen prints, poetry and stories. ​​Charlotte Morrison hand builds delicate ceramic vessels inspired by local landscapes and vintage items. You can see their work at Masham Gallery alongside work by many other local artists and makers. Josie Beszant’s work is often based around the idea of collections and memories, evoking strong emotions and telling the stories behind half-forgotten ephemera. 

​Nolon Stacey’s Gallery features his very detailed, pencil drawings of British wildlife, dogs and farm animals. Simon Palmer has shown his enigmatic depictions inspired by North Yorkshire at the Royal Academy and regularly holds acclaimed London exhibitions but you can still sometimes buy his work through Masham Gallery. 

Maureen and Tim Simon at Uredale Glass have been blowing brightly coloured glass for many years and their daughter, Zoe, is now taking on the mantle, specializing in fused glass. 

​Stone carver Gaynor Pearson works to commission & you'll increasingly spot her work around Masham. Nearby Em Fountain creates incredible felted hares, green men and other animals.
 
Rob Blades’ beautiful illustrated maps of Masham and Fearby can be seen on postcards and posters. Every year he creates a new design for the Sheep Fair tea towels which have become collectors’ items and sell out each year.  ​

You might want to learn to create your own artistic or craft masterpiece – you can do exactly that at ArtisOn near Masham where the cakes and lunches are just as good as the tuition!
 
If you’d rather enjoy your art outdoors, look out for the two sculpture trails. One is known as the Leaves Walk and follows a route along the River Ure. The sculptures are large but some are a little hidden.

​The Swifts Trail is centred around the market square and roads leading from it. You’ll find it much easier to find them all if you pick up a leaflet from the Visit Masham community office, which also has its own small gallery, the Blue Light Gallery (the building used to be a police station) featuring a changing programme of local artists.
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Twice a year, Masham plays host to an excellent contemporary craft fair (no crocheted toilet roll holders!), Crafted by Hand when carefully selected makers show their talents and sell their creations. The Town Hall is home to many other events from comedy to plays, bands, poetry evenings, film showings and exhibitions.
 
Within the Masham community, there are many friendly creative groups including the Photographic Society, Knit and Natter, the Quilters, Masham Players, Masham Muscial Society, and Women’s Institute.
 
It’s also worth visiting St. Mary’s Church, some of which dates to the 12th century. Inside you’ll find a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds and intricate carvings from the 17th century. Just outside the door you’ll see the richly carved Saxon Cross so it seems Masham’s creativity isn’t just a recent thing! Every Spring in the next village the Himalayan Gardens have an outdoor sculpture exhibition. ​

Just up the road from Masham is nearby Fearby Village Hall is the stage for the annual pantomime – so popular that when tickets go on sale, queues form at the makeshift box office. 
 
Masham has a long history of inspiring creative people and artists such as Julius Caesar Ibbetson and Turner. Perhaps there’s just something in the air, especially now that it has two breweries (Black Sheep Brewery and Theakstons Brewery) and its own gin - Spirit of Masham available from Corks and Cases.

​You can even eat Masham’s creativity at Vennell's Restaurant in Masham or Samuels at Swinton Park where you can also join a cookery class to create your own culinary masterpieces!

I quite like the rain. When we have too much of it, my house sometimes floods so I can definitely see its down side, but within reason I think rain can actually be too good.

If you live somewhere the sun doesn't always shine, isn't it better to decide that bad weather isn't necessarily all bad?

If you decide to like rain, at the very least it means you'll be happier more often...

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So here are my top reasons for not minding rain in the Yorkshire Dales: 

1. It definitely contributes to the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales. Without rain, the grass would not be as lush and green. 

2. The Yorkshire Dales are so-called because of the dales - the river valleys. Without rain, we wouldn't have rivers and the Dales would be something else entirely. 

3. Some places are definitely at their best when it rains, especially waterfalls that look so much better and more dramatic after a good downpour. 

4. Heavy rain is a good reason to retreat into a cosy pub and enjoy the atmosphere of a lovely indoor space, hearty food, good drinks and company. A good pub turns into an excellent one when you're inside and it's raining outside. 

5. Rainbows are instantly uplifting, instilling wonder and marvel for a few sudden, unexpected precious minutes. And that's always a good thing. 

6. Rain after a few sunny days means we get to enjoy 'petrichor', the wonderful name for the special smell and feel of earth dampened by rain after a dry spell. 

7. A few days of wet weather always make us appreciate the dry, warmer days much more. Isn't it wonderful to be able to enjoy all the different seasons? 

8. Rain can really highlight nature's beauty: a few drops of rain on a leaf, or caught in a spider's web encourage us to stop, look and appreciate. 

9. Puddles. Horrible in the wrong shoes, delightful in wellies. Dogs love them. Children love them. One of my fondest birthday party memories was when a small group of my friends and I were allowed to splosh about in some huge puddles on a track near my house. I'm sure my parents went to a lot of trouble to arrange birthday treats but the one when everyone got to paddle in "Briggsie's puddles" was one of the best. 

10. In some places rain sends people scuttling inside. Here it's a great conversation starter. A wry smile, and quick glance towards the sky, "it's looking black over our Bill's mothers" when it's still maybe 'fair t'middlin', some drizzle or 'it's spitting', and then a torrential downpour bringing with it some wonderfully rich expressions: 'raining cats and dogs', 'siling down', 'chucking it down', and 'raining stair rods'.

And then there's that wonderful feeling of getting absolutely saturated, knowing your clothes are more than just damp, seeing your flesh turn blotchy with the power of the cold and rain, being able to go inside, put on the kettle, and get changed and warm and dry again. Isn't rain wonderful? 

For a little while it felt like Ingleton had sort of lost its self-confidence, happy in its gorgeous surrounding countryside but not entirely sure of what it was trying to be. Suddenly it feels optimistic again, with some interesting new shops and a new energy. What was a little grey is now brighter and more colourful, intriguing even. 

Of course many already visit Ingleton after a trip to see Ribblehead Viaduct, or come specially to enjoy the waterfall, see the Pottery and perhaps to shop for outdoor clothing. Those who were less hardy didn't necessarily think of coming to Ingleton to browse, wander and treat themselves. 

​This is now changing. Bernies, 'the oldest cafe in Ingleton' has had a make-over, and is as popular as ever, particularly with those coming with soggy dogs or muddy boots, partial to home baking.

​Next door the old Post Office also has a new life, describing itself as a 'micro bar' and packing an interesting variety of drinks and snacks into their cosy small space.

If you saw the excellent film, Lad: A Yorkshire Story, you may recognise one of the owners of another relatively new business on the edge of Ingleton. Bretton Lord (who had the lead role in the film) and his business partner run the slightly bonkers (in a good way) Lords Antiques and Salvage. It's a crazy mixture of the obvious, unusual, beautiful, mundane, remarkable and don't-know-why-anyone-would-buy-that. You're pretty much guaranteed to find something that you didn't know you wanted here, whether it's a lion statue, a leaky boat (the price tag suggests it could be used as a huge planter), old baking dishes or a patchwork quilt. 

Ingleton's newest business is also its most colourful, and judging by the delighted cries of everyone who came in when I was there, its most upbeat. Amanda Bloom already runs the successful Little Box of Crochet and has now opened Craftopia, selling yarns, craft materials, books and also hosting a range of courses. There's a wonderful warm feeling in the shop, with the sound of laughter, and lots of exclamations of pleasure at the treasures inside. Yarn-bombing has spread through Yorkshire - I can well imagine that if Amanda decides it should happen in Ingleton, it will be in a league of its own. ​

I don't think there's another hamlet as small as Keld, which brings  so much pleasure to so many people. It's thanks to the beauty of Swaledale and majesty of Kisdon that Keld attracts visitors, but some of its charm is more man-made.

Compared to centuries ago when Keld was at the centre of the lead-mining industry and as many as 5000 people lived in the area, it's now a tiny settlement with fewer than a couple of hundred souls. Despite its size Keld has a handful of imposing buildings, mainly built during the times when lead-mining was at its height.

​The Chapel was rebuilt thanks to an incredible 'sponsored' walk. Edward Stillman preached in barns throughout Swaledale, When he arrived in Keld, he promised to rebuild the former chapel which had fallen into disrepair. He raised the money by begging along his walk to London.

Keld still has a strong sense of self-help and self-determination and is very welcoming to visitors. Take a look inside the delightful little Keld Heritage Centre which will tell you more about Keld's history, and then you can sit and enjoy the tranquility of the community orchard.

Keld takes its name from the Viking word Kelda, meaning a spring. Water certainly plays its part in Keld's attraction. The series of waterfalls - Kisden Force, East Gill Force, Catrake Force and Wain Wath Force attract bathers in Summer and admiring onlookers in Winter when the water crashes down the River Swale. 

Keld sits on the crossroad of two well-known and much-loved, challenging long distance walks, the Coast-to-Coast and Pennine Way, as well as being at the start of the newer Swale Trail from Keld to Reeth. It's also on a less attractively-named route - the Corpse Way which runs on to Grinton, once the nearest consecrated ground for burials.  Near to Keld is another famous landmark, sadly diminishing year by year - Crackpot Hall. 

One of Keld's lesser known claims to fame is as the home of musician Richard Alderson, better known as Neddy Dick who created a limestone lithophone using stones from the River Swale. You can hear more about him and his ballad here. 

All images by Guy Carpenter - Gullwing Photography.

On the right hand side of the A684 between Swinithwaite & Aysgarth is a little known site, which once was the home of a great and mysterious power: it's the Preceptory of the Knights Templars. It's now almost a thousand years since the order was founded and yet we're still fascinated by these early medieval knights. 

I had to look up the meaning of a preceptory - it's a monastery of the Order of the Knights of the Temple of Jerusalem.

If you take the footpath up to this little spot you'll still be able to see the remains of the small chapel, base of the altar and three stone coffins. It's thought that Roger Mowbray founded the Penhill preceptory around 1142, but by 1328 it was already ruined.

So who were the Knights Templar? After Jerusalem was captured from Muslim control during the Crusades, European Christian pilgrims started to visit the Holy Land but they faced many dangers along the way. A knight called Hugues de Payens created a military order in 1118 to protect travellers, and they established a base in Jerusalem, becoming known for their austere white habits bearing a simple red cross. They eventually had the blessing of the Pope and gained special rights such as being exempt from paying tax.

I was quite fascinated to find out that the Knights Templar set up their own banks and even had a system that enabled pilgrims to deposit money in their home country and then withdraw it in the Holy Land. They also lent money to European nobles. The order grew in status and they were able to establish new chapters but their assets were eventually seized by the King of France and then King Edward II of England. 

Once you've discovered the Preceptory, you can wander back towards Swinithwaite to enjoy a drink or meal at Berry's Farm Shop. Thanks to Tim Durham from Wensleydale Experience for these photos. 

It may feel like a long time since the early summer months and even longer to go until we can enjoy the Yorkshire Dales hay meadows in the sunshine again.

If you love the wild flowers of the meadows and would like to do something to make the world a better place for all kinds of wildlife to enjoy, not to mention more colourful and beautiful for humans, here's a simple idea.

Now is a very good time to sow some wildflower seeds to re-create your own corner of the Yorkshire Dales, and remind you to plan another trip here to see our extensive hay meadows.

They're fantastic habitats for bees and other wildlife. 

The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust can help you create a haven for wildlife in your own garden with their Wildflower Meadow Starter Kit. The Kit includes 2 packets of wildflower seed which has been sustainably harvested from meadows across northern England. It also includes a step-by-step guide to creating your own mini meadow, a seed propagation guide, a flowers and grasses identification guide and meadow walk guide. When you buy the kit, you're also supporting a wonderful charity that does so much good work in the Dales, including helping to develop and maintain more hay meadows.  

If you'd like to see the Yorkshire Dales hay meadows in full bloom, it's a good idea to book your accommodation now as Spring and early Summer are popular times to visit, and it's great to have something to look forward to through out the winter months!

Last Monday a committed team of people met to discuss something they've been talking about for over 30 years - Masham Sheep Fair. Many of the volunteers who organise the event have been involved since it began in 1985. Over time they've been joined by others, all committed to ensuring its ongoing success. 

The programme remains the same every year, which is part of its charm. I sell programmes over the two days from a trailer in the centre of the square, and see many familiar faces, some of whom have been coming since the beginning. A couple of years ago an American women came to buy a programme and she proudly showed me her Masham Sheep Fair sweatshirt, with a design I didn't recognise. 25 years ago her friend bought it for her at the Sheep Fair and ever since then she'd been planning her own trip to see what all the fuss was about. 

The action-packed programme includes sheep showing classes on both Saturday and Sunday, the famous Sheep Show when you'll have the chance to see just how different sheep breeds really are. You can place your bets on sheep racing (sheep chasing a farmer to reach his bucket of feed), wool crafts, fleece stalls, Bishop Blaize Procession, very creative flower displays in St. Mary's Church, sheepdog demonstrations, charity and other stalls, and Morris dancers and brass band. 
 
Susan Cunliffe-Lister is the super-woman behind the event. The event is partly inspired by the times when Masham was famous for its sheep sales, when as many as 70,000 sheep were sold each year in the large market square. The original plan was to hold a one-off event to raise money for farmers in Africa - Sheep Aid. After the success of that initial event, it was decided to repeat it each year, raising money for local charities. Since then over £170,000 has been raised for local charities, particularly Yorkshire Air Ambulance. So please do come to see me in the trailer in the middle of the square to buy a programme - a bargain at £2 and every penny raised goes to do good in local communities. 

All these fantastic mages are by Guy Carpenter - Gullwing Photography

As the weather starts to change and thoughts turn to Autumn, there's a feeling in the air that it might soon be time to retreat a little, to indulge in a little hibernation, in a cosy Yorkshire Dales pub. We're known for having a particularly high pub-to-people-ratio, which on the whole is a good thing but it makes choosing the right pub even harder!

What makes a good Yorkshire Dales pub? I suppose the first consideration might be the beer that's served there - preferably from a local brewery including Black Sheep Brewery, Theakstons, Yorkshire Dales brewery in Askrigg, Dent Brewery, Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery and Copper Dragon in Skipton. The beer supply couldn't be closer than in the Black Bull in Paradise. Or maybe beer's not your thing and you'd like to try the 'pub with no beer'? 

If it's Summer you might want a pub with a lovely outdoor space or somewhere attractive to sit and watch the world go by such as at the Fountaine in Linton. During the Winter, our many pubs with real fires become even more popular. Walkers who like to wander with their dogs will no doubt like our list of dog-friendly pubs. 

Most Yorkshire Dales pubs serve excellent food and drink. Some of our pubs have 'interesting' traditions such as ferret racing at the Craven Arms in Appletreewick or candle-lit land letting at the George Inn in Hubberholme, or those where quoits are played. Some pubs are particularly good places to go for specialist knowledge or meet locals who're in know, such as the Richard III in Middleham where horse-racing is a hot topic of conversation. There are pubs with James Herriot connections such as in Askrigg and Carperby, or you might like to go somewhere more remote to enjoy watching the stars such as the CB Inn or England's highest pub, Tan Hill Inn. 
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Whatever your taste in pubs, take a look at this list of places all recommended by locals and regular visitors. 

East Witton is a small hamlet with picture-perfect, well-kept cottages clustered round the long village green. It's easy to imagine the idyllic beginnings of a children's story book, with kindly characters wandering in and out of each other's houses, playing games on the green.

Huge chestnut trees offer shade for a game of quoits, or to enjoy the rope swing. You can still see the village taps - mains water was only connected in the 1950s. 

Many people come through East Witton on their way to visit Jervaulx Abbey or to enjoy a walk along the River Ure or River Cover, up towards Middleham. If you take the narrow winding back road from the top side of the green, past Braithwaite Hall and onwards through Coverdale, you'll reach the very special, secret spot of the Coverham Abbey ruins.

A few years ago I once spotted what I was convinced was a black panther, motionless in a field by Braithwaite Hall. When I looked it up, I found several other similar reports, so maybe I was right? 

Perhaps the main reason for coming to East Witton is for its excellent pub, the Blue Lion. The name comes from the coat of arms of the family who owned the neighbouring estate. As you drive through the cobbled archway to the car park, you can also see the ghosts of the horses and travellers of yore, gratefully stopping off at this old coaching inn, which evolved from a former shooting lodge. Whether you eat in the restaurant or by the lovely atmospheric bar (I think it's perfect in Autumn and Winter), they serve excellent food. It's one of those pubs where it feels like there's always something going on, full of characters and the odd famous face. For a while I think custom was particularly good thanks to reports of Prince Charles and then Daniel Craig eating there. 

The church just around the corner from the village has a pulpit created by Robert Thompson, the Mouseman. ​