Things to do in and around Nidderdale
Peaceful Nidderdale meadow
Nidderdale is the long dale of the River Nidd running from Great Whernside towards the Vale of York, a wild gritstone landscape and moorland to the west and a pastoral landscape to the east. Reservoirs such as Gouthwaite and Scar are a distinctive feature of the dale and their stories are told at the Nidderdale Museum in Pateley Bridge.
Sandstone crags and tors punctuate the landscape – visitors love to marvel at the curious shapes of Brimham Rocks. Spectacular views across the dale reward those who take the short walk up to the Coldstones Cut, Yorkshire’s largest public artwork.
Nidderdale is home to internationally important species of bird such as red grouse, golden plover and merlin. It includes a World Heritage Site at Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, a vast historic estate comprising the largest abbey ruins in the country, a deer park and a Georgian water garden designed by John Aislabie. The Aislabie connection continues at magical Hackfall Wood where his son William designed a woodland garden complete with follies, waterfalls and gushing fountain.
Traditional hamlets and villages, such as Middlesmoor and Lofthouse, are scattered throughout Nidderdale, some on old drovers’ roads snaking over the moor. At Nidderdale’s heart is the small town of Pateley Bridge which winds its way up the hill and is renowned for shops selling local produce and The Oldest Sweet Shop in England! The town is a great place to stop and buy delicious local foods before a trip 'updale'.
Towards the top of the Dale you’ll find some remarkable attractions: How Stean Gorge; Nidderdale Llamas and the Studfold Adventure Trail, on land farmed by 16 generations of the same family.
Don’t leave Nidderdale until you’ve…
Sandstone crags and tors punctuate the landscape – visitors love to marvel at the curious shapes of Brimham Rocks. Spectacular views across the dale reward those who take the short walk up to the Coldstones Cut, Yorkshire’s largest public artwork.
Nidderdale is home to internationally important species of bird such as red grouse, golden plover and merlin. It includes a World Heritage Site at Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, a vast historic estate comprising the largest abbey ruins in the country, a deer park and a Georgian water garden designed by John Aislabie. The Aislabie connection continues at magical Hackfall Wood where his son William designed a woodland garden complete with follies, waterfalls and gushing fountain.
Traditional hamlets and villages, such as Middlesmoor and Lofthouse, are scattered throughout Nidderdale, some on old drovers’ roads snaking over the moor. At Nidderdale’s heart is the small town of Pateley Bridge which winds its way up the hill and is renowned for shops selling local produce and The Oldest Sweet Shop in England! The town is a great place to stop and buy delicious local foods before a trip 'updale'.
Towards the top of the Dale you’ll find some remarkable attractions: How Stean Gorge; Nidderdale Llamas and the Studfold Adventure Trail, on land farmed by 16 generations of the same family.
Don’t leave Nidderdale until you’ve…
- Explored Brimham Rocks
- Discovered some of the hidden nooks and crannies of Fountains Abbey
- Visited How Stean Gorge and scrambled along the gorge, traversed narrow bridges and pathways to explore Tom Taylor’s Cave, and had a go at the Via Ferrata (one of only two in England)
- Explored Hackfall Wood, and discovered some of the geocache boxes
- Walked around one of the reservoirs and counted how many different species of bird you can see
- Understood Nidderdale’s story at Nidderdale Museum in Pateley Bridge
- Bought glass, jewellery or artwork from some of the creative folks at King Street Workshops at the Old Workhouse
- Climbed the hill to see the amazing view from Coldstones Cut and come down to explore the old chimney from the former lead mining industry
- Gone underground at Stump Cross Caverns
- Eaten an award-winning pork pie from Kendall's Farm Butchers or H. Weatherhead & Sons
- Trekked with a llama at Nidderdale Llamas
- Bought some sweets from England’s oldest sweet shop
- Tried all of the locally made ice creams
- Found the clues in the secret boxes or built a den along the Studfold Adventure Trail