Things to do in the Yorkshire Dales when it rains

We can't promise you that it won't rain while you're in the Yorkshire Dales (that's why
the fields are so full of lush green grass!). We can promise you won't run out of things to do - there are plenty of indoor activities in the Yorkshire Dales.

Here are some suggestions from locals and regular visitors to the Yorkshire Dales.
Please get in touch with your own recommendations.

Even in a traditional place like the Yorkshire Dales, things can change, so we recommend double-checking details and opening times before setting off on a long journey

Indoor attractions: explore castles, stately homes, quirky museums & caves

Stump Cross Caverns

The courtyard at Skipton Castle

The warm kitchen at Bolton Castle

Explore every corner of Skipton Castle, from the Banqueting Hall, the Kitchen, the Bedchamber, and discover the Long Drop
Visit the Dales Countryside Museum at Hawes to discover the story of the people and landscape of the Yorkshire Dales, past and present

Swaledale Museum is a small museum crammed with fascinating items and has a great programme of events
Join a tour and enjoy the Georgian Theatre Experience in Richmond, led by a knowledgeable guide who will tell you about the shows, actors and audiences from Georgian times
Visit 17th century Kiplin Hall, built by George Calvert, Secretary of State to James I and the founder of Maryland, USA. There's also an award-winning tea room!
Venture underground and explore one of the show caves at Stump Cross Caverns, Ingleborough or White Scar Cave
There are plenty of indoor areas at Bolton Castle, including the armoury, dungeon, Great Chamber, old kitchens, nursery and bed chambers. Visitors can have a go at traditional medieval games and crafts including backgammon, cards, dice and spool knitting.
Appreciate the treasures, both ancient and eighteenth century inside Newby Hall
Nidderdale Museum in Pateley Bridge is a small museum that's a little like a tardis, with room after room crammed with fascinating exhibits about Nidderdale life
Learn the story of the Terrible Knitters of Dent at the Dent Village Heritage Centre
Visit the Grade 1 listed Settle Folly, built in 1679, home to the Museum of North Craven Life
Visit Craven Museum and Gallery and see Shakespeare’s First Folio
The Richmondshire Museum displays local history. They have ten galleries including: James Herriot's surgery, lead mining, Victorian grocer's shop, ironmonger's shop and life in a cruck house
The Green Howards Museum in Richmond is newly revamped and charts the 300 year history of this local regiment. With activity tables to explore, uniforms to try on and colourful characters to discover, there’s plenty for children to enjoy. Close by is The Station, where you'll find a cinema, restaurant, gallery and several small businesses such as a micro brewery, bakery, ice cream seller, confectioner and vintage shop.

How do they do that? Enjoy watching others at work!

It’s great to get the inside track and see how things work, especially if it involves watching other people work while you’re enjoying your time off! Here are some places you can visit and see things being made

See Annabelle Bradley, the blacksmith at work in her smithy in Malham
The White Rose Candles workshop in Wensley may be tiny but has an amazing variety of candles for sale and you can often see them being made
You’ll see several talented people at the Silver Street Studios in Reeth including sculptor Michael Kusz at Graculus
See how the twist is put into the ropes at Outhwaites Ropemakers in Hawes
Discover how the famous, delicious cheese is made at Wensleydale Creamery
Watch cheese makers, bakers and brewers at the Station in Richmond, where you can also see a film, enjoy an art exhibition, meal in the café or an ice cream from Archers
Take a tour behind the scenes at the Georgian Theatre in Richmond
Learn how to make beer from the experts! Take a tour of Black Sheep Brewery or Theakstons in Masham
Discover the life of monks at Fountains Abbey, where you can also see Fountains Mill working when it rains and have a go at grinding corn
See chocolates being made at Inspired Chocolate near Leyburn, see a film about chocolate before returning to the shop where you can buy unusual pieces such as chocolate stilettos and drink hot chocolate in the cafe
Visit Farfield Mill on the edge of Sedbergh, where you can easily spend several hours looking at the exhibits, speaking to the craftspeople who work there and looking around the galleries before tucking into some cake in Weavers Cafe.

Malham Smithy

Wensleydale Cheese

Cafes & tea rooms, recommended by locals

Bivouac, Ilton nr Masham

The Bivouac at Ilton near Masham is a quirky cafe where you can enjoy a warming hot chocolate, play some old fashioned board games or just catch up with friends and family. They also run special events, trails and craft activities.
Clapham Bunk cafe bar is a great place for wet days, dogs, kids, muddy gear welcome and fabulous food. A warm welcome, great food and a great selection of real ales. Quaint & quirky!

The Coppice Cafe at the nearby Aysgarth National Park centre does lovely fresh home-made scones.
Challenge yourself to try as many flavours as possible at Brymor Ice Cream just round the corner from the beautiful Jervaulx Abbey, where there's also a tea room.
Great local tea room with good food and gifts in a lovely village in the Dales, Zarina’s in Kettlewell.
Falls Cafe & Bistro is cosy and also has a mini gallery of local artists displayed on the walls, and gifts in their tiny gift shop.
The Cart House Tearoom, Hardraw: homemade produce, scones & soup - an ideal stop after a visit to Hardraw Scar waterfall.
Three Hares Café in Sedbergh has a strong local reputation for its great fresh bread, cakes and snacks.

Fab food from local shops and farms

Why buy food from faceless supermarkets when you can buy from people who care about what they do, who know their customers and their suppliers and who take proper pride in serving high quality food at really reasonable prices? You’ll be welcomed (and dry) at all these lovely places where you can also get a taste of our fantastic local produce. So don’t be shy, come and shop!

The Town End Farm Shop at Airton by Malham is a great place to buy local food, as well as to enjoy excellent cakes, coffee and meals. Upstairs you'll find a really fantastic selection of gifts and home wares, many of which are lovingly created in Yorkshire.
Look out for the assortment of animals near Berry’s Farm Shop at Swinithwaite or walk down the hill to see the waterfall before enjoying a meal or snack in the cafe.

Country Harvest at Ingleton is a veritable emporium of food and gifts, with a great programme of demonstrations and events.
Campbells in Leyburn is an unexpected delight –unveiling foodie delights and with a very extensive selection of fine wines. Ideal for picking up a picnic to enjoy on the Shawl when the sun eventually shines!

Hide from the weather in a cosy pub or dine in a fine restaurant

Brasserie in the Courtyard, nr Settle

Lister Arms, Malham

The Austwick Traddock restaurant

Angel Inn at Hetton

Black Sheep Brewery, Masham

There are few places where you’ll find as many cosy and friendly pubs as in the Yorkshire Dales, and on rainy days they can be even better! Here’s a selection of "locals" recommended by locals!

As soon as you walk in to The Sportsmans Arms in Wath, Nidderdale, you feel your shoulders relax and on a winter's day with the log fire, it's very difficult to drag yourself back outside. The beer is great too!!
Enjoy an excellent meal at the Traddock, in Austwick, a local beer or two, and stay overnight in one of their cosy rooms
With the bright decor, beautiful wall-hangings by Andrea Hunter and high beams, you'll feel much sunnier in the Brasserie at the Courtyard near Settle
With Ed and Jackie now at the helm The George Inn, Hubberholme must be one of the cosiest friendliest pubs in the Dales. Always a fire in the old fireplace and often with George, the Jack Russell stretched out beside it, The George offers true warmth and hospitality, local banter and great food.
The George Inn Thoralby - is a traditional country inn located in beautiful Bishopdale near Aysgarth Falls - a hidden oasis.
Enjoy Gastronomic delights in the Blue Lion at East Witton or fishy treats at the Wensleydale Heifer in West Witton
Warm your feet in front of the open fire whilst sipping an ale at the Cover Bridge Inn near Middleham
Convince yourself that you’re not just whiling away time in a lovely pub, but actually doing a good deed and community service while enjoying a hearty meal at the Forresters in Carlton-in-Coverdale – it’s a community-owned pub!
Eat at one of the original gastro pubs focusing on local food - the Angel at Hetton, which also has an amazing wine selection and art displays around the bar and restaurant area
Nothing like a cosy night in with some friendly locals at the Punchbowl in Swaledale or a speciality night at the CB Inn in Arkengarthdale
How about trying a pub with no beer – the Cross Keys at Cautley, a temperance inn! The beautiful 400 year old building has a small farmhouse style restaurant open during the day. It’s been famous for its ham and eggs for over 60 years!
Admire the view from the country’s highest pub at the Tan Hill Inn
The Farmers’ Arms, Muker is the sort of old pub where you can just relax and sit by an open fire and eat home cooked food.
The Queens Arms in Litton has been upgraded but retains its original charm and serves local beers
At the Lister Arms in Malham you can enjoy a warm ambience and Yorkshire Chorizo created by local farmer Chris Wildman
The Fox and Hounds at West Witton is a great village local and family friendly.
The Green Dragon Pub, Hardraw near Hawes has the added attraction of the walk to its own waterfall,
The Bridge at Grinton has the added attraction of folk music on Thursdays
With Sharon and Ken now at the helm, the refurbished Bruce in Masham offers great food, a cosy setting and banter from very friendly locals

Great places to shop in the Yorkshire Dales

Explore Sedbergh's Main Street - all sorts of quirky shops, especially books, to fill an afternoon of browsing. There’s no shortage of good books in Sedbergh, England’s book town. Westwood Books in Sedbergh has 70,000 new and second books hand on two floors, open seven days a week from 10.30. Craftworkshop in Sedbergh at 61 Main Street is small, but displays a myriad of items, all locally made.
Scenic View Gallery is Reeth is famed for their fantastic landscape photography. Nearby is Fat Sheep, selling products all made exclusively in the Yorkshire Dales.
Masham has a great combination of small shops, galleries and cafes. Buy local art and high quality crafted products from Masham Gallery or the Little Picture House Gallery, and Nolon Stacey Gallery, old-fashioned sweets from Bah Humbugs, or fudge from Joneva, and gifts from the Birdhouse
Take a trip to Leyburn and enjoy browsing around the art galleries: Wensleydale Galleries on Leyburn Business Park; Northern Galleries; Warland’s Gallery and Emma Sedman Gallery. There's also a fantastic ironmongers and hard ware shop, House & Home, with great toy shop upstairs.
Sheep’s wool is incredibly resilient. It can keep you warm even when wet. Go and buy a locally made woolly jumper from Swaledale Woollens to see how it works! While you’re in Muker, visit the tea shop, lovely old church and friendly pub with its cosy open fire
Settle has a great selection of independent shops including the award-winning The House That Jack Built full of gifts for children
The Courtyard near Settle is a collection of beautifully re-furbished former farm buildings, now housing the excellent Lime Gallery, award-winning Courtyard Dairy, Dalesbred, Abraham Moon, Yorkshire manufacturer of beautiful woollen accessories and designer country wear, as well as Buon Vino wine shop and the Brasserie
In Hawes you'll find the Chapel Gallery, the newly refurbished shop at the Dales Countryside Museum and the Mulberry Bush and the Herriot Gallery houses a constantly changing selection of paintings and other artwork
Richmond has many independent shops and galleries including the Showcase Gallery, Yorke House, and Pop-Up Gallery. Just down the road is the former Richmond Station where there is a cluster of small food producers including a bakers, ice-cream makers, sweet-makers, and micro-brewery
Focus on Felt in the village of Hardraw is where Andrea Hunter displays her unique felt pictures in her Gallery.
Visit Tennants Auction House, where there are permanently displays of items for forthcoming sales. The new building definitely has the "Wow" factor, special events are also held there with art exhibitions, specialist talks etc. Complete with cafe and Restaurant now open Monday to Saturday.

Learn a new skill

Felting at the Threshing Barn, Sedbergh

Birdwatching at Nethergill Farm

John Rudden, Grassington House Hotel

Shelter from the weather and learn a new skill:

Try something completely new with an art or craft workshop at Artison near Masham, where you can learn anything from water-colours, to blacksmithing and ceramics
Old Sleningford farm near Masham has an excellent range of courses, where you can learn to make baskets, willow chairs, sausages and how to make wild medicine and food!
Stay at Nethergill Farm, a mixed hill farm with luxurious accommodation, whichhas its own bird hides and runs many day courses including a wildflower workshop, sketchbook fun, and creative photography
Have a creative day at The Threshing Barn in Silver Street, Reeth learning to process and dye local wool before learning to spin, weave or felt. Or you could create your own miniature landscape complete with dry stone walls, tree trunks and even a dormouse or squirrel by a dry needle felting technique.
Learn from John Rudden as he demonstrates master-chef techniques for superlative cooking. Witty and entertaining, the master-classes are held in the dining room at Grassington House Hotel.
Take part in a woodworking weekend at Gayle Mill where you can smell the wood being cut on a rack, hear the click of the belts running over the wheels as the turbines drive them and see the machines cutting. They also have other courses such as crochet, spinning yarn and knitting.
Find out how to make felt, weave and other textile crafts at Farfield Mill near Sedbergh. Look out for the details of events accompanying their exhibition programme.
Visit Bentham Pottery to browse the showroom, or book a half day, full day or weeks course to learn all the skills needed to produce handmade pottery
Put your artistic side to the test at Hazel Manor where you can book a sculpture course/break, three days of stone carving tuition with luxurious accommodation included at the artists own 5 star Bed and Breakfast.
Cottontail Crafts in Settle have a great selection of craft kits and crafting supplies, and will happily help you choose
Get ready for better days outdoors and on the hills by taking a navigation course, or safety on the hills course, learn vertical caving techniques or how to climb with Yorkshire Dales Guides

Wonderful waterfalls

Waterfalls are at their most spectacular when it’s been raining. There's no shortage of them in the Yorkshire Dales:

Stainforth Foss/Force: a picturesque waterfall where Atlantic salmon gather each Autumn and leap the falls on their way upstream to spawn
Janet’s Foss: a small and pretty waterfall near Malham
Ingleton waterfalls: a trail takes in a series of lovely waterfalls
Catrigg Force: a hidden gem located in a small wooded copse one mile upstream from Stainforth village.
Force Gill Waterfall: an often overlooked beautiful 6 metre waterfall just a short detour from the Three Peaks route between Ribblehead Viaduct and Whernside.
Aysgarth Falls and Cotter Force in Wensleydale both of which can be seen using easy access footpaths.
Hardraw Force: the longest single drop waterfall in England: pay at the Green Dragon pub
Cautley Spout in the Howgills
Linton and West Burton falls

Revel in the rain

The Yorkshire Dales air is fresh whether it rains or not. And if you go for a walk and get wet, you’ll feel you’ve really deserved a bigger helping of pudding when you go for that treat in a cosy café.

Go for a swim at Ingleton swimming pool. It is heated, so even in the rain it is a great experience
Don’t let the rain spoil the fun – put on wellies and raincoats to follow the Studfold Trail in Nidderdale
Go to meet the llamas at Nidderdale Llamas! Book an On Farm Experience or a Camelid Experience. 80% of the session is 'indoors' with all the animals! For the other 20% just wear a good waterproof, it's great fun in the rain and the llamas don't mind at all!
Brimham Rocks are amazing in the rain: you can still enjoy an excellent game of hide and seek, finding lots of sheltered and dry places to hide among the rocks. Not so far away are some lovely tea tooms in Pateley Bridge, all cosy with a cup of coffee and cake
Call in at the Keld Countryside & Heritage Centre and have a look round so you know more about the surrounding countryside. Then enjoy sploshing in your walk in your wellies (preferably flowery, spotty, stripey colourful ones) from Keld to Muker and see dozens of wildflowers (some quite rare), and birds including the oystercatcher. Look out for frogs, they love wet weather!
How long is it since you got properly muddy and stopped acting your age? Have some fun – swoop down some of the Swaledale hills on two wheels from the Dales Bike Centre, Fremington. You’ll really appreciate their excellent cake afterwards...
Come rain or shine there's great fun to be had at Bolton Abbey. As you wander through the woods along the surfaced paths let nature’s giant umbrella, the tree canopy, shelter you from the rain and see if you can spot all of nature’s delights in the Strid Wood I Spy
Try geocaching – the rain can even make it more of an adventure. There are locations around the Dales but we love Hackfall and Hester Cox’s special geo cache art trail

The right kind of clothes

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing” - Alfred Wainwright
Recommended outdoor shops in the Yorkshire Dales where you can buy waterproofs and warm clothes:

Rohan in Long Preston
Castleberg Outdoors & Cave and Crag shops in Settle
Inglesport & Bernies Caving Shop in Ingleton -- Bernies Cafe also offers a specialist kit hire service
Cunningham's and Three Peaks Outdoors in Hawes
The Walking Shop in Leyburn
The Mountaineer Shop & CC Outdoors in Grassington
Farfield Clothing in Sedbergh
The Yorkshire Dales National Park Centres

Jolly journeys - without a car

Catch Wensleydale Railway's train from Leeming Bar, Bedale,
Finghall or Leyburn to Redmire and connect with the Vintage Bus to see
Aysgarth Falls, spectacular in rain!
Take a trip on the Settle to Carlisle Railway or go on a barge on Skipton Canal
Enjoy a journey on the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway

Have you got some recommendations for places to go and things to do when it rains? What have we missed? If you have suggestions to be added to this page please email

This is an independent site, using recommendations from people who live in the Yorkshire Dales. None of the businesses mentioned on this site have paid to be here, nor is the site funded by any other organisation so you can be sure these are genuine recommendations from people who really love the area. It's a work in progress so forgive the omissions, broken links and inaccuracies... If you'd like a more official and comprehensive guide to this beautiful area, please go to the sites run by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty