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Askrigg

Askrigg is a small Wensleydale village roughly forty minutes' drive from Garsdale, on through Hawes and east along the dale. It is of particular interest to James Herriot fans, as the village served as the setting for the TV series All Creatures Great and Small, filmed here in the 1970s and 1980s. The village has a stone-built character typical of upper Wensleydale, with a green, a church and a handful of shops and pubs, and it sits beneath Addlebrough looking out across the dale towards Semerwater and Raydale.

Askrigg works well as a stop on a Wensleydale day out, easily combined with Hawes, the Wensleydale Creamery or a walk to Aysgarth Falls. By visitor reviews on Tripadvisor, the top thing to do in the village itself is St Oswald's Church, the parish church on the green whose tower dates back to medieval times; the Herriot connection aside, it is a quiet, photogenic spot of the sort that upper Wensleydale does well. The village green, the church and the stone terraces around them are what film crews used for the fictional Darrowby.

The village sits just off the A684, and the road continues east from here towards Aysgarth and lower Wensleydale, with Muker and upper Swaledale reachable over the tops to the south.

Semerwater and Raydale

Semerwater sits in the small dale of Raydale just west of Askrigg, and it is the closest lake to Garsdale - one of only two remaining natural glacial lakes in the Yorkshire Dales, the other being Malham Tarn. There are footpaths and walks from and around the lake with fantastic views over the water and the hills behind, and a small stretch of shore where boats can launch. The lake is the subject of a local folk tale - the usual drowned-village story, this time cursed by a poor man refused food and shelter. Semerwater, Askrigg and Hawes make a natural Wensleydale circuit from the dale, with Bolton Castle at Castle Bolton an easy addition.

Holiday Cottages Near Askrigg

Our three self-catering holiday cottages sit in Garsdale, on the western side of Wensleydale about forty minutes from Askrigg. Book direct with the owners for the best rates.

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