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The fells above Garsdale under snow, near Sedbergh in the Yorkshire Dales

Garsdale

A remote dales holiday cottage setting near Sedbergh in the Yorkshire Dales National Park

Garsdale is not a village but a valley, roughly seven miles long, through which runs the A684 from Sedbergh to Hawes. Sedbergh, the nearest town and the place most visitors will already have heard of, sits about six miles to the west; Hawes in Wensleydale is around ten miles to the east. A mile in the centre is road-signed "Garsdale" and includes the hamlet locally known as "The Street." The other centre of population is at Garsdale Head, still known locally as "Hawes Junction" after the railway. Along the road you pass named landmarks including Black Horse Hill, Dandra Garth, Badger Dub, Longstone Fell, Aye Gill and Roger Pot, which help with finding your bearings in a dale where things can look similar at first glance.

A Beautiful Peaceful Area

Garsdale is a beautiful peaceful area with many walks, lovely scenery and a sense of being very close to nature and perhaps, a quieter way of life. As a nature lover it is ideal, always some birds to see, animals to watch, wild flowers, rivers and waterfalls.

The weather can be exciting at times, with some beautiful sunshine and glorious days but also some serious rainfall and wild winds blowing, when it snows it looks wonderful. Spring is the best time, when the land begins to waken up, the seasons are very evident here and winter nights are very dark but on a clear night, every star can be seen, magnificent.

Visitors may be surprised at the remoteness, the distance from shops, the peace, the close proximity to nature, the friendliness of the locals. Many people have moved to Garsdale from cities and large towns and never would dream of going back to that life. It is like a relaxing breath out.

A green Dales valley with stone farm buildings, dry-stone walls and a wooded hillside under a blue sky

The Place

Many of the house and place names in Garsdale are Norse in origin, reflecting Viking settlement heritage. Names ending in -syke (stream), -thwaite (clearing) and -garth (enclosure) give a sense of just how long people have been living and working here, and the same Norse inheritance runs through the place names of the neighbouring dales and over towards Sedbergh and Dent.

Garsdale probably has changed very little in the past 150 years, the houses will look very much as they always have done, stone cottages, farms and barns, that will last forever if they are loved.

A row of old Garsdale stone houses with green and red painted doors beside a country road in summer

Farming Through the Year

It is a sheep farming area. The lambs in Springtime are a joy to watch, racing around the fields with their new lamb friends, forgetting which is their mother and bleating desperately until they are reclaimed. The annual cycle of farming, lambs, hay making, tractors up and down the roads, sheep being moved from one field to another, sheep dogs showing their expertise on the hillside.

Garsdale feels a safe place, doors can be left open, walks taken alone, parcels can be left on the doorstep, neighbour's will help if there is a problem, a message on WhatsApp asking for help and many will respond. The difference in the seasons can be heard. Spring comes with the curlews and cuckoos, chattering swallows mark the arrival of summer and the autumn the swallows leave and the owls can be heard in the trees, winter comes with the robins song and the redwings and fieldfares visit in their numbers.

A flock of sheep being driven along a country road between dry-stone walls, with a red car waiting behind

What's Here

Garsdale is quiet, the peace and tranquility of the place is to love. There are walks, rivers, waterfalls, hills.

  • Pubs and Eating Places

    The nearest pubs are the Green Dragon in Hardraw and the Sportsman in Cowgill near Dent, and there are several pubs and eating places in Sedbergh and Hawes.

  • Shops and the Market

    Sedbergh, being the nearest town, also has the closest shops and a weekly market on Wednesdays.

  • Farfield Mill

    The Farfield Mill arts centre sits on the road between the town and Garsdale.

  • Churches

    There are a number of churches in the valley and the services rotate between the different churches.

  • The Village Hall

    There is a village hall and some local events such as quiz night, beetle drive, bonfire night are held there with notifications on the farm doors in the village.

Wildlife

Garsdale is one of the last strongholds in England for the native red squirrel, and they are seen regularly along the woodland paths, by the river and occasionally from the cottage gardens. Otters have returned to the River Clough, brown hares are about in the fields year round, and roe deer show up on the hillside and along the woodland edges.

Over fifty bird species have been recorded in and around the dale, from curlews and cuckoos arriving in spring to short-eared owls quartering Grisedale in the early evening, and winter brings flocks of redwings and fieldfares. Have a look at our wildlife in Garsdale and red squirrels in Garsdale pages for more on what you might see during a stay.

A red squirrel perched on a moss-covered branch high in a tree against an overcast sky

Staying Here

Staying in Garsdale is perfect for those who enjoy the countryside and the peace and calm of the area. It is an ideal spot for birdwatching, cycling and walking holidays, or for those who prefer countryside drives to villages, country pubs and gentle strolls, this too is here. A clear night can be wonderful with a perfect view of the stars, the area is Dark Sky friendly.

For aeroplane enthusiasts there are occasional high speed Eurofighter Typhoon jet fly pasts, which can be loud but exciting to watch, if you are hill walking you may be able to look down on them as the fly along the valley. Along with these we see the occasional low flying Chinook helicopters and also what appear to be very elderly RAF planes too.

The moon over moorland hills above a winding road with chevron bend signs near Garsdale at dusk
Dark Sky friendly, so every star can be seen

Holiday Cottages in Garsdale

Our three self-catering holiday cottages in Garsdale - Roger Pot, The Old Cart House and Farrier's Cottage - sit within easy reach of both Sedbergh and Hawes, and you can book them direct through this site. Each is a proper stone cottage in the dales, with open countryside on the doorstep and the quiet that makes Garsdale worth the journey from Sedbergh.

Our Cottages

References