Things To Do

Activities and attractions in the Yorkshire Dales

Things To Do Near Garsdale

From wildlife watching to market towns, waterfalls to rainy day retreats

Garsdale is set in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in the county of Cumbria. It is an ideal setting for walking and there are walks directly from the hamlet with many marked footpaths. For detailed walking routes, see our Walks page.

Wildlife

Red squirrels, brown hares, upland birds and more

Garsdale is a haven for wildlife - in particular, the red squirrel. They are frequently spotted if you follow the path beside Dandra Garth into the woodland, or on the bank of the river opposite Dandra Garth, or on the banks of the river opposite the Old Cart House, or below Roger Pot. We do have occasional red squirrel visitors to the garden and they enjoy the nuts and seeds in the feeders.

We are fortunate to be able to see brown hares in the fields nearby throughout the year and often will see roe deer in the fields and on the hillside. Stoats and weasels can also be seen along with the very many mice and voles and occasionally badgers, foxes and hedgehogs.

Sedbergh Red Squirrels

There are a huge number of birds and many frequent visitors to our bird feeders. Nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers, blue tits, great tits, coal tits, long-tailed tits, siskins, blackcaps, redpolls, robins, dunnocks, tree creepers and many others are all local visitors along with the jackdaws, ravens and crows. We also have a number of herons and dippers in the river and rare sightings of kingfishers if we are very lucky.

In spring the curlews arrive from the coast to nest and can be heard calling, and we have regular visits from cuckoos in the spring and summer. Pheasants and grouse are everywhere and on a walk up to Grisedale in the spring and early summer, short-eared owls can be seen in the early evening scouring for mice and chicks.

The hedgerows have an abundance of fruit in the summer, with raspberries and blackberries, but also sloes and hazelnuts as autumn arrives.

The Nearby Towns

Sedbergh is the nearest town and is about 6 miles away. Sedbergh has a range of shops, cafes, pubs and has a small weekly market on Wednesday mornings. Over summer there are artisan markets each month and these are well worth a visit. Groceries can be bought from the Spar shop and also Powells has a good selection along with fruit and vegetables. There are craft and gift shops as well as book shops, hardware and charity shop. The Half and Half bar has an acoustic night once a month and regular music and other events.

Hawes is about 9 miles away and it is well worth a visit. There are many cafes, pubs and restaurants as well as craft and art shops, antiques and clothing. The small market is on Tuesday mornings and often there are craft fairs in the market hall. Hawes also has the Dales Countryside Museum and Wensleydale Creamery where you can see cheesemaking demonstrations at the cheese experience, there is a cafe, cheese and gift shop.

Kirkby Stephen is an old market town with a good range of shops, cafes and pubs. The White Hare Cafe has an acoustic night once a month open to musicians, singers and poets to attend and take part.

Kirkby Lonsdale is a lovely town with some great shops, bakery, clothes shops and several good pubs and restaurants. It also has the famous Devils Bridge and Ruskins View.

Dent is a small town in the next valley Dentdale. It has a cobbled main street and some lovely walks directly from the village. There are a good range of cafes and pubs and tea rooms. Dent station is some distance from Dent but is said to be the highest main line station in England and is on the Settle-Carlisle line.

Kendal is the closest 'big town' with many shops, large supermarkets, cafes and eating places and a weekly market on Wednesday and Saturdays. It also has a castle and the Brewery Arts Centre has cinema, music, theatre and comedy events.

Semerwater is the closest lake to Garsdale and is one of two remaining natural glacial lakes in the Yorkshire Dales. It is in the valley of Raydale, close to Countersett village. There are footpaths and walks from and around the lake with some fantastic views.

Food and Drink

There are a number of good eating places in and around Sedbergh but some that we use more often are:

The Cross Keys at Cautley
The Green Dragon at Hardraw - also has regular events and a music night every Wednesday
The White Hart in Hawes
The Sportsman in Cowgill, Dent
Stone Close tea room in Dent
Zeffirellis in Ambleside - vegetarian restaurant
Doi Intanon Thai restaurant in Ambleside
The White Hare Cafe in Kirkby Stephen - also has an acoustic night once a month
Half and Half in Sedbergh - has a variety of events and a music night once a month

Places We Actually Go

Some favourite places of ours to visit with friends and family

Hardraw Force in Hardraw near to Hawes. The walk to the falls is behind the Green Dragon Pub, which is also well worth a visit for food and their regular Wednesday music night. There is a small entrance fee to go to the waterfall but it can be lovely particularly if there has been rain. The walk to the falls is fairly flat and is well laid out with pathways, some seating and lovely views as well as the waterfall itself.

Cautley Spout is another waterfall, again behind a temperance pub called the Cross Keys in Cautley, which also has good food. Cautley is a longer walk and some inclines, but it can be seen without climbing too high, though you can climb to the top if you are enthusiastic. For some reason, on a number of our visits to Cautley Spout, the weather has changed mid walk and turned to rain or snow, so be prepared.

Cotter Force - another easy walk to a waterfall on the way to Hawes. There is a parking area nearby and the walk to the waterfall is flat and a tidy pathway.

Dent can be got to over what is locally called the Coal Road, passing Garsdale Station. This is a very scenic route, passes Dent Station and is a very quaint, pretty village, with some lovely cafes and walks.

Ambleside is about 45 minutes drive but is lovely to visit, has some great eating places, particularly we enjoy Zeffirellis, which has the cinema and vegetarian restaurant and always good food.

We also enjoy travelling over the Buttertubs Pass from Hawes to Thwaite, this is a very high wild road with fantastic views of the hills and valleys. From Thwaite we would go to Muker which is beside the river Swale and there are some beautiful walks from the village. There are also some lovely cafes for lunch.

Rainy Days

As you know, the Lake District has so many lakes because of the ample rainfall, so there are some lovely indoor places to visit on a rainy day.

The closest to Garsdale is Farfield Mill, this is on the road to Sedbergh and is an interesting place to spend a few hours and has exhibitions and art and craft work as well as a good cafe.

Hawes has the Dales Countryside Museum and the Wensleydale Creamery which has a cafe and cheese shop, where you can taste all of the cheeses and the cheesemaking experience.

Kendal has the Brewery Arts Centre, which has a cinema, holds music and comedy nights and also has children's daytime events.

With Children

There are a number of child friendly activities within travelling distance:

The Forbidden Corner in Middleham, Leyburn is a delightful experience for children and has been featured on CBBC shows.

Ingleton has the White Scar Caves which is the longest show cave in Britain and has guided tours taking about 80 minutes.

Children will enjoy the Wensleydale Cheese experience at the Wensleydale Creamery and you can see the Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese being made by hand and the cheese shop has many cheeses to taste.

Hawes also has the Dales Countryside Museum which has many family friendly events throughout the year.

The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail is a 4 and a half mile circular route and can take between two and a half hours to 4 hours to complete. It is suitable for older children and requires sturdy footwear.

Waterfalls, Castles and Villages

There are many waterfalls nearby. Most are free to visit; Hardraw Force has a small entrance fee but is a lovely walk. Cautley Spout and Cotter Force are also well worth a visit.

There are also a number of castles and National Trust properties as well as beautiful historic villages. Bolton Castle, Pendragon Castle, Brough Castle and Kendal Castle are all within easy driving distance and some are free to enter.

Levens Hall and other National Trust properties in Cumbria are also within reach.

The villages of Dent and Muker are beautiful and well worth exploring.