The Coast to Coast long distance walk passes close to the village. For the less adventurous, there are many walks in the area, from a gentle stroll to something more challenging.
Just a short walk from Sandpiper Cottage and Strands Farmhouse Cottage, Hazel Brow Farm and Visitor Centre in Low Row is open Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday and Bank Holidays and they have a café serving sandwiches. They also have supervised animal handling sessions (very popular with children), craft activities, walks, seasonal demonstrations and more. Well worth a visit!
Our village pub, The Punch Bowl, has been re-developed and offers superb food, excellent ale and great hospitality. It is a 10-minute walk from the cottage, albeit the return journey is a fairly steep climb up the bank.
Gunnerside is a Swaledale riverside village situated within The Yorkshire Dales National Park, situated between the River Swale and Gunnerside Beck. Its
hump-backed bridge is reputed to be haunted by a headless ghost. The smaller valley running
northwards is called Gunnerside Ghyll and was the site of a major lead mining industry until the late
19th century. There is a traditional Yorkshire Dales Public House called The Kings Head, a
working smithy and museum established since 1795. There is the Ghyllfoot Tea Room and Penny
Farthing Restaurant.
Perhaps one of Yorkshire's least spoilt dales, Swaledale is a dramatic dale in the northern Yorkshire Dales. The landscape of Swaledale is simply stunning - if you haven't visited this area before, you will not be disappointed! With its steep sides and narrow valley following the route of the River Swale, Swaledale provides a wonderful holiday location for people who love walking, mountain biking or touring by car, motorcycle or cycle - not to mention those who seek a holiday retreat away from it all where they can just relax and take in those wonderful views! There is also an abundance of arts and crafts workshops to visit in the area.
Just a little way up the dale from Low Row lies the village of Thwaite. Here you will find some of the finest traditional hay meadows in the Dales - indeed, in all England. The meadows are protected and if you visit in spring or summer you will see a riot of colour and wild flowers, as well as many different varieties of grass.
The charming village of Reeth is situated where Swaledale and Arkengarthdale meet. The Reeth Dales Centre is home to a number of different craftspeople including:
Reeth offers several pubs and tea shops. The Swaledale Folk Museum is also well worth a visit.
Just 'over the hill' to the south is the broad valley of Wensleydale - quite different in character from Swaledale. There are also many places to visit here including, to name but a few...
The famous triple-drop waterfall, where the River Ure runs through a delightful wooded gorge, has been used as a location in a number of TV programmes and films, including Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner. The Aysgarth Falls National Park Centre, by the Falls, has ample parking and offers a wide range of information, leaflets etc. The excellent Coppice Coffee Shop serves hot meals all day every day and is especially popular for their wide range of gluten-free dishes. While at the Falls, why not pop in to Yore Mill, right by the bridge over the Falls. This 4-storey, Grade II listed, building (built in 1752) is of considerable historical interest, being one of the earlier examples of industrialisation in a rural setting. Here you will find "Annie's" - bric-a-brac and collectibles. Next door is Yore Mill Craft Shop - an amazing variety of pictures, crafts and pottery.
If you are in the area during April/May, then the Dales Festival of Food and Drink in Leyburn is a must-see and an opportunity to stock up on real food from predominantly small and speciality producers! The Festival started in 2003 and was so successful that it has now become an annual event. The festival's patrons are Rick Stein and Robert Hardy. You can see many local food stands under one roof - cookery demonstrations by leading local chefs - farming display with young animals and farming craft demonstrations - children's attractions - festive music - food and drink galore - and lots more.
For more information and the dates of the next Festival:
Another absolute must when you're in Wensleydale is a visit to Wensleydale Dairy, where real Wensleydale Cheese is made. You can take the Creamery tour to see the cheese being made, try some samples, pop in to their shop to stock up and perhaps even enjoy a snack or meal in their excellent café (where the menu features a wide variety of delicious dishes using Wensleydale Cheese, of course!).
Please note that the links below (in no particular order) are to third-party, external web sites which may be useful to you when planning to visit Swaledale and the Yorkshire Dales. These links are provided for the convenience of visitors to our web site, and we accept no responsibility for the content of these external sites. Each site opens in a new browser window; simply close that window to return to this page.