Leyburn for a Cottage Holiday in Wonderful Wensleydale: Leyburn, a market town in North Yorkshire, is a great place for a cottage break if you want to discover all that the valley of Wensleydale has to offer. Located within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, this is excellent walking country and an ideal choice for those who enjoy discovering the countryside on foot.
About Self-Catering Holidays in Leyburn
Leyburn has plenty to recommend it for a cottage holiday. Market day is Friday when the open-air market is set up in the square. A farmers’ market is also on offer on the fourth Saturday of every month. Anyone who fancies bidding for a bargain antique can go along to Tennants, which is the biggest auction centre in the provinces in the UK.
If you time your holiday so that you are there over the August Bank Holiday, the annual Wensleydale Agricultural Show is a fine example of a traditional show, complete with sheep dog trials, vintage farming equipment, crafts, floral displays and cows, shire horses and sheep trying to win prizes. For the Dales Festival of Food and Drink, the May Day Bank Holiday weekend is the time to come. It’s a treat for lovers of good Yorkshire fare and quality Wensleydale produce.
For visitors interested in arts and crafts there should be plenty to keep you entertained during your self-catering holiday as Wensleydale is particularly blessed in this regard. Leyburn and the surrounding area is chockfull of craft shops, galleries and workshops. Watch the experts throw a pot, blow glass and make candles.
Just three miles from Leyburn, the 12th century ruins of Jervaulx Abbey are a fine example of a Cistercian monastery. Its claim to fame is that Wensleydale cheese was invented here. The tea rooms contain a scale model of the Abbey as it would have appeared around 1530 and you can glean lots of useful information about the history of the Abbey. Now privately owned, the owners have encouraged plants and flowers to grow wildly and there are now more than 180 wild flower species to admire.
If you fancy doing something unusual on your cottage break then head for the Forbidden Corner (a mile from Leyburn), a fascinating folly with grottoes, tunnels, water features, walled gardens and woodland. Voted the best children’s attraction in the county and the best 20th century folly in Europe, its whimsical design enthrals both children and adults. Tickets for entry must be pre-booked.
Another great activity for all the family whilst staying in this part of Yorkshire is catching a ride on a steam train on the heritage Wensleydale Railway and seeing the countryside glide by in style. Study the timetable available at Leyburn Station and plan your journey. The full route is 16 miles, which is one of Britain’s longest ‘heritage’ lines. Leyburn Station has shops selling railway souvenirs and helpful local maps to guide you. If a vintage bus is more to your liking, a 1960s era single-decker bus takes passengers on a scenic route, including Leyburn, Hawes, Ripon and the Aysgarth Falls beauty spot.
Whilst taking a cottage break in Leyburn, it’s possible to have a change from countryside pursuits and drive to Lightwater Valley for a fun day at the theme park with some of the most inventive rides in Britain.
Terrific scenery and walking opportunities plus the fascinating local history and traditions make Leyburn one of Yorkshire’s best loved holiday locations. Mix in good quality Yorkshire cooking, cosy fireside pubs and welcoming tea rooms and it’s a holiday to remember. Whether you plan to find a romantic cottage or a large country house, we hope you find a good quality cottage for you in or near Leyburn.
Book a Leyburn cottage and look forward to discovering some of the best of North Yorkshire on holiday.
