Hillcrest Cottage

26/08/2026

The Himalayan Gardens & Sculpture Park near Masham. About an hours drive from Hillcrest via Leyburn, Middleham & Masham (the journey itself is delightful) but nothing can prepare you for what awaits at the Himalayan Gardens. This is a day out that I can thoroughly recommend.

20/08/2026

You will find details of the Easby Abbey loop walk in the digital guest welcome guide that you receive when you stay at Hillcrest Cottage. I recommend that you time your walk so that you stop at the Easby-Loop Cafe for coffee or a light lunch before walking on to explore Easby Abbey and the very beautiful St Agatha’s church.

It’s another rainy yet beautiful morning here at the Easby-loop café! ☕️😍

The best spot to watch the beauty of North Yorkshire! 🫶

14/08/2026

Pick up the Co**se Way at Isles Bridge just west of Low Row and follow the path of the coffin bearers to Grinton. Catch the Little White Bus back to Hillcrest Cottage

The Co**se Way might not sound very attractive, but it's beautiful & less spooky than it sounds... ​Until 1580, St. Andrews Church, Grinton in Swaledale was one of only a few consecrated burial grounds so people had to carry their dead up to 16 miles. This route became known as the Co**se Way. It runs through Swaledale, from Keld to Grinton.

Bodies were carried in wicker coffins and rested from time to time on large flat stone slabs - some can still be seen today. The Co**se Way avoided villages for fear that the spirit of the dead would be enticed to return. This fear came from Norse mythology, in which the co**se way was thought to mirror the last journey of the soul from the earth to the underworld.

Nowadays the route makes a pleasant, if slightly strenuous walk.
​There's more evidence of burial traditions at Grinton church. The woollen trade had been very important to England's prosperity but new materials and imports threatened the livelihood of landowners who relied on wool and sheep for their income. Many of these were members of parliament so they joined together to pass an Act to try to maintain demand for English wool.

The first act was passed in 1666. In 1692, Adam Barker was the last person in Swaledale to be fined for sticking to the local tradition of burial in linen, breaking the law which required bodies to be buried in wool. His daughter, Ann, is buried inside Grinton Church, with record showing the £5 fine, a very hefty amount then

13/08/2026

The Little White Bus passes through Low Row and is a great mode of transport for getting up and down the dale. Depending on how far you like to walk catch the bus to Keld, Muker or Gunnerside and walk back to Hillcrest Cottage. Or walk to Reeth and ride back on the bus.

The Little White Bus isn't just a little white bus. It's a magical way to get an insider's view of the Dales. You're a little higher up than in a car so get different, often better views over the dry stone walls. The real magic is inside though, as the service is loved by locals so journeys feel uplifting and it's easy to pick up some insider tips, and recommendations - friendly folk love to make sure visitors get a glimpse of why they love their area so much. Good humoured banter makes for a really enjoyable journey which isn't just about getting from A to B. Use the Little White Bus for trips around Hawes, Richmond, Leyburn, Keld, and beyond.

08/08/2026

Watching a shepherd at work with his working dogs is a truly memorable rural activity that you will thoroughly enjoy.

Here’s a version that reads like it was written by someone who knows and loves the Dales, rather than an advert agency.

⸻

Before quad bikes. Before drones. Before technology. There was the sheepdog.

For hundreds of years, the Yorkshire Dales have been shaped by one extraordinary partnership: shepherd and Border Collie.

Every dry stone wall, every hillside flock, every lamb brought safely home has depended on intelligence, trust and instinct passed from one generation to the next.

This is your chance to see it for yourself.

Join Richard Fawcett—Yorkshire Dales farmer, international sheepdog trialist and one of the country’s most respected handlers—for a live working sheepdog demonstration in the hills above Hawes.

No tricks. No stage. No script.

Just the quiet whistle of a shepherd… and the breathtaking sight of a dog reading a hillside, gathering sheep hundreds of yards away, and working with a precision that has to be seen to be believed.

You’ll hear the stories behind Dales farming, discover how these incredible dogs are trained, and understand why the working Border Collie is regarded as one of the most intelligent animals in the world.

This isn’t just entertainment.

It’s the living heritage of the Yorkshire Dales.

The same skills. The same landscapes. The same way of life that has kept these fells alive for generations.

Whether you’re a dog lover, a family exploring the Dales, or simply someone who appreciates authentic countryside life, this is an experience you’ll never forget.

Come and witness the heartbeat of the Yorkshire Dales.

Richard Fawcett’s Working Sheepdog Demonstrations
📍 Hawes, Yorkshire Dales
🐑 A truly authentic farming experience
🐕 Working Border Collies in their natural environment
⛰️ Real people. Real sheep. Real Yorkshire.

Some memories are made in museums.
The best ones happen on the hillside.

Yorkshire Dales Uncovered

02/08/2026

Cockett’s is your nearest & best butchers when you are at Hillcrest Cottage.

01/08/2026

That's Peter Wright and Julian Norton - the stars of The Yorkshire Vet on Channel 5, standing next to the statue of Alf Wight in our garden here at the World of James Herriot in Thirsk.

And it means more than it might first appear.

Peter Wright didn't just end up in Thirsk by chance. He trained as a vet under Alf Wight himself, the real James Herriot - at the original Skeldale Veterinary Centre on Kirkgate. The same street. The same town. The same remarkable legacy.

The man you watch caring for animals across Yorkshire every week on Channel 5 learned his craft from the very man whose stories you fell in love with on BBC and PBS.

Two iconic television series. One extraordinary town. And a connection that makes Thirsk unlike anywhere else in the world.

Read the full story via the link below. 🐄

https://worldofjamesherriot.com/the-yorkshire-vet-thirsk/

01/08/2026

Ey up, Happy Yorkshire Day!

We're marking the occasion the proper way, with special Yorkshire Day Beer from Wensleydale Brewery on tap. If you're out and about in the Dales, come on in, grab a pint and raise a glass to God's Own Country. See you at t'bar! 🍻