Hillcrest Cottage

16/10/2026

Need a new dog lead? Pop along to Askrigg. Caroline will have the perfect size, length & colour.

26/09/2026

Somewhere over the rainbow 🌈 And this one is a cracker.

Not a bad way for Reeth to say good morning.

(Don’t forget your coat today!)

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18/09/2026

An approx. 2 mile circular walk to Easby Abbey and St Agatha’s church. Easy walking on the old railway line and passing the delightful Easby Loop cafe that serves the most delicious smash burgers and cakes! Can recommend.

Do you know someone who loves a coffee & cake date? 😍

✨Our gorgeous views & beautiful cakes & bakes pair for the best spot to enjoy it! ✨

Bring a date, or a mate & come and relax with the best view in town, open every day of the year bar Christmas Day, available till 6PM tonight! ❤️

05/09/2026

The Dales Bike Centre is the place to go for a light lunch, coffee& cake or even a good breakfast I’m led to believe! Spacious, clean, friendly staff - I can recommend.

This looks like a great place to stop for a slice!

03/09/2026

Staying at Hillcrest this month? Do something different and explore Tan Hill Inn with the help of the Little White Bus.

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