Hartley Hare Barn

11/04/2026

28/03/2026

Discover why Town End Farm Shop near Malham is earning rave reviews for its food, service and stunning Yorkshire Dales setting.

20/03/2026

On the doorstep…

A folly, an enormous 'tunnel', a famous train station and the world's oldest music hall: Settle has more than its fair share of historic attractions within a beautiful setting, with 76 listed buildings. The most prominent one is the Grade 1 listed The Folly Museum and Coffee House, Settle which has a really good cosy cafe too. The Folly name is a bit misleading - the beautiful building was so-named after being empty with no obvious purpose for a while.

There are plenty of other reasons to Visit Settle. Within the town, narrow ginnels (or gennels or whatever you call them in your area...) thread their way in and out of the square.

Settle Victoria Hall- The World's Oldest Music Hall is just round the corner and has an excellent programme of events. It's worth going to, just to admire the imaginative decor in the loo!

There are two other outstanding landmarks nearby - the railway station where you can board the Settle Carlisle Railway CRP and the incredible Hoffman Kiln - you'll have to visit to understand its scale and industrial beauty.

Look out for the regular guided walking tours of Settle, which I think will start again at Easter.

13/02/2026

Ever wondered at signs mentioning the 'West Riding' or stones at the edge of bridges with a WR marking on them? The story goes back a long way… over 1100 years when Yorkshire’s boundaries were established.

Yorkshire was divided into three ridings, the North, East and West Ridings, plus York. 'Ridings' is from an old Norse word meaning a third (probably ‘thridding’). Each of these areas were then divided into administrative units known as 'wapentakes'. Parts of the Yorkshire Dales were previously in the West Riding (and North Riding higher up in the Dales and over towards the North York Moors), until 1974 when the boundaries changed.

Many of the old road signs like the one in this photo remain, literally a sign of former times! Another related curiosity you might spot are marker stones fixed at the side of roads by bridges (such as in Kettlewell and Grassington), often bearing the initials W.R. (for West Ridings). Bridges were essential to travellers but not everyone wanted to pay for their upkeep. The marker stones at the side of the bridge show that West Riding council had liability for maintaining it.

Do you have a favourite sign? Or perhaps spotted some of the bridge markers?

26/01/2026

A wonderful experience to see, walk by or travel on the train when staying at Hartley Hare Barn. There are super individual towns to stop off at along the way - Appleby, home of the famous Horse Fair and Kirkby Stephen, to name just two. If I say this journey is magical… you will have to come and see if you agree yourself.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Settle-Carlisle railway, which opened for passengers in 1876 (freight the year before). The Ribblehead Viaduct is one of the most iconic pieces of Victorian railway engineering in the UK, carrying the Settle–Carlisle line across the open moorland of Batty Moss.

📸 Wendy McDonnell |