Our Weekend Camping in the Yorkshire Dales

Last month, Stefan and I went on a little bit of an adventure to the Yorkshire Dales. I’m sure you’re all aware that the staycation industry in the UK is absolutely booming at the moment. Even though I’ve been looking for a couple of months, I found it so hard to find somewhere to book. This is how our first proper (aside from festivals) Camping experience came about. After a little bit of research, I found a lovely campsite in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. I thought I would do a little blog post all about what we got up to in the dales and also how our camping experience was!

Although I have lived in Yorkshire all my life, I’ve never really visited the Yorkshire Dales properly. It’s crazy to think how big Yorkshire actually and the Dales is actually huge too. Our first stop on the trip was to the campsite which was called Wook Nook Caravan Park and was located just by Threshfield and around 2 miles from Grassington. The site was about a mile back from the main road down a single lane track but not too hard to find. I didn’t really know what to expect but the owner was really great, showed us around and the facilities were really nice and clean. I’d definitely recommend it.

After pitching our tent, we headed off to Malham which wasn’t too far away. I’ve been going on about visit in Malham Cove for the longest time and I was so happy to finally get to go. On arrival to Malham Village, we were guided into a car park where we had to pay £5 for the day. I’m not sure if it’s usually like this but it became apparent that there was some sort of charity hike going on so it was very busy around. I believe there’s quite a few different walks and hikes to do around Malham especially to get to Malham Cove. The one we did I think was the most straightforward one and we just followed the signs to Malham Cove. I believe there is also a longer route via Janet’s Foss.

The walk isn’t too bad and you can see the Cove from quite a distance. I should probably mention that we visited the Yorkshire Dales on probably the worst weekend in terms of weather and by the time we got to Malham Cove the heavens opened. The Cove itself is pretty spectacular and even with damp weather, there were a few people abseiling! To get to the top there are steps to the left-hand side. I wouldn’t say it’s too difficult, especially if you take your time. It’s worth mentioning the steps can be very uneven and also slippery when wet.

Once we got to the top, there were magnificent views and you will most likely recognise this place from Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1! It was so cool to see this place after seeing it in the movies We did get a couple of pictures but we didn’t explore too much because the stones were so slippery.

The descent down the steps was a bit tricky as it was so wet. I can imagine there are quite a few falls. We then made our way back into Malham village where I had made a reservation at The Lister Arms. This pub has actually been voted Yorkshire’s favourite pub in 2019 and you can see why. It’s your typical Yorkshire Dales pub with cosy fireplaces and excellent service. I went for the Steak Pie and Stefan got a fish finger sandwich and it was delicious.

Our first evening in the Yorkshire Dales was actually when the England and Ukraine football match was on. I had thankfully managed to book a table in Grassington at a local village pub. As we wanted to have a few drinks we decided to walk there and it took about an hour from the campsite. The pub was very oldy worldly but certainly a great and interesting atmosphere to see England win.

On our journey home this is where things got interesting. Around 10/15 minutes into the journey, we heard thunder erupt. Trust me, my little legs never have walked so fast. It was quite scary to be going down these dark lanes with a full-on thunder and lightning storm going on around us. We made it to the end of the Caravan Parks drive before the torrential rain came down on us. You might have seen on my Instagram the insane videos of the storm right above us. I’m not gonna lie, I did hide in the toilets for a while. It certainly was a very interesting experience for our first camping trip and certainly a story to tell.

Thankfully our first night in the tent was a dry one although it was torrential rain our Eurohike Cairns four-man tent from Blacks really did hold up. The second evening, the rain was actually even worse and still the tent was completely dry inside so I would thoroughly recommend the tent we have. I may do another post about some of the camping items we did use and my thoughts. However, we didn’t take that much with us. You can see I was sporting my pink Tog24 jacket which I am obsessed with at the moment. It’s fleece-lined inside so keeps you warm and dry if showers do occur.

Our second day of adventures started with us going to the Ribbledhead Viaduct. This viaduct has been used in numerous TV shows & films but it’s pretty spectacular and is still used by local rail services. We did a little walking trail which went round the viaduct and took a few photos before going back to the car.

We then drove to the village of Hawes. This place is the home to the Wensleydale Creamery. So if you are a massive cheese lover like us, this is the place you need to go. We did treat ourselves to a few things in the gift shop and also paid £5 to do a little tour of the creamery. Within that £5, we what able to sit in a demonstration where a lady showed us how they made the Wensleydale cheese and it was absolutely fascinating. As we were visiting on a Sunday the factory wasn’t actually running but I believe if you do visit on a weekday you can see how the production line works. There was also a section all about Wensleydales top fans; Wallace and Gromit.

Hawes is a lovely little place with a few cafes, pubs and shops. I believe it’s also home to the Dales Countryside Museum. We had a spot of lunch at The White Hart Inn which was incredible. I got a Roast Beef Baguette and Stefan got a Pork Baguette, the Beef was insane. It’s definitely a place I want to go back to include in the Sunday Roast Diaries.

After heading back to our campsite for a quick nap, we went back to Grassington for our evening meal. This time in the car to avoid any mishaps with the weather. There are quite a few pubs in Grassington and it’s a gorgeous little village. We ate at The Devonshire Arms which was rather lively and offering Roast Dinners until late in the evening. The pub has a great atmosphere and you could tell everything on the menu was of high quality.

On our final day, we swiftly packed up the tent and headed towards Skipton which was only about a 15 minutes drive. I don’t think I’ve ever visited this market town but the high street was certainly lively for a Monday Morning. There’s plenty of shops to visit from independent brands to a bustling market. We grabbed a quick breakfast here whilst wandering around before heading off to our final location on our trip; Haworth.

Haworth is another place I have wanted to visit for the longest time. It just looks so magical and picturesque. Haworth is home to the Bronte sisters and they now have the Bronte Parsonage Museums (although it was closed on Mondays) for visitors to see the family home. I’d have loved to have visited but there’s plenty of gorgeous little shops to wander around. A notable mention goes to one called The Cabinet of Curiosities which was just incredible inside. It’s right at the top of the famous Main St hill but is well worth visiting.

Looking back we did manage to see quite a lot in three days and whilst the weather wasn’t great, I actually quite enjoyed camping. So much so that we have actually booked a few nights with our tent during our Cornwall trip in a few weeks. Here’s hoping for better weather though. Stay tuned for more UK Travel adventures, I’ve got a few very exciting trips coming up!