Hawes and Gayle
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Hawes and Gayle

Hawes and Gayle

Yorkshire Dales market town in upper Wensleydale, known for cheese, rope-making, and fellside atmosphere.

Hawes is the main market town at the head of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, and the nearby hamlet of Gayle sits just a few minutes' walk to the south. At 260 metres above sea level, it is one of the highest market towns in England, and on the days when cloud sits on the surrounding fells and the stone buildings darken in the rain, it is also one of the most atmospheric.

The town centre is more interesting than most Dales towns of its size. Within a short walk of the market place you will find the Wensleydale Creamery (where the famous crumbly white cheese is made and sold direct), the Dales Countryside Museum in the old station yard, and W.R. Outhwaite & Son — one of England's last working ropemakers, where rope is still made on Victorian machinery in the same building as it has been since 1905. The Tuesday market is small but real.

Gayle, just down the lane, is quieter and has the wonderful Gayle Mill: thought to be the oldest structurally intact cotton mill in England, built around 1784 and now restored as a working watermill with a woodland business attached. A kilometre and a half north of Hawes, the hamlet of Hardraw guards access to Hardraw Force — England's highest single-drop waterfall, reached through the Green Dragon Inn.

The Pennine Way long-distance path passes through Hawes, bringing walkers from all over Britain. The town is well placed for exploring upper Wensleydale and the surrounding fells, with Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough, and Great Shunner Fell all within a day's walking.

Guide

Eating Out

Hawes has a good selection of cafes, tea rooms, and pubs for its size. Walkers doing the Pennine Way or day trips in the dale keep several establishments busy. The White Hart and the Board Hotel are the main pubs; most visitors eat at lunchtime since the town quiets significantly in the evenings. Wensleydale cheese features on most menus in one form or another.

Guide

Getting There

Hawes has no railway station — the Wensleydale line closed to passengers in 1954 — and is not on any main bus route. By car, it is about two hours from Leeds via the A684 through Leyburn, or via the scenic A65 to Ingleton and then north over Ribblehead. The drive up Wensleydale from the east is one of the more beautiful approaches to a Yorkshire market town.

The Dales Bus service (seasonal, mainly summer weekends) connects Hawes to Northallerton and other Dales market towns. Services are limited and timetables change annually; check Yorkshire Dales National Park's website before relying on them. For most visitors without their own transport, the most practical approach is to base yourself in Richmond or Leyburn and drive up the dale.

Guide

Things to Do

Hawes and Gayle offer a concentrated set of genuinely interesting things to do for a small settlement. The Wensleydale Creamery, the Dales Countryside Museum, Gayle Mill, and Outhwaite's ropemakers are all within a short walk of the town centre, and Hardraw Force — the highest single-drop waterfall in England — is less than two kilometres north. The Pennine Way passes through Hawes, making the town a natural waypoint for long-distance walkers.

yorkshire dales