W.R. Outhwaite & Son is one of England's last remaining working ropemakers, established in 1905 and still producing rope, cord, and twine on the same ropewalk in the centre of Hawes. Visitors are welcome to watch the rope being made on original machinery — the distinctive rope-twisting machine is still in daily use, running the length of the ropewalk and producing exactly what it has produced for over a century.
The shop sells a full range of rope products, from washing lines and dog leads to bespoke decorative work and theatrical rigging. It is the kind of place that is genuinely endangered — working ropewalks are almost extinct — and there is something satisfying about watching a craft that predates the industrial revolution still being practised with the same tools in the same building. Towler Lane, Hawes. Free to watch; the shop is open during business hours.