The Wensleydale Creamery is where the famous crumbly white cheese has been made in Hawes since 1897. Visitors can tour the production floor and watch the cheesemaking process from a gallery above the factory — the smell alone is worth the trip. The tasting room allows you to work through the range, from plain Wensleydale to the cranberry and other fruit varieties that have become popular despite purists' objections.
The cheese shop sells the full range plus Yorkshire produce, and prices are notably better than you will find anywhere in the south of England. The Creamery Café serves lunch, and the resident mouse from the Wallace and Gromit films is referenced throughout the shop with an enthusiasm that the Wallace and Gromit fans who first rescued the creamery's public profile in the 1990s would approve of.
Gayle Lane, Hawes. Tours run most weekdays; the shop and café are open daily.