Wednesday 16 March 2011

Swaledale.






I have had a visitor staying over the week-end and on Sunday it was such a lovely, sunny day that we decided to take her out on a drive to an area she didn't know at all. When the farmer does this, he will not say where he is taking us so it is always a surprise.

This time we went along the edge of Swaledale and turned into Arkengarth Dale and began to climb onto the high ground. (All the Yorkshire Dales are named after the beck or river which has formed them - in this case the river Swale and the Arkle beck). We came eventually to the Tan Hill pub, one of the highest pubs in England. It stands on the high ground between Swale dale and Teesdale the next dale to the North of here.

Back down into Swaledale we were struck by the way the countryside is beginning to wake up after the winter. There was a cold wind blowing but the sun was shining and in the car it was pleasantly warm.

We came down into Swale dale, over the Buttertubs pass into Wensleydale and then called at the Wensleydale creamery for afternoon tea. This creamery used to belong to a firm called Dairy Crest, who decided to close it down some years ago. There was a management buy-out and it has gone from strength to strength, exporting cheese all over the world, opening the cheese-making plant and its neighbouring museum to visitors, opening a shop, a coffee shop and a restaurant.

In the coffee shop we had cranberry and cheese cake (delicious) and pots of tea.
Then we drove back through Wensleydale to home. A lovely afternoon and a few photographs so that you can get a flavour of where we went (sorry it is not a cheese flavour, but if you find Wensleydale cheese in your local shop at least you will know where it comes from.)

16 comments:

Elisabeth said...

Oh, Pat, whenever I read certain of your posts I'm back in the BBC world of Jane Austen's novels and I so love it. Thanks.

Dave King said...

Beautiful. I remember Swaledale with great affection, but not with the intimacy that you can bring to it. A joy to read your posts.

MorningAJ said...

Oh Wensleydale cheese! I'm homesick.

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Oh you had me at "cheese". I would be in heaven, heaven I tell you. That 3rd photo down looks a bit like parts of Arizona!

angryparsnip said...

I so agree with jeanette, the last photo on the right looked like parts of Arizona.
I love the Wensleydale area and we only were able to drive through it, for me I was so happy driving around the Yorkshire area.
The creamery sounds like heaven.
My tourist radar is indeed tingeing today.
I love when you post these tours around your home.

cheers, parsnip

Heather said...

What a wonderful mystery tour, and I do love good cheese and a good cup of tea. I believe it is Yorkshire's soft water that makes the tea so good. The scenery is very wild in the Dales, yet so beautiful, but I can imagine that winters would be pretty harsh up there.

Granny Sue said...

Buttertubs pass! I love the image that conjures in my mind.

I wish I could visit the chees place. Sounds delightful.

PurestGreen said...

Lovely landscape. Of course the cranberry and cheese cake sounds extra lovely too. :)

Crafty Green Poet said...

Glad to read that the creamery is doing so well after the management buy out!

Titus said...

Ooh Weaver, I've got cheese-envy!

John Going Gently said...

ah God's own country.....my secod home!

mrsnesbitt said...

Oh yes! Loved this!we know it so well - looking forward to meeting up soon for this piece of yorkshire charm!

Unknown said...

I found Wensleydale cheese at our market in Toronto and thought of you when I found it Weaver! It sounds like you had a lovely day out with your friend. I hope the warm weather arrives soon. We have been waiting for the snow to melt here.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Do look out for Wensleydale cheese everyone - it is sold all over the world these days.

Thanks for the comments.

Mister D said...

Lovely to hear about success stories with the local produce, God's own country is so right !

H said...

We spent two weeks in Muker after we married in 1988. It is a beautiful part of the world!