On a lonely hill high in the Yorkshire Dales stands a unique and historic inn dating back to the 17th century with its exposed beams, stone-flagged floor and welcoming fire. The world-famous Tan Hill Inn is Britain’s highest public house at 1,732 feet (528m) above sea level. Situated in Swaledale, just near Keld, the highest inn in Great Britain is a warm meeting place known internationally, where walkers and cyclists brush shoulders with bohemian like-minded individuals. Y ou’ re likely to converse with people from the arts, music, film and theatre, and possibly a sprinkling of celebrity, as well as sports-minded people who have made their way up to the “Top Pub”, all set against the backdrop of some of the most stunning scenery to be found in the UK.
The views down Swaledale from the ruined farmhouse of Crackpot Hall are exceptional.
The river is reckoned to be the fastest-flowing in England, draining much of the northern Dales before flowing through Richmond to the River Ure.
Kisdon Force is one of the more dramatic waterfalls on this section of the Swale. The water level drops 10 metres over the upper and lower falls, which canoeists have graded as IV (“difficult”) and V (“extremely difficult”) respectively.
East Gill Force, on a tributary of the Swale, is one of the more accessible waterfalls in the area, being located at the point where the north–south Pennine Way and east– west Coast to Coast Walk cross. The upper fall has
a drop of about 15 feet.
The Coast to Coast Walk was conceived by Alfred Wainwright, and first described by him in 1973. Although not formally adopted
as a National Trail, it is one of
the most popular long-distance walks in Britain, and runs for 182 miles from St Bees on the Irish Sea to Robin Hood’s Bay on the North Sea coast.
Ravenseat is a delightful hamlet on Whitsundale Beck. Most of the stone buildings, including the fine packhorse bridge over the beck, are listed buildings. TV personality Amanda Owen, the “Yorkshire Shepherdess”, lives here with her nine children.
The Pennine Way was the first official long-distance path in Britain. It runs for 268 miles from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders and was opened in 1965.
A circular earthwork and some stone walls mark the site of a well- preserved 19th-century horse gin, where a pony would have wound a vertical capstan to haul kibbles (large buckets) of coal via pulleys from nearby mineshafts.