Explore the StrandsView FAQ for travel tips and seasonal highlights in Swaledale, Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Where is StrandsView?
StrandsView is located over looking the Swale river near the iconic Gunnerside Bottoms in Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Swaledale is known for its beautiful scenery, dry stone walls and barns, known as Cow ‘Us and hiking and cycling routes.
When is the best time to visit Swaledale?
It depends on what you want to do with each season providing different opportunities:
Winter: The Dark Skies Festival celebrating star gazing, cosy log fires and crisp walks.
Spring: Walking, Hiking and cycling benefiting from spring flower displays starting with snowdrops, then daffodils, wild garlic and bluebells. Lambs appear in the fields from late March. Bird song is amazing in April and May – there is nothing like the rising sound of a Curlew.
Summer: Enjoy the magical wild flowering meadows up and down the Dale from late May until end of June. Relax in the many tea shops, explore castles and enjoy more leisurely walks in the summer heat.
Autumn: Walking, Hiking and cycling, pub evening meals around fires. A great time to learn about history in the local museums or go exploring for art.
What is there to do in Swaledale?
Swaledale is known for its walking, hiking and cycling – both mountain and road cycling. It is special because one route can cover a very wide range of environments in a relatively short distance: from open moorland, to tranquil flowering river meadows with dry stone walls and barns, to late 18th Century industrial ruins left over from the lead mining, to wide stunning vistas. Our website has a large list of routes, maps and detail descriptions that can be found here. We also have a detailed description of the Swale Trail cycling route with hints and tips here.
Beyond outdoor pursuits, there are lots of museums, castles and family activities in or near the Dale. There are also a number of ancient market towns to explore, such as Hawes, Leyburn and Richmond (the original). We have pulled together a list and map of popular activities here.
Given the rural nature, Swaledale has a number of arts and crafts and so we have created a Swaledale Arts and Craft trail here.
Finally, if you want to make your stay green and eco-friendly, we have created a staying green, staying local recommendation list of things to do here.