This cottage has a simply stunning location, set high up in Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales, with one of the best gastropubs in Yorkshire around a 15-minute walk away. Looking down over Swaledale's trademark meadows peppered with stone barns and dry-stone walls, the property is accessed via a fairly steep road with a few sharp bends, then down a private gravel road, so take your time on the way up. This is Yorkshire after all, so there's no rush! May sees the annual Swaledale Festival, two weeks of amazing music, art, walking and culture and the delightful Muker show in September is another calendar highlight.
This area of the Dales is also particularly renowned for its spectacular wildflower meadows in the spring. Visitors flock from all over the world to see the fields come alive with every colour under the rainbow. But every season has its charm, from the lush green summers to the dramatic and beautiful winters. And with no street light pollution for miles around, the stars at night are dazzling.
It's a true walker's paradise here and there are some enchanting walks literally from your doorstep. The circular walk around Blades is lovely and the famous Coast-to-Coast route passes nearby. And of course, this is supreme cycling country, with the recent Tour De France passing right below the cottage. You'll see a reminder of it on the drystone wall to the left of the property. With lockable bike storage available, why not challenge yourself and some friends to take on the mighty Buttertubs Pass, just a few miles away?
We also recommend taking a tour of the Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Dales Trail, a circular route which takes you through some of the most dramatic scenery in the UK. This land of Viking place-names, waterfalls, rivers and ravines is like nowhere else on the planet - don't forget to take the camera.