Pateley got excited again this April in the run up to the second Tour de Yorkshire to come through the town. Bunting, bikes, chalk drawings and a visit by one of the women's teams characterized the week beforehand. While in Lofthouse, the local community was busy baking cakes and providing car parks for the many spectators wanting to watch cyclists climb the fairly brutal hill to the top of the moor. Having toyed with the idea of going up Dale, we opted instead for an easy wa

"Nidderdale in the City" graced the quad at Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds on 22nd April with a mini Nidderdale Show for urbanites. The sun shone down its blessing on the occasion, which featured the best of local arts, crafts, animal life and culture with a great pile of children's activities to boot. Some of the most popular stalls were the local farm animals (patiently petted by many a small child), the wooden milking cow made by one of the AONB volunteers, and the plastic dry s

​Remember those Dartmoor ewes looking heavy and tired on our side field earlier this year? Today the first three came back with the fruits of their labour: two singles and one set of twins. Just three days old, it was the first time these lambs had ever been outside. They all wore a bright red number in honour of the occasion. Pictured above is the second ewe to give birth this year with her two hungry and energetic lambs. At the moment, they are just getting used to the plac

What better way to celebrate the end of winter than a walk through Spring Wood? The General and I took a stroll there the other day, past the first lambs of the year. Primroses are starting to push through the dense mossy green of the wells at the side of the road. Gone were the bitter winds that day and everything felt on the edge of transformation, ready to bounce back to life. VISIT RIVER VIEW #WalkingnearRiverView #DalesTourism #EarlySpring

Thirty three gorgeous, very pregnant sheep have come to stay with us at the holiday cottage before lambing time. These ladies may be heavy, extra hungry and a wee bit tired but you can't deny they have the bloom of the expectant mother. With their due date on 8th April looming close, Steve is coming every day to feed them now. They prefer home grown hay to the afternoon teas offered to other guests, and you have to say they look good on it. Driving past the field always raise

Winter is a time for enjoying the night's pleasures. The Yorkshire Dales is one of England's darkest areas. On a clear night, we see thousands of stars overhead including The Milky Way. It's a pretty impressive sight just with the naked eye, but if you get a pair of binoculars or a telescope on the case, our glittery canopy really gives up its secrets. Look through a lens and what seemed like one star might split in two, or explode into a constellation, which is why many loca

Nidderdale Show is the last agricultural show in the season and a popular time to visit our Dales holiday cottage River View Pateley.