The Area

Acorn Cottage, Ingleton is perfectly situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales but also close to the Lake District and the Trough of Bowland. Whatever the season, there is always plenty to enjoy. The owners live close by and are pleased to help with planning your holiday. Here are some suggestions:

Ingleton Waterfalls Walk - a spectacular 2 - 3 hour walk taking you through woods, waterfalls and a gorge. For those of you unfamiliar with it, Alfred Wainwright described it thus:

Surely of its kind, this is the most delightful walk in the country? And not only delightful: it is interesting and captivating and, in places, awesome. Here Nature, always bountiful, has been lavish indeed, charming rivers, sparkling waterfalls, wooded ravines, sinister pools and gorges all combine to present a pageant of unexcelled beauty & grandeur.

The Three Peaks of Ingleborough, Whernside & Pen-y-Ghent - the really serious walker may want to try and walk all 3 peaks in one day. The Three Peaks Walk is 25 miles and can take anything from 8 to 14 hours to complete! (Ingleborough, or at least the start of it, is a 10 minute walk from the cottage.) There are many other less famous but also very beautiful walks locally, for example Crummack Dale and Norber Erratics. Feizor is also a favourite (partly due to the lovely cafe there and partly due to the stunning array of May bluebells.) See here for details of many other local Yorkshire Dales walks.

For people who prefer less strenous walks or strolls, there are many pretty places, apart from Ingleton itself, Austwick and Clapham are beautiful Dales villages with a variety of easier paths and bridleways. Here is a lovely walk closer to Lancaster.

For mountain biking, Ingleton is a dream home base, try the Settle Loop, part of the new Penine Bridleway. (Lockable bike storage available.) Lee (the cottage owner) will happily suggest other great local routes. The cottage is only 10 miles away from the just opened Gisburn Forest new mountain bike trail. (If you are a keen mountain biker and haven't heard of it you soon will - its awesome!) See here for details of the Clapham Bottom mountain bike trail.

There are many caving opportunities for both tourists and serious cavers.

See local golf clubs here.

Ingleton also has a reknowned climbing wall and seasonal open air swimming pool.

The Settle to Carlisle railway - England's most scenic railway leading to the wonderful shopping city of Carlisle.

The historic market town of Kirkby Lonsdale set in a superb location of enchanting natural beauty, famous for Devil's Bridge, and Ruskin's View. Market day is Thursday.

The market town of Hawes is brimming with cobbled streets full of quaint shops. The 17 mile journey from Ingleton is breathtaking. Market day is Tuesday. Hawes has its own creamery which offers tours (fascinating viewing gallery of the cheese making - but phone 1st to check it is a cheese-making day - mainly 10am till 2pm), generous tastings of its famous cheeses and heavenly ice-creams. The Countryside Museum provides a very interesting history of the Dales (back to the time when rhinoceroses roamed the Dales!) Hardraw Force, a stunning walkfall located about a 15 min walk from the 14th Century Green Dragon pub is only 2 miles away, both are highly recommended.

Keen cyclists may find the following website useful.

Local golf clubs are listed here.

For other ideas close to Ingleton, see the Ingleton website.

Bentham Pottery is 4 miles away from Ingleton and offers pottery wares for sale in its showroom, as well as pottery courses, which normally need to be booked in advance. (But its worth trying for a late booking if the weather is bad.) The Pottery also offers a Family Fun session for families staying at Acorn Cottage for £60. This is a 2 1/2 hour session for 2 adults & up to 3 children, involving throwing; making daleks, whistles, bowls etc.)

Helwith Bridge Fly Fishery is a short drive from Ingleton in the direction of Settle. The 4.5 acre lake is in a very beaufiul setting with views of Penyghent and the surrounding fells. Half day and full day fly fishing tickets can be purchased. Casting tuition is also available.

The Hoffman Kiln near Settle, is a little known gem - a surprisingly spectacular day out - best seen in sunshine but torch required for the darker chambers.

There are many local opportunities for geocaching (a type of treasure hunt) - brilliant for encouraging children to walk further in the countryside.

If you would like to go on a led activity whilst in the Dales, for example, an Introduction to Caving Day, contact the Yorkshire Dales Guides.

You can get the train from Settle to the World Heritage site of Saltaire village. There is enough in the cultural paradise of Salts Mill alone to fill a rainy day. (The train station is directly opposite it.).

The local small city of Lancaster has an array of interesting things to do.

Amongst the many lovely things to do in the Lake District, Holker Hall is highly recommended for garden lovers, it also has a large transport museum.

See the Children page for ideas especially suited to younger children.

See the Events page for up and coming local events.