Eastfield Lodge & Leyburn – A Gateway to the Dales

Wensleydale, one of the very few dales not to be named after the river which flows through it, is perhaps the most celebrated of all the Dales. It lies inside the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Famous for James Herriot and All Creatures Great and Small filmed in nearby Askrigg, Wallace and Grommit, who so loved the local cheese and most importantly for it’s dramatic and outstanding natural beauty, for which it was recognised as an AONB site in 1994. The imposing Castle Bolton, where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned and ruins of Middleham Castle , the childhood home of Richard III, are both within a 20 minutes drive.

At Eastfield Lodge we are in an ideal location, just 5 minutes walk into the traditional market square of this thriving, pretty town with its independent shops, including Campbells, an award-winning supermarket and wine and spirit merchant family run since 1868. There is a weekly market, attractive tearooms, four pubs, bakeries, local butcher and a traditional sweet shop. Leyburn regularly draws in the local people, who use the town to go about their daily business. Tennants, the largest family owned auctioneers in the UK, have frequent sales and events less than a 10 minute walk from the lodge.

Eastfield Lodge is the perfect springboard for exploring this diverse area, whether you venture out on foot, by car or step-back-in-time on the Wensleydale Railway, a tourist line which stops just less than 400m from here before heading west into the Dales National Park. We are also lucky enough to have the regular Little White Dales Bus services, recently featured on Countryfile.

The renowned Leyburn ‘Shawl’, just a short walk from the Market Place, gives superb views over Wensleydale and is the starting point for many beautiful walks. Hardraw Force, the highest unbroken waterfall in England, is located near Hawes, whilst Aysgarth Falls are famous for their beauty, attracting visitors from afar, partly because they were featured in the film Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. One of the most unusual river suspension bridges in England built in 1829, crosses the River Ure to link Leyburn to Middleham, another pretty town to the East. Walkers and cyclists love this county. The Tour de France and Tour de Yorkshire (taking on the infamous Buttertubs Pass) have truly put us on the map for those who love cycling but there is so much variety nearby that there is something here for everyone.