A Stay in Settle, North Yorkshire

 

I've just got back from a cosy break in North Yorkshire and felt the need to blog about it! It's been a while but I'm back to tell you about a great place to stay called Settle!

Located in the Yorkshire Dales, Settle is a quaint market town surrounded by peaks, dales, caves and waterfalls- perfect for those of us that love the outdoors and beautiful scenery. It's also really accessible by car or the train, making it ideal if you don't drive or fancy a scenic way to travel up instead. 

There's some lovely independent shops within Settle, such as Ye Olde Naked Man Cafe and Bakery. Their coffee was gorgeous and the shortbread is to die for! I loved the little antique shops dotted around the town and various gift shops where I picked up a few treats for home. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and if you or your partner are into cycling, I'd recommend 3 Peaks Cycles, an independent bike shop which also has a cafe! My husband was in his element in there and had we not had the dogs with us, we'd have taken full advantage on hiring bikes from there too.

There were three pubs we found whilst in Settle, one was closed the week we were staying (just our luck), but we found The Golden Lion which was a great pub. It was dog friendly, served delicious food and had a roaring fire- all the key ingredients for a perfect evening after a days walking! We also needed a cosy place to stay and I found the perfect place.

Castlebergh Cottage is one of the loveliest cottages I've ever had the pleasure of staying in. Firstly it takes two dogs and pets go free, which gets a huge tick from me. I always find it frustrating when a place is dog friendly but charges an additional fee, but maybe that's just a bug bare of mine? Anyway, this place was well equipped for the dogs, with a boot room as you walk into the property (see the photos here) to kick off your muddy boots, park your bike and dry off muddy mutts. 

We were welcomed with a hamper, containing biscuits and fresh coffee to enjoy during our stay. The kitchen was well equipped with everything you could need. The knives were sharp, there were plenty of utensils, glasses for all the drinks. Seriously all the drinks- red and white wine glasses, gin glasses, champagne glasses, pint glasses, tumblers... There was a dishwasher which is heaven on holiday. Who wants to wash up whilst they're away!? They even had a slow cooker, which had I realised, I'd have left ours at home! 

You could really sense that the owners have really thought about what people need whilst they're on holiday and this followed on throughout the cottage. Not only was it cute and aesthetically pleasing, it was really functional and spacious.

The bathroom was another gorgeous space, fitted with a walk in shower and a beautiful freestanding bath. Both were perfect to warm tired bones and the locally sourced soap was another lovely touch.

There were lots of beautiful walks right on our doorstep, such as Scaleber Force Waterfall, just under 2 miles away and the "Settle loop" which took us up and out of Settle, past Attermire Scar and out towards Langcliffe before heading into Giggleswick and back into Settle. That loop was around 6.5 miles with some hiking which was a shock to my fen legs! The loop gave us brilliant views over Settle and beyond.

A twenty minute drive away is Malham Village and from there you can walk to Malham Cove and hike to see Gordale Scar and Janet's Foss. 

Fun fact- Malham Cove is featured in one of the Harry Potter Deathly Hallows films, so naturally I had to get a picture.

The cove is pretty gnarly, so if you are looking to hike up it as we did, you'll need some sturdy walking boots. It's definitely worth it though and the views are spectacular.

Gordale Scar was definitely my favourite part of the hike. The waterfall was spectacular and I can see why its been dubbed "one of the jewels in the crown of the national park". 

Janet's Foss was also beautiful, although my photo doesn't do it justice. From here onwards we were on a path looping back into Malham village so the hiking got significantly easier. If you're not confident hiking, you can skip climbing Malham Cove and stick to the paths that take you to both Gordale Scar and Janet's Foss. Luckily for me I had two crazy spaniels helping me up hills when I got tired!

So that's a little insight into my break in Settle. It was a very chilled break away, but one that was well needed after a crazy December to reset and recoup. I'd love to hear about your recommendations of places in the UK to go hiking, as it's something I'd like to do more throughout 2024, that and blogging! But for now, I'll leave it here for the day.

Walks Away and a Cotswold Stay | Dog Friendly

It's been a while since I did a travel or holiday type post but I'm back and this time I've been to the Cotswolds!

Me and the mothership decided earlier this year to book a girly break away and take my two pooches: Harry and Olive. When looking for an area to go walking, with quaint villages and pretty scenery the Cotswolds popped up and looked ideal!

 

The accommodation we chose is Parys Lodge (because, how cute does it look right!?), situated within the grounds of the owner's home with walks on your doorstop, it's beautifully secluded and set within miles and miles of beautiful rural countryside with quiet bridleways and footpaths. It's equally in a convenient spot to walk to the village pub! 

The lodge itself is beautifully decorated with modern amenities that include wifi, wood burner, bbq and Nespresso machine to name a few and we instantly felt welcome, cosy and at home when we got there.

The kitchen and living area are small but cosy and the perfect amount of space for the two of us. We both loved the way the lodge was decorated; being fresh, light and inviting. We definitely made the most of the wood burning fire and Nespresso machine during our stay too!

Another thing that was great about the lodge is that you could have two dogs. A lot of places will only take one but thankfully Parys Lodge will accommodate two and as you can see, Harry and Olive very quickly made themselves at home!

Another thing to note is the lodge can sleep 4 with one double bed and two single beds. Naturally I opted for the single bed and gave mama the double! We also hadn't realised that the master bedroom has an en suite which meant mum and I had our own bathrooms each. Result! We also discovered the the beds were equipped with electric blankets which we also utilized, turning off the heating and enjoying the heat from the log burner before coming down to lovely cool bedrooms to sleep in but with the added cosiness of warm bedding. It felt like such a treat to get into and certainly helped us get a good nights sleep.

The lodge was the perfect space and size for the two of us and the dogs to retreat to and relax after a long day of walking. We'd pop the log burner on and listen to it crackle away and enjoy a glass of wine or two whilst our pizzas cooked in the over. On one of the evenings however we did frequent the local pub; a short walk away and enjoyed a hearty meal with drinks; somewhere I'd recommend going if you choose to stay here!

As previously mentioned there are walks literally on your doorstop from the lodge, so we were able to ditch the car and head out for the day on beautiful walks. 

This enclosed field is a 5 minute walk from the accommodation and was perfect for letting the dogs off to run and stretch their legs before a day of walking began. During our stay we did part of the Wychavon Walk and were able to explore the beautiful Worcestershire countryside with its peaceful waterways and scenic views with a sheep or two. 

This is the route we ended up taking and could have walked further but with it being February time the light was soon lost by 4:30 pm. Wychavon Walk is in fact 40 miles in total and starts in Holt Fleet by the River Severn so there's plenty of parts to pick up and do on various visits- something I definitely want to do with my husband Chris!

Another place that's well worth a visit and just a 20 minute drive is Broadway. A lot of people had recommended this place and for good reason. It's incredibly quaint and the epitome of what quintessentially English means to me. I felt like I was on the set of the film The Holiday!

Broadway is often referred to as the "jewel of the Cotswolds" and I can see why! Both mum and I fell in love with how quaint the properties were and cooed over the cute detailing of each house. 

The main street is lined with lots of independent shops, hotels and restaurants as well as plenty of antique shops. It's definitely a place to come for unique gifts or a memento from your holiday. 

It was also very dog friendly which for me was a huge tick and because of this it only seemed right that we popped to The Swan for a beverage with the pooches!

This lovely pub is set in the heart of the village and had a a lovely relaxed feel, with plenty of seating to choose from. 

Here mum and I toasted to a successful mother daughter trip away and before we knew it, it was sadly time to come home!

I adored this trip and definitely want to explore more of The Cotswolds now so if you have any recommendations on places to visit, do let me know! 

I can't recommend our accommodation enough too so if you're looking for a cosy little retreat, definitely check out Parys Lodge.