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Grassington, a small market town and just 10 minutes down the road from Bramble Cottage Hetton is a delightful place to visit throughout the year.

A cobbled market square, shops offering local foods, gifts and arts and crafts plus cafés, restaurants and hotels, are all set against a backdrop of the Yorkshire Dales. 

Visit The Fish Shop in Garrs Lane, take a peek in The Grassington Folk Museum overlooking the square which re-tells the history of the area with displays showing interesting artefacts.

Browse the independent shops and pop into Grassington House for a break. More than just an hotel you can stop off here for local speciality ales, a glass of wine or handpicked spirits from small local suppliers all of which can be enjoyed from the bar sitting on the terrace overlooking the Village Square.

Grassington is situated on the Dales Way trail. You can learn more at The Grassington National Park Centre which is situated just outside the village the centre provides local information, parking, toilets and a picnic area.
https://www.yorkshiredales.co.uk/grassington-national-park-centre/

A short walk from here takes you down to the River Wharfe, where you can see Linton Falls and enjoy a walk alongside the river. 

Two of the notable events hosted every year are,

The Grassington 1940s Weekend. 
18-20 September 2020. Music, period costumes, vintage cars. And dancing in the square.

https://grassington.uk.com/grassington-community/grassington-1940s-weekend/

The Dickensian Festival.

Every year Grassington is transported back to the time of Dickens, with shopkeepers, villagers and visitors dressed in Victorian costume. 

There is a full entertainment programme over two weekends, with bands, buskers and Victorian street entertainers and for the children, a chance to meet Santa in his grotto and to take part in a torchlit nativity procession.

As the centre of Grassington is pedestrianised during the Festival, a Park & Ride system operates. This is based a mile from the centre of the Village and is well sign posted from every incoming road with bright yellow signs.

The Park & Ride is £10.00 per car.

https//:grassingtondickensian.co.uk

Our award winning local in the village is the critically acclaimed Angel Inn.Just moments away from the cottage you can pop in just for a drink or you can indulge yourself in the most fantastic dining experience.Pricing perhaps not for the feint hearted ! Here is an idea of menus in early 2020

Home

Having decided to invest and keep Bramble Cottage updated … we are still remembering those days of no heating, no double glazing, no TV and of course no internet back in 76. However no one said it was to be this hard !
We are in lockdown, November 2020 and trying to work remotely on the kitchen, the staircase wallpaper, replacement of the ground floor doors and the ‘Patchwork’ bedroom furniture along with a total internal repaint.

The original build doors have survived downstairs to this day. We had a family friend fit them upstairs some years ago so we have commissioned local carpenter Andrew Walker to make up from scratch and fit for early December.

Who knew wallpaper was so expensive ! We are going to replace the existing paper that run up the stairs under a dado rail and continues up and along the landing. Trying to marry up colouring, suitability with something to last is tricky. Our favourite to date is bottom left the Colefax Alderney.

The existing kitchen units which are solid wood and were installed approximately 20 years ago are still in good condition so we had them spray painted in July 2020 in a sage green ( RAL 7032 ) we offset them with new handles, antique pewter dimpled mushroom from the Handle Studio.
Next to complete are a new laminate worktop, sink and tap, tiled splash back and down lights.

So we are not so we are not blessed with much space to work with in the third bedroom and are keen to maintain its double room status, this has caused the most angst so far in trying to retain a cottage feel with regard to the furniture but finding pieces to fit.

More to come…

Spring 2020

Just before Covid19 lockdown we managed to enjoy a few days at Bramble Cottage. An odd experience as we had left West Sussex amid supermarket panic buying and found North Yorkshire yet to fully come to terms with the severity of the situation.

The North Yorkshire weather was surprisingly good and we had a late lunch at one of our favourite Dales pubs The Fountaine in the scenic village of Linton. We just managed to get there in time to eat as restricted trading hours due to the virus had just been introduced.

A pint of Yorkshire Ale and a delicious sandwich in the restaurant was as good as ever. Dinner will have to wait until the next time as all trading was halted by the lockdown the following day.

Just 3.7 miles from Bramble Cottage, Linton is a great stop off on route to Grassington. The picture perfect stone bridge and the adjacent ford cross Linton Beck which flows down to the Wharfe at the limestone Linton Falls half a mile away.

Also of interest In the village is the architectural jewel, the block of almshouses, bequeathed by Richard Fountaine, a local man. https://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/16608237.nostalgia-the-strange-riddle-of-richard-fountaines-almshouse-at-linton/

Just Why Richard Fountaine, born in Linton in 1639 and massively successful in London would have commissioned, of all things, a Baroque almshouse for the poor of his home village remains a mystery as does the architect employed to design it.

It has been attributed to differing architects including John Vanbrugh, Nicholas Hawksmoor, William Wakefield but William Etty remains the most likely candidate, the designer of Holy Trinity Church, Leeds, the Moot Hall, Leeds (demolished) and the Mansion House, York.

The almshouse, The Fountaine Inn and the picturesque Linton Beck make Linton a lovely Dales village to visit.

It is quite a surprise to find an authentically recreated American Diner in The Yorkshire Dales countryside but if you are staying with us at Bramble Cottage Hetton with children or you just fancy a little nostalgic 50’s style and feel then to visit Billybobs https://www.billybobsparlour.com/ is not going to disappoint.

If you are off on a day out you can drop in for a hearty breakfast to get you going, orders taken until 11.30am. The Ranch House comes in under £8.00

However, it has to be the rest of what is on offer here that makes booking in advance essential.

The atmosphere, the super friendly staff, authentic seating, an Airstream Caravan, the soda counters and of course the food. US Diner favourites from Hot Dogs and Burgers to Pancakes and Shakes and a children’s menu for the little ones.

Ice creams are made on site from the Calm Slate Farm cows. Around 30 different and imaginative flavours which are not only available at The Diner, you can take them home or find them distributed far beyond Billy Bobs in the fleet of Ice Cream Vans all over The Yorkshire Dales. There is super entertainment for the kids with the outdoor wooden play structures and the Barns where the kids can let off steam for hours. £2 per child to enter the barn playground but reserved for diners only in busier times so beware. 

If you have not got time to dine in, pick up some of their fantastic Ice Cream to take away and enjoy it in the pretty cottage garden at Bramble Cottage.

After much searching in North Wales, The Lakes and North Yorkshire the perfect cottage was finally found in 1976 just an hour from our then home in Rochdale.

Bramble Cottage was ideal for weekends and family holidays. We have fond memories of arriving at the cottage, toasting crumpets and being warmed by the fire. Endless days were spent roaming free before coming in for tea when the cows came in for milking

Demand from family and friends to stay prompted the purchase of Stable Cottage for holiday rentals in the nearby village of Grassington and we kept Bramble Cottage for our own use.

After a relocation to West Sussex, Stable Cottage was sold and with family life becoming busier Gillie decided to rent it out to allow others to enjoy the beauty of the cottage and its location.

As of 2019 Bramble Cottage has been passed to the next generation, siblings Mark and Claire who are continuing to offer it for holiday lets.

Just 6.5 miles from Bramble Cottage but a 20 minute drive along twisty turning dry stone wall lined country lanes down to single lanes with passing places at times. Swoop down into Airton and past the old mill on the river Aire on the journey to Malham.

You get a good glimpse of the scar as you descend into the village. Park in the carpark by the visitors centre ( pay and display with card facilities ) or if you are lucky enough to find a space park on the roadside as you enter the village and avoid the charges. £2.50 for 2 hours ( 2019 ).

Make your way on foot up through the village past the tea shops and pubs, save those for later, and pick up the pathway to the cove further up the road.

The climb to the top is an approx round trip of two hours, carefully climbing the 400 or so steps up the cove.

Only once in living memory has it become an actual waterfall and in recent years has been the back drop to Harry Potter scenes. The limestone pavement at the top was scraped bare by the ice over 12000 years ago. Since then slightly acidic rainwater has dissolved the rock away along faults and cracks.

This renown beauty spot is just 20 minutes from Bramble Cottage and is a must visit destination when staying with us here in the Yorkshire Dales. Part of the Duke of Devonshire’s estate, it includes the Priory, riverside and woodland walks, Barden Tower and the famous Stepping Stones. Strid Wood and the Strid. The wood opened to the public in 1810 and has shaded pathways renown for it flora and fauna. The green trail on the west bank of the Wharfe is wheelchair friendly. Many of the pathways and trails lead to the Strid, a natural wonder where the river suddenly narrows forcing the water through at great pressure. Potentially dangerous but with care an unmissable site.

The Stepping Stones, 60 of them were historically the crossing point for the lay workers at the Priory. Now a challenging fun crossing for visitors and just a short distance from the beach area, great for a picnic and a paddle. The Barden Tower, looking like a ruined castle is actually an old hunting lodge.Falling into disrepair in the late 18th century the ruins are accessible to explore. Central to the Estate is the Priory and its adjacent ruins which you are free to wander through and enjoy the wonderful views. With dedicated picnic areas with benches and specific bbq areas you can enjoy a full day out for very little money. Entry to the Estate up to 18 March 2019 is just £10 per car with up to 11 occupants.

www.boltonabbey.com

If you have any energy left you could pop into Billy Bobs ice cream parlour on the way home for homemade ice creams or a hand pulled soda. www.billybobsparlour.com

Enjoy this location and many more when you stay with us at Bramble Cottage, Hetton.