Looking for things to do in Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales? Walk among patchwork green valleys, craggy cliff faces, and farmland laced with limestone walls. It’s not tough to work out why the Yorkshire Dales feature so much on the big screen, appearing in Calendar Girls and the Harry Potter series. The hills are alive with the sound of wildlife – woodpeckers, cuckoos, and wood warblers. And as of late, they’ve been joined by the world’s biggest cycling event, the Tour de France. In August heather covers the moorland like a purple carpet. Follow the footsteps of Georgian gentry to spa towns like Harrogate to discover the pump rooms, manicured flower gardens, and quant tearooms.
Places to visit in the Yorkshire Dales and Harrogate
Explore some of England’s most dramatic caves
Head underground to gaze in wonder at the fascinating caves that form a major, but hidden, part of the Yorkshire Dales landscape.
Location: Ingleton, North Yorkshire
Wild Swimming in Grassington
Grassington is an idyllic little Dales market town with a cobbled square, quirky shops and cosy pubs.
Location: Grassignton, North Yorkshire
Aysgarth Falls in the Yorkshire Dales
Aysgarth Falls are a dramatic set of waterfalls in Wensleydale.
Location: Aysgarth, North Yorkshire
Discover the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales
A photographer’s dream, the Yorkshire Dales has many moods – from wild and windswept to quietly tranquil – each dramatically beautiful.
Location: Yorkshire Dales National Park, North Yorkshire
Seek out inspiring views atop Malham Cove
Follow in the footsteps of centuries of visitors – and more recently, filmmakers – to Malham Cove, a limestone amphitheatre in the Yorkshire Dales.
Location: Malham, North Yorkshire
Explore the stunning medieval Bolton Castle
Experience the incredible atmosphere of Bolton Castle where many of its rooms give the feeling that their inhabitants have just walked out of them.
Location: North Leyburn, North Yorkshire
Discover the hidden gem of Grimwith Reservoir
Grimwith Reservoir is one of the Yorkshire Dales' hidden gems tucked away off the road between Grassington and Pateley Bridge.
Location: Near Grassington, North Yorkshire
Climb aboard a classic steam railway at Bolton Abbey
Puffing through the Yorkshire Dales is the Embsay & Bolton Abbey steam railway where special events take place throughout the year.
Location: Wharfedale, Yorkshire Dales