Blisters, cheese and mice — that’s how our Yorkshire Dales inn to inn walking holiday concluded. After 10 days of walking over 60 miles of mixed terrain, the blistered feet were no surprise but the cheese and mice…now those were unexpected delights!
Kettlewell to Buckden Hike
The blisters are only worth mentioning because they are the reason we took an easier path from Kettlewell to Buckden. Our walking notes had us taking a high path up out of Kettlewell but I knew my toes wouldn’t like anything steep. So I emailed Helen with Muddy Boots and she suggested a gentler path that was flat and easy to navigate. She was right, it was perfect!
Our path that day followed the River Wharfe and offered plenty of close encounters with sheep and photo ops with stone walls and barns. We stopped in Starbotton for a light lunch and a cozy fire at Fox and Hounds Inn.
We continued to follow the river to Buckden where we spent three nights at the Buck Inn. Our room was massive and very comfortable. I never could get used to the hot water alternating on and off in the shower (yes, I’m spoiled when it comes to hot water) but everything else about the inn was perfect. The staff were always friendly, the food was hearty and there were lounge areas for visiting. Just one thing to note: we had no cell phone service here and the inn doesn’t have a public phone, so make sure to schedule transportation in advance! Or have WhatsApp on your phone, like we did.
Intro to Wensleydale Cheese
On our first full day in Buckden, Matt from Muddy Boots picked us up at the inn and drove us through the beautiful Wensleydale countryside to meet Ben, owner of Curlew Dairy. This was no ordinary dairy tour. We met Ben at his home, where he makes artisan cheese from a converted garage. It was a beautiful sunny day so we all sat at the picnic table in Ben’s backyard, where he offered us a tray of tea and coffee. With his iPad and a giant block of exquisite cheese, Ben proceeded to teach us the fine art of cheese making and how he got started. Eric and I have always enjoyed artisan cheeses but knew nothing about the process. We learned about the starter and how Wensleydale cheese is different from cheddar. We were offered fruitcake and told that it is traditionally eaten with Wensleydale cheese.
As the sun warmed our backs and the tea warmed our hands, Ben used a cheese iron to pull a sample of his classic Wensleydale cheese. The classic was delicious but when he gave us a sample of his smoked cheese I think I moaned out loud. I am no cheese connoisseur but that was perfection! Eric enjoyed listening to Ben talk about the chemistry of cheese making and how each batch can be different. For my part, I had no idea what he was talking about but I loved seeing someone so passionate about what he does. Eric and I couldn’t help but note that these two men, Ben and Matt, both left financially secure careers to pursue a different lifestyle. Seeing the joy they both feel in what they do is further incentive for us to take risks and pursue a different path.
Leaving Ben’s house, we walked to the church across the street in Wensley which is one of the oldest churches in the region. Then we hopped in the car and drove to Aysgarth for a walk around Aysgarth Falls and St Andrews Church. Eric and I enjoyed a very British experience having tea and cake at Mill Race Teashop. Eric had carrot cake and I had blackberry bramble. Wonderful!
Matt met us after lunch and we again set off walking through pastures with beautiful views of the upper Wharfdale countryside. We stopped in West Burton to see Cauldron Falls and to our delight a mobile self-pay milk van owned by Ben the cheesemaker. You bring your milk bottle and refill it on the van. You can also make a flavored milkshake or buy some of his lovely cheese.
We made a quick stop at Matt’s house so he could give me an old shoelace, as the shoelace on one of my boots was completely threadbare. He showed us clay pits in the ground where they play quoits, a popular game of ring toss with a heavy iron ring being thrown onto a square patch of soft clay. Having filled our heads with as much knowledge as he could impart, Matt returned us to Buckden and wished us luck on the next journey.
Buckden Circular Hike
Our last day in the Yorkshire Dales was a circular walk from Kettlewell to the farming hamlet of Yockenthwaite and back. It was a glorious sunny day and we couldn’t have asked for a better way to end our stay here.
Although these can be common along trails in the UK, this route was the first time we came across an honesty box with home baked goods. We had seen eggs for sale throughout the trip but this route had little cakes that fit perfectly in your hand so you could munch and walk at the same time.
Yorkshire Dales Church Mice
You may recall in our last post that we mentioned something about church mice. Our last section of hiking took us through the town of Hubberholme which boasts a 12th century church with an overabundance of mice. Wooden mice, to be exact, carved into the pews by Robert Thompson, the Mouseman of Kilburn. Thompson was a British furniture maker who lived from 1876 to 1955 and his pieces almost always featured a little carved mouse. His furniture business has survived and still carries the signature mouse carved into every piece and hunting for these originals remains a popular pastime.
And with that, we conclude our walking holiday in the Yorkshire Dales. Next stop, Wales! If you missed our previous stories from this trip, start with Pub Hiking in the Yorkshire Dales.
