Leyburn

Leyburn's position on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park makes it a natural base for exploring Wensleydale by car or on foot, and the town's hotels and inns reflect that role. Expect traditional stone-built coaching inns right on the market square, several with restaurants and bars serving hearty Dales cooking, alongside quieter country hotels a short drive out towards Middleham, Wensley or Redmire that trade the bustle of the square for dale views and easy access to Bolton Castle and the Wensleydale Railway. Farmhouse bed and breakfasts are common in the surrounding villages, often set on working sheep farms with direct access to footpaths across the fells.

Because Leyburn is smaller than honeypot towns like Hawes or Grassington, rooms are generally easier to come by, though it is still sensible to book ahead for the Friday market, the Wensleydale Show in late August, and race days at nearby Middleham's famous training yards. Many hotels can arrange stabling or are simply used to horsey guests, given the town's racing connections. A stay in Leyburn puts Swaledale, Coverdale and Wensleydale all within easy day-trip range, so it suits visitors who want a comfortable, central base rather than somewhere they will spend all their time.

Leyburn punches well above its weight for things to see and do, both in the town itself and within a short drive along Wensleydale.

• Leyburn Shawl — A near-mile-long natural limestone terrace on the edge of town with sweeping views over Wensleydale, said to take its name from a shawl lost by Mary, Queen of Scots as she fled Bolton Castle in 1568. It is a gentle, well-used walking route and one of the best free viewpoints in the dale.
• Wensleydale Railway — A heritage line with a station in Leyburn, running diesel and occasional steam services along Lower Wensleydale towards Redmire and Scruton. A nostalgic way to see the valley without a car.
• Bolton Castle — A well-preserved 14th-century fortress a short drive from Leyburn, built for Richard, Lord Scrope, and best known as the place where Mary, Queen of Scots was held for six months in 1568. It has a walled garden, birds of prey displays, and wide views over Wensleydale.
• Middleham Castle — The childhood home of Richard III, an atmospheric ruin in the neighbouring village of Middleham, which is also famous today as one of Britain's leading racehorse-training centres, with strings of thoroughbreds exercised on the gallops above the town most mornings.
• Wensleydale Creamery, Hawes — Around half an hour up the dale, the home of Wensleydale cheese offers a viewing gallery over the cheese-making floor, a museum and a well-stocked shop, and is one of the most popular family outings in the whole of the Yorkshire Dales.
• Tennants Auctioneers — One of the largest auction houses in Europe, based in Leyburn, with regular sales of fine art and antiques and a free-to-enter tea room and gallery worth a browse even if you are not bidding.
• The Forbidden Corner — A quirky, family-run folly garden of tunnels, follies and surprises near Middleham, popular with children and famously hard to book without pre-purchasing tickets.
• Leyburn Old Glebe Nature Reserve — A small pocket of unimproved meadow and woodland on the edge of town, good for wildflowers and an easy stroll away from the market square.

The Bolton Arms on the market square is a long-standing local pub serving classic British food, while the Sandpiper Inn is well regarded for a more refined dinner menu in a cosy 17th-century building. For daytime stops, Elite Fish Bar and the various cafes around the square cater to walkers coming off the Shawl, and Leyburn's Friday market is a good source of local produce, from Wensleydale cheese to fresh baked goods and meat from Dales farms. The town also has a small independent cinema and a chocolatier for something sweet after a day on the fells.

Leyburn and the surrounding stretch of Wensleydale offer some of the more understated camping and glamping country in the Yorkshire Dales, with sites tucked into farmland along the River Ure and up the quieter side valleys towards Coverdale and Swaledale. As with everywhere in England, wild camping is not permitted without the explicit permission of the landowner, so stick to registered campsites, caravan parks and the handful of certified sites (CLs and CSs) run by working farms in the area, several of which offer simple pitches with views straight up to the Shawl or across to Penhill.

The terrain around Leyburn is gentler than the high fells further north around Swaledale, with rolling pasture, drystone walls and easy access to lower-level walking routes, which makes it a comfortable choice for families or anyone new to camping in the Dales. Sites further up the dale towards Askrigg and Hawes sit closer to open moorland and the classic limestone scenery of Wensleydale, for campers wanting something a little wilder within a short drive.

The camping season here runs broadly from Easter to the end of September, with June, July and August offering the most reliable weather, longer evenings and the best chance of catching local events like the Wensleydale Show. Spring brings newborn lambs to the surrounding fields and fresher, quieter sites before the summer rush; autumn can be beautiful but nights turn cold quickly once the clocks change. Several farms around Leyburn and Middleham have added glamping pods, safari tents or shepherd's huts in recent years, giving a fixed-roof alternative with the same dale views and a good option for anyone wanting to try the area without committing to a tent, especially given how changeable Dales weather can be even in midsummer.