Ravenstonedale

Ravenstonedale sits in a broad, green fold of the Westmorland Dales, the quietest corner of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, where the fells roll down from the Howgills on one side and the Eden Valley opens out on the other. A single main street runs through the village, lined with stone cottages, a couple of old inns and the parish church of St Oswald, largely rebuilt in the 1740s but with fragments of a much older building worked into its walls. There has been a settlement here since at least the 12th century, when the manor was granted to the Gilbertine canons of Watton in Yorkshire, and the low earthworks near the church mark the site of their small monastic cell.

For most of its history this has been farming country, sheep and cattle grazed across the fellsides and drained by becks that feed the River Eden, with quarrying and a little lead mining bringing extra work in the 19th century. That working landscape is still very much what you see today: dry-stone walls climbing the hillsides, stone barns, and a network of footpaths and bridleways that fan out from the village in every direction. Ravenstonedale has no crowds and no big attractions of its own, which is exactly its appeal, a genuine Cumbrian village used as a base for walking, cycling and simply slowing down, with Kirkby Stephen, the Lake District and the wider Yorkshire Dales all within easy reach.

Top things to do in Ravenstonedale

The village is best used as a starting point for the surrounding countryside, with a good mix of gentle valley walks and proper fell days on the doorstep.

• The Howgill Fells — a distinctive range of smooth, grassy summits rising immediately north of the village, popular with fell runners and walkers; The Calf, the highest point, gives sweeping views over the Eden Valley and across to the Lakeland fells.
• Smardale Gill Nature Reserve — a Cumbria Wildlife Trust reserve a couple of miles from the village, following the trackbed of a dismantled railway through a wooded limestone gorge rich in wildflowers, butterflies and birds, and crossed by the dramatic 14-arch Smardale Gill Viaduct, built in 1861.
• Nine Standards Rigg — a line of tall, mysterious stone cairns above Kirkby Stephen, marking high ground on the watershed of England and a well-known landmark on the Coast to Coast walk.
• Kirkby Stephen — the nearest market town, a few miles east, with independent shops, cafes and its own handsome parish church, and a good stop for provisions before heading into the hills.
• St Oswald's Church, Ravenstonedale — the village church, rebuilt in the 18th century, worth a look for its unusual west-facing box pews and the earthworks of the old Gilbertine cell just to the north.
• Settle-Carlisle Railway — one of Britain's great scenic railway lines passes close by, with the nearest station at Kirkby Stephen; the line crosses the high Pennines on its way between Settle and Carlisle and is a spectacular way to arrive in the area.
• Local footpaths and bridleways — a dense network of short, waymarked circular walks starts directly from the village, taking in becks, meadows and fellside views without needing a car.

Getting to Ravenstonedale

Ravenstonedale lies just off the A685 between Kirkby Stephen and Tebay, in the Eden Valley on the Cumbria side of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. By car, it is roughly 20 minutes from Junction 38 of the M6 at Tebay, making it an easy stop for anyone travelling between the North West and the Yorkshire Dales or Lake District. The nearest mainline station is Kirkby Stephen, a few miles away on the Settle-Carlisle line, which runs through some of the finest scenery in the Pennines; from there a taxi or a pleasant walk completes the journey. Oxenholme, on the West Coast Main Line, is the nearest station with fast connections to London and Scotland, around 40 minutes away by road.

Best time to visit Ravenstonedale

Late spring through early autumn is the most reliable window, when the fells are at their greenest and the footpaths around Smardale and the Howgills are driest underfoot. May and June bring wildflowers to the old railway cuttings at Smardale, while high summer suits longer days out on the Howgills or a trip to Nine Standards Rigg. Autumn brings quieter paths and rich colour along the becks and in the valley woodland, and this is genuinely all-weather walking country, so a good waterproof is sensible whatever the season. Winter can be atmospheric, with snow settling on the higher fells, though some of the higher routes are best left to experienced walkers when conditions turn.

Where to stay in Ravenstonedale

Accommodation in and around the village tends towards traditional inns, farmhouse bed and breakfasts, and self-catering cottages rather than large hotels, in keeping with the scale of the place. Both village pubs offer rooms, and there are several working farms nearby offering B&B or holiday cottages, popular with walkers tackling the Howgills, the Coast to Coast path, or exploring the wider Westmorland Dales. Kirkby Stephen, a short drive away, has a wider choice of guesthouses and small hotels for those who want a slightly larger town as a base.

Food and drink in Ravenstonedale

The village punches well above its size for a good meal. The Black Swan is a family-run coaching inn with a beamed bar, log fire and a well-regarded kitchen serving hearty, home-cooked food, alongside a beer garden by the village stream. Just along the street, the Kings Head Hotel is another traditional stone-built pub with real ales, log fires and a straightforward, well-executed pub food menu. Together the two pubs are the social heart of the village, and both are worth booking ahead for at busy times, particularly weekends and during the walking season.