Ravenstonedale

Ravenstonedale makes a peaceful base for exploring the quieter, western edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, an area often overlooked in favour of better-known dales further east. Accommodation here is modest and traditional rather than grand: the village's two old coaching inns, the Black Swan and the Kings Head, both offer comfortable rooms above their bars, while a scattering of working hill farms nearby let out bed and breakfast rooms and self-catering cottages to walkers and cyclists. This is a good option for anyone wanting to be within a short walk of a proper pub meal after a day on the Howgills or Nine Standards Rigg, without needing to drive anywhere in the evening. For a wider choice, including small hotels and guesthouses, nearby Kirkby Stephen has more options and useful shops for stocking up before heading into the hills. Whichever base you choose, book ahead in peak walking season, spring through early autumn, as options in the village itself are limited and popular with regulars.

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.

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.

Ravenstonedale sits at the meeting point of the Howgill Fells, the Westmorland Dales and the wider Yorkshire Dales National Park, making it a good base for a camping trip focused on quiet fellside and valley walking rather than crowds. As in the rest of England, wild camping without the landowner's permission is not legal here, so pitching up needs to be on a proper campsite or with agreement from whoever farms the land; the fells themselves are largely working sheep country, criss-crossed by dry-stone walls and grazing rights that campers are expected to respect. Around Ravenstonedale and neighbouring Kirkby Stephen there are small, farm-based campsites and a handful of glamping options, from simple grass pitches to yurts and shepherd's huts, generally set within working farms rather than large commercial parks, in keeping with the low-key character of the area.

The terrain rewards a tent-and-boots trip: gentle valley paths along becks and around Smardale Gill suit an easy evening walk from camp, while the smooth, steep-sided Howgill Fells to the north offer a proper day out for anyone wanting height and views without technical scrambling. Weather on this side of the Pennines can turn quickly, so a well-pitched, weatherproof tent and warm kit matter even in summer, and ground can be soft after rain given the area's many becks and springs. The best camping season runs from late spring to early autumn, when daylight is longest and the fell paths are driest; midges can be an occasional nuisance near water in high summer, as in most of upland Cumbria. Campfires should only be lit where a site explicitly allows it, given the fire risk to dry grass and heather in warm spells, and a stove is the more reliable option for cooking. For those who would rather skip the tent but still want a rural, back-to-basics stay, the yurts behind the Black Swan and similar small glamping setups nearby offer a comfortable middle ground, combining proper beds with the same sense of being tucked away in quiet fellside country.