Sedbergh

Sedbergh sits in the far north-western corner of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, though its grey stone houses and cobbled lanes feel just as close to the Lake District, whose fells rise only a few miles to the west. The town is squeezed into a narrow gap between two very different landscapes: the smooth, whale-backed Howgill Fells crowd in immediately to the north, while the softer valleys of Dentdale and Garsdale open up to the south and east, carrying the Rivers Dee, Rawthey and Lune down from the hills.

It is a small place, home to only a couple of thousand people, but it punches well above its weight. Sedbergh has been officially known as England's Book Town since 2005, its Main Street lined with second-hand and specialist bookshops, and it is also famous for Sedbergh School, one of the country's oldest independent schools, whose buildings and playing fields dominate one end of the town. Add a twelfth-century church, the remains of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle at Castlehaw, and some of the best fell-running and mountain-biking country in the north of England, and you have a market town that rewards a slow wander as much as a hard day on the hills.

Top things to do in Sedbergh

Sedbergh's appeal is split fairly evenly between the town itself and the wall of hills that hems it in. A day or two here usually means some combination of browsing bookshops, walking up into the Howgills, and using the town as a base for the wider Dales.

• Browse England's Book Town — Sedbergh has been developing its identity as a book town since 2005, and Main Street and the surrounding lanes now hold a cluster of second-hand, antiquarian and specialist bookshops, among them the long-established Westwood Books, which spreads its stock across two floors of a former church.
• Walk up into the Howgill Fells — the smooth, grassy Howgills rise straight out of the town and are quite unlike the crags of the Lake District or the limestone scenery further into the Dales. The classic route climbs to The Calf, the range's highest point at 676m, with views stretching over the Eden Valley, the Lune Valley and, on a clear day, the Lakeland fells.
• Visit Farfield Mill — a couple of miles from town, this restored Victorian woollen mill now houses artists' studios and a heritage centre over several floors, with working looms, textile displays and a tea room, and it hosts regular exhibitions of local craft and art.
• See Sedbergh School — founded in 1525, the school's stone buildings and extensive playing fields shape the eastern side of the town and give Sedbergh much of its distinctive, slightly academic character.
• Explore the Norman church and Castlehaw — St Andrew's Church has twelfth-century origins, and a short walk out of town leads to Castlehaw, the grassy mound of an early Norman motte-and-bailey castle with views back over the rooftops.
• Follow the Dales Way — the long-distance footpath from Ilkley to Windermere passes within half a mile of Sedbergh, tracing the Rivers Dee and Rawthey, and makes for an easy riverside stroll even if you have no intention of walking the whole route.
• Day-trip into Dentdale — the neighbouring valley holds the postcard village of Dent, with whitewashed cottages and cobbled streets, and Dent railway station, the highest main-line station in England, on the dramatic Settle–Carlisle line. The nearby Dent Head Viaduct, completed in 1875, carries the railway high across the dale head.
• Explore the Dales' show caves — the limestone country further into the national park hides show caves with underground streams and huge chambers, an easy excursion for anyone based in Sedbergh for a few days.

Getting to Sedbergh

Sedbergh sits just off the A684, close to Junction 37 of the M6, which makes it an easy stop for anyone travelling between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, or heading further north into Cumbria. The M6 corridor puts the town within reach of Kendal (around 10 miles), Lancaster and the wider motorway network, while the A684 continues east through Garsdale towards Hawes and Wensleydale. The nearest mainline railway stations are Oxenholme, on the West Coast Main Line, and Dent, on the scenic Settle–Carlisle line, both a short drive away, with connecting bus services running into Sedbergh itself. There is no station in the town, so most visitors arrive by car, and the surrounding lanes and fell roads are narrow, so a little extra time should be built into any journey.

Best time to visit Sedbergh

Late spring through early autumn is the most reliable window for walking the Howgills, when the fell paths are drier and the days are long enough for a full circuit taking in The Calf. Summer brings Sedbergh's book festivals and busier bookshops, along with the best conditions for exploring Dentdale and the surrounding valleys. Autumn adds colour to the dale bottoms and tends to be quieter, while winter can be atmospheric in the town itself, though the higher fells and unfenced roads over to Dentdale and Garsdale are exposed and should be treated with respect once the weather turns.

Where to stay in Sedbergh

Sedbergh has a small stock of traditional pubs with rooms and bed and breakfasts along and just off Main Street, putting visitors within walking distance of the bookshops and the start of the fell paths. Self-catering cottages are dotted around the town and out into Dentdale and Garsdale, ranging from converted farm buildings to cottages right on the fellside, and there are also camping and touring caravan sites on the edge of town and further out towards the Howgills, popular with walkers and cyclists using Sedbergh as a base for the wider national park.

Food and drink in Sedbergh

Main Street holds most of Sedbergh's eating and drinking options within a few hundred yards of each other. The Three Hares Cafe & Bakery is well known for its sausage rolls, scones and pastries, while Mug Story serves coffee alongside bread from Lovingly Artisan and homemade cakes and pies. Al Forno Italian Kitchen offers a change of pace from the traditional tea rooms, and The Dalesman pub serves classic pub food alongside local ales. Out at Farfield Mill, the tea room does a simple lunch menu of soups, paninis and sandwiches, and Half and Half on Main Street stocks a wide range of wines, craft beers, gins and ciders for those wanting to take a drink back to their accommodation.