Ingleton offers a great base for groups, with its famous waterfalls and caves, and literary links. Contributor Sue Riley writes
The picturesque village of Ingleton in North Yorkshire has always punched above its weight when it comes to attracting tourists.
At the base of Ingleborough, one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, its Waterfalls Trail and White Scar Caves bring in thousands of visitors a year.
The 4.3-mile Waterfalls Trail follows the routes of the Rivers Twiss and Doe through a series of impressive waterfalls, plunge pools and ancient stones, which provide a habitat for rare plants, trees and birds.
And White Scar, the longest show cave in England, is a popular draw with dramatic stalactites and stalagmites throughout its 1,600m length.
Plenty to do
Groups can hire Ingleton’s outdoor swimming pool – once named one of the best lidos in the UK – on an hourly basis, and there are plenty of other all-ages activities, with a skate park, climbing wall and lots of caravan parks nearby.
In the village centre is Ingleton Pottery, the oldest-established working pottery in the Yorkshire Dales, and its newest attraction is the huge Christmas Cabin, now open at the nearby food hall/coffee shop Country Harvest.
For many, walking and cycling in the beautiful countryside is a major appeal with options for canyoning, caving and ghyll scrambling.
Themed festivals throughout the year include folk music, a popular 1940s weekend, and foodie events – the next one is a Festival of Pies at Country Harvest on 29-30 September.
Sherlock and Charlotte
The area’s hidden literary history is another lure. It’s suggested that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle may have got the inspiration and name for his famous detective Sherlock Holmes from the then vicar of Ingleton, a certain Reverend Sherlock.
Whatever the truth, Sir Arthur was a frequent visitor to the area during the years when his mother lived there. He also married in the church at Thornton in Lonsdale, and the wedding certificate is on display in the porch.
That’s not the only literary connection – in nearby Cowan Bridge Charlotte Bronte was educated at the school, and it’s said she used her painful experiences as the inspiration for her famous novel Jane Eyre.
You can also visit Tunstall Church (a short drive or walk across the fields) and climb up to the first floor where Charlotte whiled away (unhappily) many a Sunday afternoon.
Further afield
Ingleton is full of welcoming hostelries and places to stay, with easy transport links from the M6 and to Lancashire/Yorkshire and the Lake District. Nearby is the charming market town of Kirkby Lonsdale which offers an upmarket range of restaurants/shops and great walks along the River Lune and the famous Devil’s Bridge.
A view over the Lune was once said to be ‘one of the loveliest in England, therefore in the world’ by art critic John Ruskin. It is now known as Ruskin’s View and visited by thousands of people every year who visit Kirkby Lonsdale.
Group planning
Cave and Canyon UK Ltd in Ingleton offers group discounts for coach tours wanting to do caving and canyoning.
Country Harvest runs a Dine ‘n’ Shop event in the evenings, with a buffet dinner and 10% discount for groups.
Several other attractions offer other discounts to coach tours.
Visit thisisingleton.co.uk
