More than a score of craftspeople live and work in the two Yorkshire Dales of Wensleydale and Swaledale, finding inspiration in a unique countryside of pastoral riverside villages, tumbling waterfalls, great sweeping fells and windswept moorland.

They are a diverse band of artists working in and with a variety of materials - wood and wool, clay and candlewax, rope, and even clockworks. All of them are dedicated to creating high quality, beautifully crafted products for the market both at home and abroad.

 
Click on map for more detail

A circular tour of these craft workshops could begin anywhere in the two Dales - there are many excellent places to stay before, during, and after your tour.

A tour could begin in the busy little market town of Hawes, home to a number of different craft workshops (Outhwaite's Ropeworks, Wensleydale Pottery) as well as the Dales Countryside Museum which celebrates the evolution of craft work in the area. From Hawes visit Hardraw (Felt Studio/Gallery) before the exhilarating drive over Buttertubs Pass with its spectacular views across Swaledale. Enter the charming village of Muker (Swaledale Woollens).

Then follow the road beside the River Swale through Gunnerside, known in lead mining days as the Klondike of the Dales, and Low Row to the village of Reeth. The Dales Centre here houses a fascinating community of craftspeople (Philip Bastow Cabinet Maker, Stef's Models, Clockworks and Shades of Heather). Handthrown pottery and other interesting items can be seen at Pots n Presents in Anvil Square, Reeth. The Jewellery Tree, based at Pots n Presents offers exciting jewellery ranges that can be ordered online, including silver jewellery and lakeslate jewellery, manufactured by craftspeople.

From Swaledale cross into Wensleydale, to Leyburn, another bustling market town with two unusual craft workshops (The Teapottery and the Teddy Bear Workshop). Nearby is Spennithorne (Wensleydale Longwool Sheepshop) and the historic castles - Bolton and Middleham - ancient guardians of Wensleydale. Drive west along the A684 through Wensley
(White Rose Candles) with its stately church and, a few miles further on, make short detours to both the picture postcard village of West Burton (The Cat Pottery) and to the much-filmed Aysgarth Falls.

Devotees of James Herriot's "All Creatures Great & Small" will want to visit Askrigg. Here much of the television series was filmed. Before returning to Hawes you will not only have enjoyed some of the most splendid scenery in Yorkshire, locations for such films as Ivanhoe and Robin Hood, but will also have met some of the most innovative craftspeople in the country.

The craft workshops in Wensleydale
The craft workshops in Swaledale