Our Summer holiday in North Yorkshire

With most of Britain staying in the country this year for their summer holiday we decided not to go down to Cornwall where we love to holiday with the dogs as we thought everyone may have the same idea. Instead we went up North where we usually go for a winter holiday with Holiday at Home in North Yorkshire [This isn’t an AD although we have previously worked with them on some gifted trips, we just love their accommodation so much]. This is our 4th trip to stay in one of their properties, we’ve stayed in 3 different property types and returned to live in a lodge on Brompton Lakes where we first stayed three years ago, I just love living next to water.

Previously we have stayed for a long weekend in the winter so it was different staying for a whole week in the summer when the sunshine made an appearance, and we could actually sit outside on the decking. Of course the British weather did mean that it rained more often than it was sunny but that didn’t stop us having a lovely time.

As we were there for whole week we went on days out that were little further away, as we had more time to drive. When we came to North Yorkshire in January we visited Harrogate, so we went back to see it in a different season. The dogs are wearing their new striped harnesses from Hugo and Hudson and looked very smart.

Another day trip was to Malham Cove, when you arrive you park in the village however it seemed that the rest of the country had the same idea and it was a jam packed. There is then an easy route to follow to walk up to the cove. It’s uphill but there is a clear path alongside the river which would be suitable for a strong pushchair or off-road wheelchair. Once you reach the amazing limestone rock there is a path for you to climb however it’s made up of hundreds of steep steps so I wouldn’t recommend if you are not very mobile. It is worth the steep climb though because the views from the top are incredible. A scene from Harry Potter was filmed up here and the rock formation beneath your feet is so strange with lots of cracks you could easily fall down, it’s a great opportunity for photos though. Dogs have to be on lead for the whole walk because of grazing sheep, there’s also a fast flowing river and that the top of the cove you don’t want them to fall off the edge so it is safest all-round for a comfortable harness and lead. After our walk back down we stopped at the Secret Garden Bistro which was tucked away and I’d definitely recommend a well-deserved lunch or afternoon tea. The same day we popped in the car for a short drive to Malham Tarn, which is the highest lake in United Kingdom. Of course the water loving spaniel was soon soaked and there was hardly anybody else there.

As well as cosy days by the lake when it was raining; another day trip was to the small town of Hawes. It had lots of cute little shops and cafes as well as a rope makers which I was so excited to visit as they have so many dog leads for sale that they make there. Unfortunately they were closed due to Covid-19 but hopefully we can visit again and I can buy all the dog leads like the crazy dog lady I am. Speaking of the dreaded C word, Holiday at home were so accommodating. Everything was as clean as usual but with a slightly later check in and slightly earlier check out time gives them extra time to do a deep clean between residents, the only difference to us was that we needed to put all of our bedding and towels into a laundry bag to prevent their team needing to touch too much. Also at the time of writing this blog the government restricts groups of more than 6, so their bigger properties can’t be booked for more people than that.

I’m looking forward to more dog friendly trips away, we don’t need to go far as there are so many gorgeous places to visit in the U.K. Do you have any dog friendly holidays planned?

Thanks for reading,

Megan, Woody and Wilma xx