Buttertubs Pass

The drive up Buttertubs Pass from Hawes is genuinely dramatic. You're climbing into proper Pennine moorland, and the road gets properly steep - it's the sort of pass that makes you grip the wheel a bit tighter. The name comes from the natural sinkholes dotted along the route, where limestone has dissolved to create deep holes that supposedly reminded 18th-century travellers of butter tubs. Bit daft, but it stuck.

Once you're up there, the views back down towards Wensleydale are worth stopping for. The landscape is austere - rolling fells with minimal trees, walls running in neat lines across bare hillside. It's high moorland driving at its best, though don't expect it in winter. The pass itself isn't a destination you spend hours at - it's more a magnificent journey between Hawes and Simonstone. That said, the road rewards pulling over. Walkers and cyclists love it, and if you're tackling it on foot, budget 90 minutes to two hours for the full crossing.

Families with younger kids might find the drive itself plenty entertaining without needing to stop constantly. Those staying at Usha Gap Farm or Hawes Caravan Club - both just minutes away - have a cracking half-day activity on their doorstep. The pass is free and open year-round, though snow and ice can make it treacherous. Spring and autumn are ideal - you get decent visibility and the moorland looks properly moody. It's not a honeypot attraction, and that's precisely why it's worth going.