Hawes

The scent of fresh cheese greets you long before you spot the Wensleydale Creamery's chimney rising above this market town. Hawes sits bang in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, where sheep outnumber visitors most days of the year. It's proper rural Yorkshire - stone cottages line narrow streets, and the surrounding fells stretch endlessly in every direction.

Wensleydale Creamery draws crowds for good reason. Wallace and Gromit made this cheese famous, but the creamy, crumbly reality lives up to the hype. Just down the road, Hawes Ropemakers keeps an ancient craft alive - watching rope being twisted by hand feels like stepping back a century.

The real draw here isn't indoors though. Hardraw Force thunders down limestone cliffs just outside town, and it's England's highest single-drop waterfall. Worth the short walk, especially after heavy rain when it's at its most dramatic. Further afield, the Butter Tubs offer some of Yorkshire's most distinctive scenery - deep limestone potholes that local farmers once used to keep their butter cool on market days.

Fell walkers have endless options. Lovely Seat and Bleak Haw provide cracking views across Wensleydale, while the more ambitious can tackle Yorburgh or Pike Hill. Each peak offers a different perspective on this spectacular valley.

Getting here takes patience - the A684 winds through some glorious but slow countryside. Leyburn, about 16 miles southeast, has the nearest proper shops and services. Several holiday parks dot the surrounding area, making brilliant bases for exploring both the immediate fells and the broader Dales network. You're perfectly placed to tackle everything from gentle valley walks to serious mountain hikes.