Explore Yorkshire from your doorstep!
At over 12,000 square kilometres, The White Rose county is full of things to do and see. If you like the outdoors then you are spoilt for choice right from our doorstep. If you prefer to potter around shops and museums or culture, we’re just a stone’s throw from the North of England’s top market towns and cities.
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A place to rest
The ideal location for a relaxing holiday or weekend break
Offering the perfect place to relax, unwind and get away from it all, Cowling Hill Farm Cottages are the ideal location for a relaxing holiday or weekend break.
Located in Bronte Country
Situated in stunning Bronte Country – inspiration for the classic novels of the Bronte sisters – this area of Yorkshire has a wild beauty all of its own. The surrounding area presents a whole host of opportunities for anyone who loves the great outdoors. The Pennine Way runs through the village of Cowling, whilst the picturesque village of Howarth, home to the famous Bronte Parsonage Museum, is just a short drive away.
In easy reach of the Yorkshire Dales
The beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park is also within easy reach of Cowling Hill Farm – famous for its delightful landscape and unique limestone features, the Dales really is one of England’s most special areas.
A home from home
Our Weaver’s cottages have been refurbished and modernised to the highest standards and are designed to offer superb comfort and your very own home-from-home. With lovely views across the valley, spacious rooms and superb facilities, Cowling Hill Farm cottages are the perfect place to rest and relax.
A place to walk
Walking around Cowling
The area surrounding Cowling presents a wonderful array of walking territory for you to escape life’s hustle and bustle. Cowling Hill Farm is a perfect place for great accommodation for walking holidays on the Pennine Way, as the Pennine Way cuts right through Cowling.
The Pennine Way
The Pennine Way is arguably the finest long distance walk in the UK. The North-South route follows the Pennine tops along the rugged backbone of England from the Cheviots hills, over Hadrian’s Wall, then on through the Yorkshire Dales, and ending in the Derbyshire Peak District. You can of course also walk from the South to the North, and a greater number of walkers probably tackle the walk in this direction.
The Pennine Way stretches 256 miles, from kirk Yetholm in Scotland, to Edale in the Peak District. If you’re serious about it, you can do it in 14 days, but a lot of people walk it in sections.
Explore our breathtaking scenery
But you don’t have to take part in organised walks or go along pre-defined routes to enjoy the breathtaking scenery around Cowling Hill Farm. A Walking holiday in Cowling can mean grabbing a local map, heading off for the morning on foot to explore the local highways and byways, and then popping back for a spot of lunch, a glass of wine maybe, before heading off again, or maybe just relaxing on the terrace and reading the paper after the morning’s exertions.
A place to explore
Exploring around Cowling Hill Farm
Although Bronte enthusiasts will have you believe that the country around us is just the windswept land of heather and wild moors of Wuthering Heights fame, it isn’t all like that – at all!
The Bronte Country area has other literary and cultural associations: For instance the poet Ted Hughes was born in Mytholmroyd near Hebden Bridge (his wife Sylvia Plath being buried in nearby Heptonstall), while the playwright J.B. Priestley, the composer Delius, the novelist John Braine and the artist David Hockney (like the Bronte sisters themselves) were all born within the district of the city of Bradford.
The industrial village of Saltaire in Bradford (built by Sir Titus Salt in the mid nineteenth century, and now a UNESCO designated World Heritage Centre), which houses at Salts Mill the 1853 Gallery which has several large rooms given over to the works of the Bradford born artist David Hockney and also houses fascinating shops given over to art supplies, jewellery, a huge independent book shop, outdoor wear and a wonderful (and huge) housewares shop selling pieces by designers such as Alvar Aalto and Philippe Starck.
Skipton – 6 miles
The fascinating market town of Skipton is known to have been in existence since 1085 as it is listed in the Domesday Book. Brimming with history, it played roles in history during the English Civil War and as the site of a prisoner of war camp during World War. Skipton has many pubs, two nightclubs, and restaurants ranging from traditional fish and chips to high quality French cuisine, taking in modern British, Mexican, Thai, Indian, Chinese and Italian.
The two theatres offer varied entertainment. The first is Skipton Little Theatre theatre, located near the town centre. The second is the Mart Theatre which provides a unique rural theatre, events and other facilities within a functioning Auction Mart.
Take an intersting stroll down the market, which takes place four times a week, or visit the auction mart for a local livestock experience!
Ilkley – 12 miles
Although Ilkley has its roots in the Roman fort which once stood here, most of the town is now Victorian. Home to fantastic shops and restaurants and a wealth of history, Ilkley is well worth an afternoon’s visit (or more)
Ilkley is home to the largest and oldest literary festival in the north of England, the Ilkley Literature Festival which takes place in early Autumn every year. Don’t be surprised to be wandering around town and bumping into a literary or political celeb during this festival! If music’s more your thing, the annual Moor Music Festival also takes place just outside the town at Addingham Moorside, promoting green politics and social issues.
Ilkley’s rural surroundings attract walkers and cyclists to the area. The landmark Cow and Calf rocks, which overlook the town on Ilkley Moor, consist of a large outcrop, which allegedly imitates a cow, and a boulder, which imitates a calf. The site is also visited for its rock climbing routes.
Don’t forget Ilkley’s Lido, constructed in 1935. Its one of only four remaining public open-air swimming pools in Yorkshire and is a tourist attraction during the summer holiday season.
Hebden Bridge – 17 miles
In April 2005 Hebden Bridge was declared the 4th funkiest place in the world by highlife (the British Airways flight magazine) and was described as “modern and stylish in an unconventional and stylish way”. How true! You’ll find independent shops thrive here – the quirkier the better. The Hebden Bridge Arts Festival takes place every year in the late spring, the traditional Pace Egg plays are an annual Easter event, and the midsummer Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade is a vivid, non-commercial variation on the small town parade. Hebden Bridge attracts artists and admirers alike from many miles around.
Hebden Bridge is appropriately stacked with organic cafés and delis, tempered by servers who are exponents of that charming, “speak as I find” northern bluff. Even the Laughing Gravy in the basement of an old chapel serves just one mouth-watering veggie menu every Friday or Saturday. Take it or leave it!
Harrogate – 27 miles
The Spa town of Harrogate is a fascinating shopping centre, full of antique shops, designer boutiques and galleries, plus the usual high street fare should you need that. Exclusive antique shops and designer boutiques add up to a lovely afternoon window shopping. Harrogate also hosts the Great Yorkshire Show from the second Tuesday of July. It’s on a 250 acre site, filled with animals, country demonstrations, have-a-go activities and the Great Yorkshire Cheese & Dairy Show, plus fashion, rural crafts and shopping. All in all, a great celebration of rural life.
Leeds – 29 miles
Leeds has been described as the ‘Knightsbridge of the North.’ A diverse range of shopping facilities, from individual one-off boutiques to large department stores, which notably include Harvey Nichols and Louis Vuitton outlets, has greatly expanded the Leeds retail base.
The Leeds German Christmas Market (or Christkindlmarkt) is held in Millennium Square every year for about five weeks in November and December and the Leeds Christmas Lights Switch On is an annual event featuring a celebrity turning on the lights with the Lord Mayor, accompanied by a chart topping band and small funfair. This is worth turning up for, as Leeds has the largest Christmas Lights display in the country.
York – 48 miles
York has been settled continuously for 10,000 years, York is, as you would expect, overflowing with history. This walled roman city has been built on and built on, to create a fascinating hodge-podge of ages and styles of dwellings. Come and visit York Minster, the JORVIK viking centre, the Castle Museum (and take a lie down in the cell where Dick Turpin spent his last night),check out the Railway Museum or just take a stroll down the mediaeval shambles and soak up the atmosphere. York is brim full with interesting shopping opportunities, too!
The Lake District – 56 miles
The Lake District, also known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a rural area in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes and its mountains (or fells), and its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth and the Lake Poets.
The central and most-visited part of the area is contained in the Lake District National Park—one of fourteen National parks in the United Kingdom. It lies entirely within Cumbria, and is one of England’s few mountainous regions. All the land in England higher than three thousand feet above sea level lies within the National Park. The Lake District also contains Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England.
A Place to Rest
A Place to Walk
A Place to Explore
