Pateley Bridge, Yorkshire; one of Britain's prettiest villages

Visit Pateley Bridge

Pateley Bridge is a charming village in Nidderdale in an area classed as an 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty'. In 2016 Pateley Bridge was named the 'Best High Street in Great Britain' in the village category of the 'Great British High Street Awards'.

Explore Pateley Bridge

The main high street runs gently down towards a bridge over the river and all along the street are beautiful stone houses which house a great range of pubs, tea shops, restaurants and a good number of shops. Amongst the shops is a butchers shop which has won national awards and the world's oldest sweet shop, established in 1827. The sweet shop is filled with rows of glass jars full of boiled sweets - just like in the old days!

The beautiful Yorkshire Dales countryside can be seen rising gently upwards all around the village creating a perfect backdrop.

Further exploration reveals the Nidderdale Museum which won the National Heritage Museum of the Year Award and has exhibits about life in the Dales. This is housed in the Old Workhouse which was built in 1863. Nearby are the King Street workshops with a variety of crafts on display including ceramics and glass blowing.

All around the village there are lots of pretty houses and charming views to admire. Both churches have a solid charm and add to the views of the town.

Lower down in the village a bridge crosses the River Nidd and here next to the river is the village green and also the Showground where the Nidderdale Show takes place every September. The Nidderdale Show is an agricultural show and attracts in the region of 20,000 people every year.

Other festivals include a 1940s weekend in July and the Nidderdale Food Festival in October.

Pately Bridge is popular with walkers and cyclists and the Nidderdale Way and the Six Dales Trail both pass through the village. The 2018 Tour de Yorkshire passed through Pateley Bridge as it did in 2016 and 2017 - a lovely spot to catch a glimpse of the riders as they flash by.

Places to Visit Nearby

Brimham Rocks is a fabulous area of natural rocks sculpted into wonderful shapes over the centuries. It is very popular with locals and tourists. How Stean Gorge is a limestone ravine and is now home to many adventure activities including caving, canoeing and gorge scrambling. At Stump Corss Caverns this time you are underground in a fabluous series of caverns full of stalactites and stalagmites.

One of Yorkshire's newest attractions is nearby. The Coldstones Cut is Yorkshires biggest artwork and is a huge sculpture that you can walk around built on the edge of Coldstones quarry - a working quarry- and with great views over Nidderdale. The installation was created by Andrew Sabin.

Another beautiful village nearby is Grassington and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Fountains Abbey should not be missed. Harrogate is one of our favourite towns in Britain and gardeners will love a visit to the Harlow Carr Gardens in Harrogate. It is one of only four RHS gardens in England.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Yorkshire Dales guide and the North Yorkshire guide.