Inspiration

Five of the cosiest places to stay in Yorkshire

Guest Expert

5 min read

There’s nothing more comforting than returning from a windswept stomp over hills and dales to a snug bolthole. Light the roaring wood burner, put on your comfiest slippers and hunker down with a cup of tea made just the way you like it, or a snifter of something a bit stronger. You are on holiday, after all. Here are five of our most cosy places to stay in Yorkshire. Come for squishy sofas and soft rugs, cloud-comfy beds and enticing treats, plus all the creature comforts that make a holiday cottage just that little bit better than being at home.

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Yorkshire

The Hayloft, Dalesend Cottages

A stylish and relaxed place with a fresh, contemporary layout, one of four on an 18th-century estate in Wensleydale. It’s a wow of a space, with a drenching shower and toasty floors, a wood burner, soothing colours and impeccable linen. You’ll find good pubs nearby and you’re bang in the middle of the Dales for market towns, castles, Betty’s tea room and great walking, starting with the private parkland in front of the house. On rainy days, just snuggle up by the wood burner and relish the peace. Emma is a qualified yoga teacher and can offer private or group sessions, as well as meditation and sound gong baths.

Guest Sascha: Hayloft is set in beautiful countryside and the lovely owners allow you to walk around the private park and enjoy their trees and peace.

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River Lodge at Egton Estate

This romantic log cabin on the Egton Estate couldn’t feel any cosier, with the wood burner roaring while you get stuck into books, board games and jigsaws. It’s just the spot to hole up and escape city life, with plentiful owls to hoot you to sleep, curious otters to watch and, if you sit quietly for long enough, darting kingfishers. Explore 6,000 acres of woodland, river, moors and meadows. You are completely isolated, but you can also walk five minutes to two excellent pubs and a good farm shop selling everything from wine to home-baked cakes. Catch the train to Whitby from the local station, return and star gaze from the deck.

Guest Tori: this is a really gorgeous place. Lovely owners. Pubs nearby are lush too and within walking distance. Great beaches for dogs to run along nearby. Dreamy.

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Hideaway Cottage

A snug 18th-century stone cottage sitting in the glorious Yorkshire Dales. Arrive to soft music playing on the Bose sound system, golden lamplight, plenty of books, the wood burner waiting to be lit and some local biscuits and chocolates to have with your tea. Or burrow down in the little garden room with its own wood burner, more books and views of the Dales by day, brilliant stars at night. It’s an easy walk across fields into Masham for market days on Wednesday and Saturday. Walks and cycles from the door are endless and if you’re too pooped to cook the Black Swan is nearby with a menu of pub classics.

Inspector Caroline: Hideaway Cottage has a very warm and welcoming feel, guests will want to to sink into the dark blue velvet sofa, light the wood-burner and listen to birds outside.

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Mill Fosse Cottage

Follow the babbling Mill Race to a quiet corner of Hawes to find this beautifully converted piece of Wensleydale history. The old Mill Fosse Cottage, with its blend of quirky touches, thick stone walls, flagged floors and exposed beams, is a snug, stylish retreat. Two people can spread out a bit here. Cook in the sociable kitchen (there are stools for chatterers), eat in the dining hall then relax in the upstairs sitting room in front of the cosy wood burner. Within a couple of minutes, you’re in the heart of Hawes. Visit the Wensleydale Creamery and Museum, browse the antique shops or have a lazy lunch by the river. The Dales are ready to be explored, or you can take the short walk to Hardraw Falls and the pub next door.

Guests Robert & Jean: Another splendid stay. Everything at Mill Fosse cottage is just right for the ideal holiday in the Dales.

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Lodge Cottages

Two perfect cottages for couples. One, tucked in next to the owner’s home, is chocolate-box heaven, the other, a fresh and bright space in the pretty garden. Both are cosy as can be. Expect low beams, a glowing wood burner, smart kitchen and dove-grey bedroom in the first. Upcycled furniture, open plan dining area and kitchen, and vases bursting with fresh flowers in the other. Outside is the sweetest garden, yours to stroll and enjoy. Owner Rick is a chef and it shows. For lazy suppers he can prepare meals to reheat or you can slip next door to the pub. Ripon Cathedral and Harrogate’s spa town are nearby or take bracing walks on the North York Moors.

Guest June: We had a lovely stay at Garden Lodge, the cottage is perfect and we enjoyed dinner prepared by Rick and the nature reserve on the doorstep.

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Carmen McCormack

Guest Expert

Carmen is a freelance writer specialising in travel. She once lived in a bus in north Wales, skipped off to study in Barcelona, and now calls Bristol home. When she’s not tapping away on her laptop, she can be found reading (a lot), lake swimming (a little), and pottering on the allotment with husband and two kiddos. She’s currently dreaming about cold cerveza and torta in Mexico.

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