20 Attractions to Explore Near Nidderdale AONB

Nidderdale Museum is a local and social history museum in the market town of Pateley Bridge in Nidderdale. It has 11 rooms that illustrate the rural life of Nidderdale, including an original cobbler’s shop, a school room, and Victorian parlor. This Museum has a large collection of exhibits, illustrating different aspects of life and work in Nidderdale through the ages. Run entirely by a dedicated team of volunteers, Nidderdale Museum has lots for visitors to see.

Brimham Rocks is an amazing collection of natural rock formations in North Yorkshire, managed by the National Trust. The site is known for its water- and weather-eroded rocks, which were formed over 325 million years ago and have assumed fantastic shapes. The site, notified as SSSI in 1958, is an outcrop of Millstone Grit, with small areas of birch woodland and a large area of wet and dry heath.

The Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park is home to over 80 striking contemporary sculptures, situated within 45 acres of stunning woodland and gardens. The Park features works by internationally renowned artists, all inspired by nature. The beautiful tranquil valley location is further enhanced by a Pagoda, Summerhouse, Norse Hut, Contemplation Circle and Himalayan Shelter, all complimented by three lakes and decorative bridges.

Fountains Abbey was established by Benedictine monks from St Mary's Abbey in York, in 1132. The 70-acre site known collectively as Fountains Abbey was originally nothing more than some wooden church buildings resting on a verdant field.

Hackfall is a stunning woodland site near Masham, with lakes, waterfalls, follies and an intricate network of paths to explore stretching along the banks of the River Ure. During the 18th century it was landscaped in the picturesque style by landowner William Aislabie, who created views by engineering streams and pools, planting trees and building follies.

An ancient natural cave formation deep underneath the Yorkshire Dales. The caves themselves began to form as the limestone was eroded by weak acid rain, created when carbon dioxide from the atmosphere mixed with the precipitation to form carbonic acid. It offer a range of facilities for a great family day out, including a gift shop and tea room as well as the caves themselves. There is also a twenty minute film presentation shown in its lecture theatre, informing visitors of the history and de

Grimwith Reservoir is located on the Pateley Bridge to Grassington Road (B6265) and offers the basis for a circular walk of high quality following the shore. The walk is within the walled boundaries of the reservoir yet offers some stunning views of the moors in which it is located together with extensive panoramas into the Yorkshire Dales. It is the largest reservoir owned by Yorkshire Water in terms of water storage. It is near the villages of Appletreewick, Burnsall, Hartlington, Hebden, and

Lightwater Valley in Ripon, North Yorkshire, is bursting with fun and adventures for the family to enjoy with over 30 rides and attractions. There is also fantastic family fun rides and attractions; including the Lightwater Express train ride around the park, Eagle's Creek Farm tractor ride, a selection of fairground and water rides, plus the Adventure Playground and Mini Sand Diggers.

A majestic 700-year-old castle steeped in history with magnificent grounds, lakes, Deer Park, Walled Gardens, Hothouses, and Kitchen Garden. It has been the home of the Ingilby family for twenty-six generations and Sir Thomas and Lady Ingilby and their five children continue the tradition. A gatehouse that stands some 260 feet to the south of the main buildings is also Grade I listed, whilst the two weirs over Ripley Beck are grade II listed and the grounds and gardens are also listed at grade I

Ripon Cathedral is a cathedral in the North Yorkshire city of Ripon. Founded as a monastery by Scottish monks in the 660s, it was refounded as a Benedictine monastery by St Wilfrid in 672. The church became collegiate in the tenth century and acted as a mother church within the large Diocese of York for the remainder of the Middle ages. The cathedral is notable architecturally for its gothic west front in the Early English style, considered one of the best of its type, as well as the Geometric

Fewston Reservoir is located in the Washburn valley north of Otley and west of Harrogate in Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1879. The capacity is about 3.5 million cubic meters. It was surrounded by mixed, mostly coniferous woodland, the paths are well maintained on the 3.7-mile walk, which is flat virtually all the way around. Cyclists and horse-riders can also make use of their own permitted tracks in the surrounding woodlands.

Scar House Reservoir is the second of the three reservoirs in Upper Nidderdale, England, the others being Angram Reservoir and Gouthwaite Reservoir. Between them, they attract around 150,000 visitors a year. The dam contains over one million tonnes of masonry, it rises to 55 metres (180 ft) above the river and is almost 600 metres long. It was completed in 1936.

Jervaulx Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery located in a peaceful valley setting in the Vale of Ure, a few miles east of the Yorkshire Dales. Apart from its historical significance and the beauty of the location, Jervaulx is known for its horticulture; over 180 varieties of wildflower grow in and on the abbey walls. The place name Jervaulx is first attested in 1145, where it appears as Jorvalle. The name is French for 'the Ure valley' and is perhaps a translation of the English 'Ure-dale',

A beautiful seventeenth-century brick house and a mainly twentieth-century garden by Major Edward Compton. It is 3 miles south-east of Ripon and 6 miles south of Topcliffe Castle, by which the manor of Newby was originally held. A Grade I listed building, the hall contains a collection of furniture and paintings and is surrounded by extensive gardens. Newby Hall is open to the public.

Newby Hall is the family home of Mr & Mrs. Richard Compton, is one of England's finest houses, an exceptional example of 18th-century interior decoration. It is 3 miles south-east of Ripon and 6 miles south of Topcliffe Castle, by which the manor of Newby was originally held. A Grade I listed building, the hall contains a collection of furniture and paintings and is surrounded by extensive gardens. Newby Hall is open to the public.

Bolton Abbey lies in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales near Skipton. The land was gifted to the Augustinian canons by Alice de Rumilly in 1154. The canons lived and worshipped here until 1539 when the dissolution of the monasteries stripped the Priory of its assets. Despite the loss of most of the Priory buildings during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the western half of the original nave was preserved so that the local parish could continue its worship there.

The Mercer Art Gallery is home to Harrogate district's fine art collection which consists of some 2000 works of art, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries. Among them are examples by William Powell Frith, John Atkinson Grimshaw, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Dame Laura Knight and Alan Davie. The gallery boasts a diverse exhibition programme featuring painting, photography, sculpture and crafts.

The Royal Pump Room Museum tells the story of Harrogate's heyday as a fashionable spa town when over 1,500 glasses of heavily sulphured spa water were served every day to visitors who came to 'take the waters. Today, the Pump Room consists of both the original 1842 stone rotunda and a glazed annexe which was opened in 1913. The Pump Room offered guests of the town an all-weather facility where they could drink sulphur water which was pumped on-site from a natural spring known as the Old Sulphur

Harlow Carr is a showcase of horticultural excellence and it is one of England’s most relaxing and innovative gardens at the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales. You can wander through the tranquil surroundings of this stunning 58-acre garden and gain ideas for your own borders, or simply relax with family and friends on a leisurely stroll.

The Turkish Baths Harrogate is the flagship Harrogate spa experience, offering genuine Victorian Turkish baths surroundings and contemporary treatments. The 124-year-old spa, run by Harrogate council, has previously had swimwear-free options at single-sex sessions.