 Gargrave
lies on the busy A65 trunk road, four miles north west of Skipton. One
of the largest villages in the Craven District of North Yorkshire, it
sits astride the river Aire, only seven miles from its source at Malham.
Robert
Story, the Gargrave schoolmaster-poet, described the village in the
1820's as:
| "situated
in the very centre of a district remarkable for its romantic
beauty. A bridge, rather elegant and somewhat large for the
stream it bestrides, connects the two parts of he village which
would otherwise be separated by the river. On the south side of
the river stands the church, the square and tall steeple of
which is seen above the trees that surround the quiet burial
ground. Along the north side the principal part of the village
extends; some of the cottages with clean whitewashed fronts,
some covered with ivy or other evergreens and some again with
flowering shrubs. A branch of the Queens highway passes through
this part of the village, and thus, whilst it detracts something
from the seclusion, is the means of making its charms more
widely known" |
|
Some
things have changed, the road traffic is busier and there has been
considerable building since the war, yet much of Story's village is
still there to be seen and enjoyed.
 Situated
at the head of the Aire gap, the railway, the roads and the canal, all
converge on the village before going their separate ways, the railway to
Lancaster and Carlisle, the canal to Burnley and beyond, and the road to
the Lake District and the north. The river wanders away from them all to
its source at Malham through the picturesque countryside of the
Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Gargrave
is probably unique in that there is public access to the river on its
way through the village from five "village greens", a feature
which makes it popular with resident and tourist alike. Therer are many
picturesque walks around the village, the famous Pennine Way passes
through the very centre of the village.
With
it pubs, shops, cafes, tourist accommodation, picturesque byways and a
touch of history, the village is well worth a visit at any time of year
and is an excellent centre for touring the Yorkshire Dales. |
