Dent

Dentdale is at the far west of the National Park, nestling between the rugged Pennines to the east and Howgill Fells to the west. The dale’s steep-sided valley contrasts beautiful meadows and lush riverside pastures with thesparser grassy upland of the fells.

With its narrow, cobbled main street, white-walled cottages and ancient village church, set in a deep, narrow valley, Dent is one of the loveliest of Dales villages.

Walking through the cobbled streets of Dent - still known by its old name of Dent Town - you will find an art gallery, blacksmith’s shop and a memorial fountain to its famous son, geologist Professor Adam Sedgwick, 1785-1874. Sedgwick, who was the Woodwardian Professor of Geology at Cambridge University, one of the great founding fathers of the modern science of geology, friend of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, teacher and later opponent of Charles Darwin, was a great benefactor and historian of his native Dentdale.

The twelfth century church of St. Andrew contains altar flagstones made from the beautiful black Dent Marble, the area’s most famous mining export. The working lives and social customs of local people since the sixteenth century - including the ‘Terrible Knitters of Dent’ - are revealed at the Dent Village Heritage Centre.

Dent’s location in the far north west corner of the Dales away from any main roads makes it difficult to access by public transport. The only regular services are to Dent Station on the Settle-Carlisle railway line, which carries you over the impressive viaducts at Dent Head and Arten Gill as you travel through the dale. Located at Denthead the station is the highest station on any railway in England. It’s also one of the most remote as it is 4½ miles (7km) from Dent village.

Cafés and a local brewery provide visitors with welcome refreshment and accommodation is available to suit every pocket making Dentdale a good base to explore surrounding hills and towns.

The Dales Way runs close to the village down the valley to Sedbergh and this a favourite port of call for long distance walkers. There are also many other magnificent walks from the village - up Flintergill to the former Occupation Road, over Middleton Fell into Barbon and into Deepdale and Kingsdale, from where you could take the medieval Craven Way packhorse trail over the shoulder of Whernside to Ribblehead.

Bus and train times can be checked at the DalesBus and Transport Direct websites.

Local services: toilets, shops, cafes, pubs, accommodation, Youth Hostel (Denthead)

Find out more at www.discoverdentdale.co.uk.