Skip to content
Voykit
Set your trip — dates, party, bagsPlanner

Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Back to Hawes

In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.

Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom

Hawes

Base here 2 nights: one day for the village, creamery and Hardraw Force, one for the Pennine Way or a drive over the dales. No car, no dales.

Hawes is a small market village in Wensleydale, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with Gayle attached at its southwest edge. It is the highest market town in England and the home of Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese. Two nights covers the village, the creamery and Hardraw Force on foot; anything beyond that needs a car or a long-distance walk. Buses run four times a day on weekdays only, so a car changes what you can do.

LondonAbbots LangleyAberdeenAberdyfiAberfeldyAbergavennyAberystwythAbingdon-on-ThamesAccringtonAchiltibuieAcleAldeburghAlnmouthAlnwickHawes200 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
United Kingdom
Best months
May–Jun, Sep
Avoid
Nov–Feb (short days, ice on the fells), bank holiday weekends (rooms fill)
Stay
2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
GBP
Money
Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
Daily spend
Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–110 excl. bed · High £110+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
Emergency
Police, fire, ambulance 999 or 112 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
Plugs
Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
Tipping
Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
Water
Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
Toilets
Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.

What things cost

ItemPrice
Coffee or tea and cake£4–7
Pub main course£12–20
Fish and chips, takeaway£9–14
Pint of beer£4.50–6
Wensleydale Creamery tourAdult £6, child £3.50
Dales Countryside MuseumAdult £5, concession £4.50, child free
Hardraw Force entryAdult £4, child £2.50
Gayle Mill entryDonation, adult £5

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

LBA · Leeds Bradford
About 1 h 45 min by car via the A1(M) and A684; no direct bus or train.
NCL · Newcastle
About 2 h 15 min by car; train to Northallerton or Darlington then bus or taxi.
MAN · Manchester
About 2 h 30 min by car; train to Garsdale then minibus 113.

Typical fares

Bus 156 Leyburn to Hawes
four times Monday–Saturday, about 55 min
Minibus 113 Garsdale station to Hawes
four times Monday–Saturday, about 20 min
Taxi, Hawes to Garsdale station
about £20–25

Get around

The village is walkable: Market Place to the creamery is about 10 min, and Hardraw Force about 25 min on foot. For anything further you need a car, a bike or a long walk. Bus 156 from Leyburn runs four times Monday–Saturday and continues to Gayle; minibus 113 links Garsdale station (Leeds–Skipton–Carlisle line) with Hardraw and Gayle in about 20 min, also four times Monday–Saturday, with Sunday bus 857 from April to October. Fuel at Dalehead Garage is convenient but pricey.

See and do

Known for

  • Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese
  • Hardraw Force waterfall
  • Dales Countryside Museum
  • Pennine Way
  • Gayle Mill

Day trips

WhereHowTime
Hardraw ForceWalk the public road north from Hawes, about 1.5 km, then pay at the Green Dragon InnAbout 25 min each way
Aysgill ForceFootpath off Beggarman's Road, southwest of GayleAbout 45 min each way
Cotter ForceDrive or walk the A684 west, then a firm gravel pathAbout 15 min by car
Settle and Ribblehead ViaductDrive the A684 and B6255, about 35 kmAbout 50 min by car
GrassingtonDrive via the dales lanes, about 35 kmAbout 1 h by car
Kendal and the Lake DistrictDrive the A684 west, about 43 kmAbout 1 h by car

Sleep

Hawes village centre (Market Place and Main Street)
Pubs, B&Bs, shops and the museum within a 5-min walk; best if you are here without a car.
Gayle and the Gayle Lane edge
Quiet lane 10 min southwest of the centre, next to the creamery and the path to Aysgill Force.
Hardraw
1.5 km north of Hawes, with the Green Dragon pub and the paid path to Hardraw Force.
Bainbridge and Askrigg
3–6 km east along the A684; more rooms, but you need a car or the bus.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
Excuse meExcuse meexcuse me
Thank youThank youthank you
Is this the bus to Hawes?Is this the bus to Hawes?is this the bus to hawes
How much is it?How much is it?how much is it
Can I pay by card?Can I pay by card?can i pay by card
Where is the toilet?Where is the toilet?where is the toilet

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
  • Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
  • Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
  • Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
  • Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
  • Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'

Scams and watch-outs

  • Buses 156 and 113 run four times a day Monday–Saturday only; Sunday service is limited to bus 857 from April to October. Check times before you book a room.
  • Mobile signal is 4G from EE, Three and Vodafone but there is no O2 coverage here, and no 5G. Download maps and tickets before you arrive.
  • The fells are wet and pathless in places; carry a paper map (OS Landranger 98) and waterproofs even for a short walk.
  • Hardraw Force charges an entry fee collected by the Green Dragon Inn; the path is not a public right of way.
  • Some guest houses do not take children under 18, and rooms in a village of 800 people sell out on summer weekends and bank holidays.

A very safe village; the real risks are weather, unlit lanes after dark and long walks without a map. Tell someone your route on the fells and carry a charged phone.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Hawes yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese
  • Hardraw Force waterfall
  • Dales Countryside Museum
  • Pennine Way
  • Gayle Mill

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Hawes

To this address, please

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

No embassies in Hawes; the nearest are in London. The US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Irish missions are all in London.

Signal is patchy on the fells. Save the bus times and your accommodation address offline before you walk.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/hawes). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.