Towns and villages in Yorkshire are racing to get ready for the world’s greatest cycle race - The Tour de France - and Masham is no exception.

Masham is determined to make the most of the Tour starting in the Yorkshire Dales on July 5th and is planning to hold a huge party over the weekend of the Grand Depart with a giant screen, live music, Yorkshire food and craft fair, and firework finale. 

All ages are getting involved with the children from Masham School planning to paint a giant sheep on the Market Square to be seen by the many helicopters filming the race. Lots of yellow bikes are already on display as well as sheep wearing bright yellow jerseys! 

Masham tourist info celebrates pedal power

The Black Sheep Brewery in Masham is  hosting a charity cycling challenge of its own in June, which closely follows much of the route of the Grand Depart. There are going to be two routes - le petit mouton and le grand mouton. For those who aren’t good at French, this translates as little sheep and big sheep!

The neighbouring village of West Tanfield is holding a balloon festival as well as showcasing an ale brewed specially for the tour - Tour Ale, which will only be available during July.

The Pennine Brewery Company, which is behind the aptly-named golden ale, is a micro-brewery based in Well, a small village to the east of Masham.  

The cyclists will be wending their way through some truly magnificent scenery as they make their way down to Masham along the 190km first stage.

Some of the highlights of the route, and which are easily accessible from Masham, are:

Breathtaking Buttertubs Pass between Hawes in Wensleydale and Muker in Swaledale - this steep climb will count as part of the King of the Mountain title. The Buttertubs themselves are a series of limestone ‘pot-holes’ near the summit into which farmers would lower their butter and cheese in summer to keep them cool.

Buttertubs Pass

East Witton - a picturesque Dales village, which featured in the popular British tv series about a veterinary practice ‘All Creatures Great and Small’, where you can find Jervaulx Abbey - a ruined Cistercian abbey from the 12th century set in rural splendour. 

Aysgarth Falls

Aysgarth - home to the Aysgarth Falls - a series of broad limestone steps that the River Ure cascades down. The falls are particularly spectacular when it has been raining but in drier weather provides a great place to walk and picnic. The falls featured in Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves film starring Kevin Costner.

Middleham Castle

Middleham - home to the largest castle keep in the north of England - the childhood home of King Richard III, where the Middleham jewel was unearthed - a valuable engraved gold pendant with blue sapphire stone dating from the 15th century. Middleham is also an important centre for horse racing.




The spa town of Harrogate is hosting the end of stage one with a thrilling sprint finish deciding who will wear the first yellow jersey of the 2014 race. Harrogate is known for its antique shops and smart boutiques. It is also home to the RHS gardens at Harlow Carr. In keeping with its history as a prominent spa town, visitor can relax at the ornately-decorated VictorianTurkish Baths. Harrogate is also known as the place that Agatha Christie, the Queen of crime-writing, was found after an 11 day search following her mysterious disappearance in 1926.

The next day of the Grand Depart sees the cyclists setting off in style from the historic city of York.

There is even an official song being released for the great event:"The Road" written and performed by Alistair Griffin and featuring Kimberley Walsh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1inh1vnUHAA

Visitors Flock to Masham

The sheep fair had visitors flocking to Masham to enjoy this wonderful annual event held the last weekend in September. The sun shone on both days and much sheepy fun and games was to be had. Highlights included the sheep show, sheep-racing and the many handicrafts on display.

Even the sheep got to enjoy the brass band in the market square!

The fair does have a serious side though with rosettes and trophies to be awarded. Yorkshire pride is at stake. We watched one owner brushing this very handsome ram prior to judging and misting its woolly coat with water. A true show-stopper!

We returned later to see that the ram named Apache and his fellow companion (pictured in the pen) had won 1st and 2nd place in their category. So well worth the effort, then, boys!

All proceeds from this year's fair will go to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Exceedingly Good!

Kiplin Hall and gardens is a hidden gem but one well worth finding. Tucked away down country lanes between Richmond and Northallerton, it is an absolute oasis of peace and tranquility.

The house, which was built in 1620, is set in lovely grounds with walled gardens, a lake and woodland walks. Both the house and grounds are open to the public Sunday to Wednesday between March and October as well as hosting special events, including at Halloween and Christmas time. There is a small shop and, most importantly, a tea room set in the original oak-panelled hall where portraits of previous owners and royalty look down on you as you eat the delicious homemade fare. Kiplin Hall is to be found just 14 miles from Masham on the B6271. 
For more information visit www.kiplinhall.co.uk

Masham is back on the map

The signs are good for Masham now travellers on the A1 finally know which junction to take for the picturesque market town.

Following the upgrading of the A1, the sign for Masham was not replaced leading to visitors missing the new exit and potentially missing out the town altogether to the dismay of local traders.

The Highways Agency was demanding more than £30,000 to replace the former brown tourist sign so ingenious locals have taken matters into their own hands to create a superb sign reflecting Masham's history and brewing tradition.

The sign was designed by local artist Rob Blades and paid for by local businesses.

Squirrels and cheese are an unlikely combination but they came together in a recent edition of the BBC television's Countryfile programme featuring the Yorkshire Dales. 

Whilst John Craven was following in the footsteps of 12th century monks at Jervaulx Abbey making some famous Wensleydale cheese; Julia Bradbury was spotting squirrels at Snaizedale near Hawes.

The now-ruined Jervaulx Abbey, which is five miles from Masham, was home to an order of Cistercian monks.  It is thought the monks were responsible for producing the very first Wensleydale cheese, so beloved of Wallace and Gromit. The edition of Countryfile, first aired on Sunday February 3rd, shows John helping an artisan cheese maker recreate the original recipe for the cheese in the snowy grounds of the abbey.

Jervaulx Abbey

A view through one of the arched windows

The native red squirrel is a rare site but they are flourishing in a reserve close to Hawes - an hour's drive from Masham. A trail has been created and visitors can spy on the squirrels from a specially-constructed viewpoint in the woods. For more details visit the Yorkshire Dales National Park website. www.yorkshiredales.org.uk

Parkland surrounding Jervaulx Abbey

Yorkshire is a real tour de force in next year's Tour de France. Cyclists from around the world will set off from Leeds before heading into the very heart of the Yorkshire Dales passing through a host of picturesque towns and villages, including Masham, before heading down to London and then onto France where the race begins in earnest.

 “The routes of the Grand Départ will showcase some of Yorkshire’s iconic cycling climbs and the county’s stunning land and cityscapes. The peloton will be technically tested as they tackle some challenging terrain in what are sure to be two exhilarating days of racing in the county, " said a proud Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity.

Masham features in the first stage of the prestigious sporting event. The peloton will also pass through the nearby towns and villages of Leyburn, Middleham, East Witton and West Tanfield, en route for Ripon, before finishing the day's racing in the spa town of Harrogate.

The Grand Depart, as it is known, is to take place over the weekend of July 5th and 6th 2014. The first stage, which includes Masham, covers some 190km with the second stage from York to Sheffield sees riders notching up a further 200km.

For more information visit letour.yorkshire.com

Glorious sunny day. Decided to go to Ilton just outside of Masham to visit a new cafe, which is set in beautiful countryside next to the Druid's Temple - a stone circle folly built by workers from the Swinton Estate in 1820 to provide work for local labourers.

The licensed cafe forms part of a new venture, the Bivouac, which aims to make camping fun, a little bit glamourous and eco-friendly with its yurt tents and timber shacks- but is also open to walkers and the general public from 9am to 6pm and until 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays.


It is possible to park your car in the Bivouac car-park, go for a walk and then return for some much needed refreshment. We had coffee, cake and ice-cream and sat outside admiring the splendid views. 


It was extremely peaceful and we happily watched the swifts swoop and dive over the adjoining fields.


En route to the Bivouac cafe we noticed that the public footpath signs round and abouts had been renewed and we too renewed our vow to get our walking boots on and explore the beautiful countryside that is right on our doorstep!