Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter at Hillcrest Cottage

 A wander through the seasons at Hillcrest Cottage in Swaledale .

Hillcrest Cottage

Which is YOUR favourite?

SPRING

It doesn't get much better than spring in Swaledale.  New life, new born lambs, vibrant birdsong and slowly but surely, as if by magic, new colour in the garden at Hillcrest.

 

 

A tunnel of young green on the approach to Low Row as the dale bursts to life.

It is no wonder that the spring season is so popular with visitors and why Hillcrest gets booked up so quickly.

SUMMER

From early June the flowers come!  The sheep are taken out of the meadow fields so that the grass can grow for hay. Swaledale is renowned for it miles of dry stone walls, its many little stone buildings known as cow'uses and for its spectacular flower filled meadow fields.

As spring gives way to summer the garden at Hillcrest is filled with a riot of colour.  Under unbroken skies, farmers up and down the dale cut and gather their vitally important hay crop and the landscape takes on a patchwork of greens and ochres.

Summer is the season for picnics and paddling and time to explore; on foot, by bicycle or by car.  Hillcrest has safe cycle storage and car parking.  There are guides and leaflet galore in the cottage plus a portfolio of recommended walks.  When you book to stay at Hillcrest you will receive a digital guest welcome guide containing lots of suggestions of where to go and what to do including local markets, museums, eateries, galleries and shops.  Enjoy! 

AUTUMN

Autumn can only be described at amazing!  The colour palette Mother Nature choses as the leaves fall and the days shorten is nothing short of spectacular.

Autumn is the season to don your boots and a warm woolly hat and on a bright November day explore one of the many nearby circular walks before collapsing next to the fire back at the cottage.  Or would the temptation of early doors at a welcoming dales pubs like the Punchbowl Inn be too much to resist?  The Punchbowl is YOUR local when staying at Hillcrest.

WINTER

Winter is for warming up by the fire and watching the world go by from behind the window!

Imagine spending Christmas or New Year here.  Carol Services and silver bands playing Christmas tunes and traditional carols, an old fashioned pantomime at the Georgian Theatre in Richmond, pick up provisions at a proper butcher and busy market stalls plus a superb gastro pub only a stroll away from the cottage.  What more could you want?  Only to to book early!