Sedbergh on the western edge of the Yorkshire Dales, at the foot of the Howgill Fells in northern England, is a historic market town, now famed for books and its August Festival of Books and Drama as much as the beauty of the surrounding countryside.
In common with most other towns in the Yorkshire dales, Sedbergh was built on the strength of sheep farming, weaving and knitting. As these industries declined, Sedbergh quite recently turned to books and is becoming the literary centre of the north. Book lovers can browse in a good selection of specialist book shops to their hearts content. These include second hand, antiquarian, childrens' and out-of-print.
Sedbergh is a thriving town with plenty of places for meals and snacks. There is a traditional sweetshop that dispenses sweets from jars. Yorkshire people must have a sweet tooth because this type of shop hardly exists outside Yorkshire. It's good to see that there are plenty of other small independent shops lining the narrow main street, all with their own character, for an interesting shopping experience. The Sedbergh independent school buildings with various stone-built houses for boarders are dotted around the town making it an 'Eton of the north'. The schools are one of the main employers and it all ties in well with the literary theme.
Holidaymakers will mostly want to visit Sedbergh to get up and out on the hills. A popular walk is to the top of Winder Fell, where you will be able to see for miles around, from its 473m height.
Another natural tourist attraction is Cautley Spout waterfall, 3 miles north west of Sedbergh. It's the highest above ground waterfall in England, the water cascades down 175 m. The climb to it is fairly steep.
Places to visit near and in Sedbergh:
12th century Norman Church, Holme Open farm, Brigflatts Quaker Meeting House, Fairfield Mill
Getting to Sedbergh
Sedbergh is 5 miles from junction 37 on the M6 motorway. Manchester and Liverpool International Airports are 1.5 hours distant.
More towns and villages in the Yorkshire Dales....
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