The Town of Hawes

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Hawes is a small market town in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. Located at the head of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, the River Ure runs through the town and the dale which is one of the honeypot tourist attractions of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The parish of Hawes also includes the neighbouring hamlet of Gayle. The hill of Great Shunner Fell stands over the town. The town is famous as being the home of Wensleydale cheese.

Local tourist attractions include the Dales Countryside Museum, based in the old Hawes railway station of the Wensleydale Railway; nearby Hardraw Force waterfall; and the Buttertubs Pass, which links Wensleydale to Swaledale. Further down the dale is Aysgarth Falls. Hawes itself has a regular market, as well as many shops, pubs and tearooms. The Hawes Promotion/Relegation party for fans of Sunderland AFC takes place there every summer. It is well attended and organised, and grows year upon year.

Hawes is at the centre of great walking (hiking) country and The Pennine Way (the UK's first National Trail) passes through.

The thriving market town of Hawes is home to Wensleydale Cheese and the Dales Countryside Museum. There are several craft workshops, antique and other speciality shops, hotels, pubs, restaurants and cafés which, together with local tradesmen, will cater to your every need (see below for links).

The town of Hawes, between Buttertubs and Fleet Moss

The name, Hawes, means a 'pass between mountains', and it stands between Buttertubs and Fleet Moss. The town is an excellent centre for walking and touring Wensleydale and the adjoining dales of Swaledale, Cotterdale, Dentdale, Garsdale, Wharfedale and Chapel-le-Dale. Take a walk round the Hawes Town Trail, or Millennium Walk, or Pennine Way or along the River Ure, which is nearby.

In 1998 Hawes was awarded the English Tourist Board Silver Award for the "Best Day Trip Out".
The street market is held in Hawes every Tuesday
Street Market

On market day, Tuesday, the town has a carnival atmosphere, when the whole community converges to visit the local auction mart and stock up with provisions at the indoor and outdoor markets.