Wetherby, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge

• Three other lesser-known villages we became better acquainted with were Wetherby on the River Wharfe and Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge, both lying on the River Nidd. Wetherby and Knaresborough are ancient towns, being mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Pateley Bridge is a little spritelier, being about a century younger.
  
  We chose to explore parts of Wetherby along the Wharfe:
  

  

  Crossing the footbridge above, we were able to admire some impressive riverside homes:
  

  

  Farther along, modern accommodations have replaced a long-gone mill for which the weir was built. A fish ladder allows salmon past the weir for their annual spawning run upriver:
  

  

  

  The venerable old bridge in the background below allowed us to cross back to the town side. Just behind it are an attractive bandstand and picnic area:

  

  
  Every Wednesday is Knaresborough’s market day, making that day especially appealing --- even when sprinkles dampen the scene:
  

  

  Who says Smart Cars are tiny? This coffee vendor was running his thriving business out of his:
  

  

  Knaresborough Castle ruins are an easy stroll from the marketplace. This was the main entrance:
  

  

  The fortress was destroyed, not by warfare, but by order of Parliament in 1648. Fearing Royalist forces might use such castles against them, the Parliamentarians had all such fortifications dismantled. As has happened elsewhere, the castle’s stones were subsequently recycled into some of the town’s buildings.
  

  

  High above the Nidd River, a fine view can be had from the castle grounds. The bridge beyond is still active, carrying commuter trains towards Harrogate or York:

  

  
  Pateley Bridge is a small market town, quiet and quaint, accessed only by road. Until recently, it could be reached from Harrogate by a rail line running up the Nidderdale valley. However, that closed in 1964 and an hourly bus service was our substitute. As the following two photos attest, the town’s High Street is narrow:
  

  

  

  A climb to the top of this main street can justify a rest:
  

  

  Before leaving the town centre, we popped into the “Sweet Shop”, purported to be the oldest such shop in England. Though a reader might be forgiven to think it dates from 1661, its true origin is 1827, which differs from its address.
  

  

  Pateley Bridge is reknowned as a pleasant area for hiking. No surprise, we set off to follow a road out of town with great views over Nidderdale:
  

  

  Beautiful though the scene was, it was not accompanied by fine summer weather. In fact, the frigid temperatures brought hail instead as an accent:
  

  

  Late in the afternoon, we returned to the base of High Street to await our ride back to Harrogate: