On Bank Holiday Monday I took the dogs for a walk at Parcevall Hall Gardens near Applewick in Wharfedale. Its an area I love, but I’ve never been to Parcevall Hall specifically. I noted on their website that dogs on a lead are allowed, so I bundled the pups up, stuck them in the back of the bug with the top down and we set off for a bank holiday adventure.

The route to the gardens is beautiful but it can be tricky - it’s a single track road for a lot of the route, so be prepared to meet oncoming traffic and do a bit of reversing from time to time. That said, it was a glorious drive and I was lucky in that I didn’t need to do any tricky manoeuvres.

It was £9 per adult to get into the gardens, which includes parking (the dogs went in for free). It’s worthwhile in my view - I don’t mind a bit of a fee if the money is going towards the upkeep of the gardens, that seems fair enough! Entry is to the side of the cafe and toilets and the car park is just behind.

We took the woodland walk up first, past the small waterfall and up over the path next to the fields. The woodland is gorgeous right now with Daffodils, Bluebells and Forget-Me-Nots all on show. The trees are also greening up nicely.

I’m not going to lie - trying to handle two dogs on the lead and taking photos wasn’t easy! If your dog is good on the lead, you will enjoy the gardens more than I had a chance to do. My two are used to being walked off lead 90% of the time and were a bit of a pain as they did a lot of pulling. I’d have loved to leave them off the lead through the woods but I can see why its not a good idea; we saw plenty of wildlife including a Grouse that ran right in front of us. It’s also lambing time and there are sheep in the top field.

The highlight of the route is the immediate area around Parcevall Hall itself. The views over the Dales from the tiered garden are impressive, and the plants and landscaping well kept and good-looking. The history of Parcevall Hall itself dates back to the 16th century when it was built as a family home. However, it wasn't until the 20th century that the gardens began to take shape under the care of Sir William Milner.

Over the years, Sir William continued to expand and refine the gardens, drawing inspiration from both traditional English garden design and the rugged beauty of the Yorkshire Dales. In 1927, Sir William Milner opened Parcevall Hall Gardens to the public for the first time, allowing visitors to enjoy the beauty of his creation. Since then, the gardens have continued to be open to the public.

Today, Parcevall Hall Gardens is managed by a trust dedicated to preserving and maintaining this historic site for future generations to enjoy. It’s a popular destination for both locals and tourists.

After our walk we popped into the little cafe for a drink and a tuna sarnie. Love Brownies provides the sweet treats, and there’s a good selection of ice cream too - maybe one for next time! It’s not cheap however - £6.50 for a sandwich in Yorkshire 😂

All in all we had a great day. If you’re taking kids instead of dogs there is plenty of room for them to run around and explore.