Lawson's Studio, a charming 18th century holiday cottage in the conservation village of Castle Bolton, has one of the most picturesque views in Wensleydale if not all the Dales. South facing, with an elevated position on the village green, the former artist's studio enjoys a breathtaking panorama across the Wensleydale valley towards Pen Hill, Walden and Bishopdale. A window seat in the lounge reveals the magnificent vista of Bolton Castle which is just two hundred yards along the lane, while the East window looks along the village and beyond, towards limestone escarpments and ancient pasture. After the sun has set behind the castle, the night sky can be an equally amazing sight and you can usually spot a few shooting stars.

The cottage holds a 4 star Visit Britain rating and is the perfect cosy retreat for couples or solo travellers, with numerous walks, miles of stunning countryside and a wide range of attractions to discover from the doorstep. Whatever the season, you'll find our traditional stone-built cottage is always warm, clean and welcoming with comfy furniture and lots of those important little touches that help make you feel at home from the moment you step inside. Enjoy self catering as it was always meant to be, in your very own Yorkshire Dales bolthole.

Lawson's Studio welcomes a medium sized, well behaved pet and you'll find most of our Dales pubs are pet friendly too. A fifteen minute stroll across the fields leads to the local inn: The Bolton Arms in Redmire, serving excellent wines, real ales and home cooked food. Bill, Janet and the locals always give a warm welcome to visitors and you can enjoy many a good chat by the fire. A couple of miles to the West is Carperby, home to The Wheatsheaf, where the young James Herriot honeymooned with his new wife Helen. The Wheatsheaf has a traditional bar area as well as a more formal dining room and serves delicious food in generous proportions. A little closer to home, Bolton Castle's licensed tea room offers a wonderful selection of homemade hot and cold breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea dishes plus speciality teas and freshly ground coffee. They will also freshly prepare evening meals for you to take away and luxury picnic baskets for a special al fresco treat. The castle is only a few minutes walk from the cottage so our guests are treated as locals and given a discount on their meals. Be warned, you may never want to leave the Dales.

Choices, choices! But how to decide? Yorkshire has such a vast range of great produce and eateries to suit everyone's taste that you can't really go far wrong but be sure to visit our local food and drink page to see a few extra special favourites that shouldn't be missed. Now it's definitely very rewarding to explore and experience new people and places but maybe sometimes, after a long day out in the fresh air, it's just as nice to curl up on the sofa and have a night in with a good book or perhaps choose a DVD from our collection. The well-equipped kitchen area at Lawson's makes preparing a home cooked meal a pleasure but don't forget to enjoy the sunset with a glass of something special as you cook, you're on holiday after all!

For much of the year Bolton Castle runs daily activities including falconry displays and archery demonstrations and from the comfort of the cottage you can watch many exciting events passing by the village green including the James Herriot Country Trail Run in July and in August the Adidas TERREX Coast to Coast bike race passes through. Wensleydale also has a rich and varied bird and wildlife population, apart from the wild boar at the castle look out for roe deer, fox and weasels as well as red kite and a healthy number of swallows, swifts and martins in the summer.

So escape the stresses and strains of everyday life, breathe the fresh Yorkshire air and relax - you've arrived. You can even forget about driving and explore the Dales on foot, bus and rail. The Dales Bus calls at the castle and then on to Leyburn or Hawes, catch the train (sometimes a steam engine) from Redmire all the way to Leeming Bar or enjoy a trip back in time on a vintage bus of the 1960s to visit Aysgarth Falls.

Isn't it time you enjoyed a slice of Yorkshire life?