If you want to see as many of Nidderdale’s villages in one day as you can, the Hampsthwaite, Birstwith, Darley, and Summerbridge combination north of Harrogate is a delightful four-stop route.
Hampsthwaite: Sitting just south of the River Nidd, the closest of these four to Harrogate is the quaint village of Hampsthwaite – a delightful little place with a classic British pub at its heart, the Joiners Arms.
Birstwith: Next up is the village of Birstwith, which is split into two parts over the river – on the far side is the highly-rated ‘Station Hotel’.
Darley: As we follow the bend of the River Nidd, you pass through the dual villages of Darley and Darley Head (although it’s more like one long village on both sides of the same road). The highlight of which is “The Wellington Inn” on Darley Carr.
Summerbridge: The fourth village on our whilst-stop tour towards Pateley Bridge is Summerbridge, which offers some fabulous walks to either Brimham Rocks or Glasshousers.
The 24 from Harrogate Bus Station towards Pateley Bridge goes through all four rural communities.