Bellerby

In the lower reaches of Wensleydale where the tall fells recede and the valley widens the bustling market town of Leyburn sits on one of the few remaining bluffs to embrace the routes that pass into Swaledale, by way of Grinton and Richmond, across the dale to Middleham and out towards the Vale of York. Just a mile away from Leyburn in beautiful rolling countryside amid meadowland and pasture, on the way to Richmond, is the village of Bellerby. A cluster of dwellings nestled around a pretty green and a finger of development reaching out towards Bellerby Moor. Many of its treasures hide from the gaze of passing traffic in the intricate back lanes and wynds that pass between the intimacies of the houses.

A settlement built around Bellerby Beck and tributary streams which seem to appear randomly between the houses and along the village green supporting many native ducks who waddle calmly across the road from stream to stream to halt passing motorists who can but wonder why.

There’s history too in the Manor House in existence since 1575, the Old Hall from similar times and the relative youth of St John’s church built in 1801. What’s more there’s a busy local pub with a growing and thriving community around it and many footpaths to explore the surrounding countryside.