I’ve always envied the cosy vibes from classic Christmas film The Holiday, but I always thought that it would be near impossible to find somewhere to replicate Cameron Diaz’s experience.
It turns out, there’s one UK market town that actually fits the bill perfectly. On a recent weekend away in the Yorkshire Dales, I headed to picturesque Middleham, and was instantly struck by just how charming it was.
The main cobbled street is lined with an eclectic mix of antique shops, tea rooms and chippies, not to mention the gorgeous stone cottages have picture-perfect flower pots and twee knick-knacks on their porches. Rose Cottage in The Holiday may be a fake place (sorry to spoil that), but the homes in Middleham definitely give it a run for its money.
The whole place feels like it’s frozen in time, and I mean that as a compliment. I stopped off at the Castle Keep Tea Rooms here you’ll find about 6 tables, a roaring fireplace and cosy armchairs. The menu had all the classic breakfast items you could want, some light sandwiches and some seriously delicious cakes baked in-house.
Everything is so walkable, mainly because it’s about 10 minutes from one end of the town to the other; although be warned that it’s on a hill!
The town is steeped in history as the childhood home of Richard III, and the setting for the historic Middleham Castle. I headed over to the English Heritage site because I felt a bit like I should, what with it being the biggest attraction, and I was pleasantly surprised.
The ruins are quite charming and impressive, and it’s easy to picture how grandiose the castle must have been in its heyday. If you can brave the winding staircase to the top, you’ll get treated with some gorgeous views of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and the town below. (Adult tickets from £9.50, you can find out more on english-heritage.org.uk). Again, the ruins and the views leave you feeling like you’re somewhere in the Game of Thrones universe; I was half expecting dragons to soar over my head.
The town’s location right on the Yorkshire Dales National Park means that it’s an excellent base for hikers and ramblers; there were endless footpaths and trails around, and there were some great pubs with low beams and roaring fires where you can treat yourself to a pint. (The Dante Arms was a particular highlight).
For families, Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park is about a half hour’s drive and has heaps of rides, rollercoasters and attractions for kids aged 12 and under. We booked a group ticket working out at about £15pp and were massively impressed by how much was actually included in the ticket.
As for accommodation, there is definitely a wide array on offer. I was heading to Middleham as part of a weekend away with friends, but as I live a few hours from Yorkshire I decided to book a cosy cottage on Airbnb for one night, to get the travel out of the way and have some time to enjoy the region. Again, I got major The Holiday vibes with the stone walls, soft furnishings and charming decor.
The next day, I headed a few minutes down the road to Middleham House, which perfectly suited our group size of about 24 people. It’s no easy feat to find a nice base for such a large group, but the house delivered with its huge living room, library and dining room, as well as the spacious ensuite bedrooms. Again, a roaring fireplace was on offer, and it was difficult to tear myself away to actually go and do some exploring! You can find out more and book stays at themiddlehamhouse.com.