Green Dragon Inn: I visited the Yorkshire Dales pub where All Creatures Great and Small was filmed - it reminded me how important rural communities are and how beautiful the autumn season is
Just like with all rural villages, towns and hamlets in the Yorkshire Dales, the drive to the Green Dragon Inn was just as stunning as the destination itself - I couldn’t stop staring out of the car window.
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Hide AdThe beautifully coloured leaves of the trees flourished as the autumn season was at its peak.
I was invited along with my family to stay for a weekend at the inn, which dates back to the 13th century, on behalf of The Yorkshire Post and I was excited.
As well as preserving its heritage, its owners throughout history have kept it moving with modern times. When we walked in, you could tell a lot of time, effort and love had gone into it.
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Hide AdMark Thompson and his partner Yvonne owned and managed the pub from 2001 until last year when the business was passed over to the owner of Tan Hill Inn, Andrew Hields.
For months, the pub has undergone various changes and modifications and Mr Hields described it as a ‘labour of love’.
Our family suite was newly renovated and as we walked it, I could instantly spot a recurring theme; the materials used in every room were green velvet, wood and stone. It felt like you walked into a hobbit’s home in one of The Lord of the Rings films. There were two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and fully stocked kitchen.
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Hide AdWe had dinner at the pub on Friday (October 11) evening. At the bar, you could instantly feel the friendly atmosphere. We were greeted by Maria who accommodated us very well, answered all of our questions and suggested recommendations of places to visit and eat. We were served by Kit and Leah, who were also very friendly and chatty.
One thing I will never forget when I visit rural towns and villages is how genuine the people are. They are always willing to help and will spend several minutes, even at a very busy pub, talking to you about anything. These precious moments are vital for our wellbeing and social skills and I was reminded of that on this trip.
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Rural spots are like time capsules that contain precious moments frozen in time that are crucial to us. I take a lot of comfort and pride in that and in Yorkshire.
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Hide AdWe shared three starters: chicken wings, halloumi fries and lamb koftas - all of which were absolutely delicious. The chicken wings were spicy, just the way I like them and even though lamb is not normally my meat of choice, the koftas were very tasty.
For mains, I had a cheeseburger which was also delicious but I underestimated the size of the starters, so by that time, I was feeling rather full.
The rooms were quite cold that night as the boiler was broken and the temperature dropped suddenly but once we rang reception and told them, they fixed the heating for us and also kindly brought electric heaters into our bedrooms for us.
We had a very comfortable sleep that night.
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Hide AdWe kept breakfast light the next morning, as I was still full from dinner the previous night, which was good because we had a busy day to prepare for. I scheduled a chat with Mr Thompson and a tour of the pub with Mr Hields.
During my tour with Mr Hields, he spoke to me about how he feels about taking over the business.
“It’s a massive honour to be a custodian for this place right now. I get an immense sense of pride,” Mr Hields said.
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Hide Ad“These places are a labour of love and that’s from me, the staff and the customers as well. It’s a shame we are losing a lot of the pubs because people love them and they love to be part of them.
“Hopefully, all being well, we can keep this place going for another fair amount of generations in the future and set it up to continue to grow.”
As we walked over to Hardraw Force, where Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner was filmed, I couldn’t believe the stunning colours of the leaves and the rapid stream of the water. The entire place looked like a painting. The intermittent rain made it look more photogenic.
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Hide AdAfter the walk, I spoke to Mr Thompson who said he was very happy with the takeover.
“It was very difficult to come away from something we had been [part of] for, at that point, 22 years of our lives,” Mr Thompson said.
“Andrew was always very keen to be involved, in some way, to purchase [the inn] and I’d watched him grow and develop the business and model of Tan Hill for five or six years.
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Hide Ad“I’d been in the trade for nearly 50 years and I’ve seen good operators and bad operators and I thought there are very few who would have the ability to take this to a level like he could.
“It’s tremendous. We’re all gaining from the arrangement because he’s allowing us to have a staged exit. We’re very happy after all these years to see the way it’s going.”
We walked to England’s highest single-drop waterfall at Hardraw Force. We also headed to the charming village of Hawes where we took a tour of Wensleydale Creamery, bought some delicious cheese and walked into every independent shop. I was addicted to everything.
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Hide AdWe had dinner at the pub again that evening and the food was good, it wasn’t as good the previous night, although I thoroughly enjoy the chicken and mayo sandwich. Plus the bar was packed full of people and the staff were rushed off their feet.
The night ended on a humorous note as we were treated to a show at the newly renovated Hardraw Hall where Leeds comedian and legend Billy Pearce entertained us into the night.
His personality was magnetic and he had a lot of energy, although let’s just say his jokes weren’t for the young audience but the adults had a chuffin’ great laugh. I hadn’t been to a comedy show in a long time and it certainly ended the weekend on a high.
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Hide AdAll in all, despite the disappointing weather, the weekend was not affected one bit. We savoured every second and the friendly locals and staff members made these moments special and memorable. I can definitely understand the hype of this village, the pub and the waterfall and would love to visit again.
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