Dales Countryside Museum
Museum in the former railway station at Hawes telling the story of the Yorkshire Dales and its people, with galleries, railway carriages and a trail.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum's collection began in 1941, when Marie Hartley and Ella Pontefract bought items at the sale of Horne's Private Museum in Leyburn. Hartley and her friend Joan Ingilby later added many more objects, which they documented in their books and records. The collection opened to the public as the Upper Dales Folk Museum on 30 March 1979 and was renamed the Dales Countryside Museum in 1990.
The museum occupies the former goods warehouse at Hawes Joint Station Yard. Ownership passed from North Yorkshire County Council to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority in 1997, an extension was built in 1996 and 1997 and a mezzanine floor was added to the warehouse, and the redeveloped museum reopened in 1998. A locomotive and railway carriages were brought to the yard and turned into displays and interactive exhibits.
In 2017 the museum received 860 objects from the former Yorkshire Dales Mining Museum at Earby, including mining wagons and tools, and in 2019 the Old Providence Mine ore crusher was reassembled on the north platform. The museum also has an exhibition hall for changing exhibitions, an events space and an education room.
Highlights
- Collection of Dales life and work started by Marie Hartley and Joan Ingilby
- Converted railway carriages and a locomotive in the old station yard
- Mining displays with objects from the former Earby mining museum
- Old Providence Mine ore crusher on the platform
- Free augmented-reality trail In Marie's Footsteps
Permanent exhibitions
- Goods Warehouse galleries – Displays on Dales life in the former goods warehouse, including the Hartley and Ingilby Gallery, a mezzanine textile gallery and a ground-floor mining display.
- Railway carriages – Converted railway carriages and a locomotive in the station yard with displays and interactive exhibits.
- In Marie's Footsteps AR trail – A free augmented-reality trail around the museum inspired by Marie Hartley.
- Founded
- 1979
- Operated by
- Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | £4.50Visitors aged 60 and over |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 15 · Under-16s are free. |
| Seniors | £4.50Concession for visitors aged 60 and over. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · Carers are admitted free. |
| Annual pass | £10Per adult. |
| Scurry Club pass | £10A treat on each visit and one adult free with the child. |
Tickets are valid for 7 days. Friends of the Museum annual membership costs £10 and includes free entry, an annual publication and monthly lectures. A £1 discount on admission is given when a car park ticket is bought.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The museum is pushchair and wheelchair friendly, with wide aisles, lifts, ramps and a low-level information counter. There is level access with a permanent ramp from the main entrance to the galleries, reception, shop, accessible toilet and outdoor trail. Accessible toilets are in the museum, including a Changing Places toilet, and RADAR-key toilets are in the car park. Accessible parking spaces are less than 50 metres from the entrance. Many objects can be touched and there are sound recordings to listen to. Assistance dogs are welcome and personal assistants are admitted free.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 15 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Stroller-friendly
- Baby changing facilities
- Playground / play area
Under-16s enter free. The museum has hands-on interactive exhibits, a Mini Museum with role play for young children, a buggy store, baby changing facilities and picnic tables, and there is a play park nearby. Families can try traditional games and crafts and join family events. If a visit is not going well, the museum will honour the ticket for another day. It has signed up to the Kids in Museums manifesto.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Little White Bus stop
The Little White Bus stops next to the museum. The nearest railway station is Garsdale, 9.3 miles away, with a station shuttle bus.
By car
Paid parking
The museum car park is less than 50 metres from the main entrance and has accessible spaces. There is a drop-off point with a dropped kerb at the main entrance.
- Accessible parking
The museum is in Station Yard, just off the A684 in Wensleydale.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
- Wi-Fi
The coffee shop was closed at the time of research; visitors can bring their own food to the indoor picnic area in the former waiting room, the garden seats or the platform seating. Free Wi-Fi is available. The shop sells Distinctly Dales products by local artists and makers.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Learning offers include workshops, loan boxes and school and home-educator visits. No dogs are allowed except assistance dogs. A free augmented-reality trail, In Marie's Footsteps, and a visual story to prepare for a visit are available online. |
